DEMYSTIFYING ETIQUETTE FOR RESTING CUTLERY

There is no need to stress about where to place your cutlery when you’ve finished your meal or when you pause to take a sip of wine. The reality is that there are only three simple rules regarding resting cutlery that you need to learn.

Position 1: Pause to drink or converse

If you need to take a break from the meal to drink, chat, or step away for a moment but aren’t finished eating, simply turn your fork with prongs facing down and place it gently across the very top of your knife, forming a triangular shape in the middle of your plate.

Position 2: Finished Meal; Plate Can Be Removed

Option 1: Place your fork and knife at a 45 degree angle, pointing towards the upper lefthand corner of your plate. The fork’s prongs should be facing upwards and the knife should be placed above the fork.

Position 3: Finished Meal: Plate Can Be Removed

Option 2: Rest your fork vertically in the middle of your plate with the prongs facing upwards. Place your knife vertically and immediately to the right of your fork. The handles of both the fork and knife will slightly extend over the bottom of your plate.

Did you notice how positions 2 and 3 accomplish the same objective? This means that you really only need to learn two total positions: one to pause your meal and one to indicate that you have finished eating. Once you learn these positions, you’ve successfully demystified the etiquette for resting cutlery.

All the cutlery positions below are wrong.