The Dapper Diplomat’s Dining Pledge

Are you ready to take the Dapper Diplomat’s Dining Pledge? Find out below if you are ready to commit and a quick breakdown of the background behind each phrase.

The Etiquette Pledge:

I pledge, 

To enter my chair, from the right 

That the bread, is on the left

and the drinks, are on the right

To place my napkin, and my elbows

gently on my lap

 And to always, always, butter my bread

piece by piece, and not near my head

 This I pledge

my solemn vow

from right here, forever now

No. 1 – Enter Chair

We always enter and exit the chair from the right. This allows for everyone to follow a uniform set of rules when approaching or exiting the table and ensures the elimination of confusion. Why the right? General lore states that we follow this rule based on the hand that was predominately used to eat up until the mid 20th century. 

 No. 2 – BMW

Bread, meal, water. The order in which items are set on the table in front of you. Just spell out the name of this European luxury car and you will always remember which is yours and which belongs to your neighbor.

No. 3 – Napkins

Gently in your lap, but… not before the host. Don’t forget that the host is going to lead your meal or table and until they sit and place their napkins gently in their lap you should avoid placing it there yourself. Don’t forget that at the end of the meal the reverse is true. The host will signal the meal if finished by placing their napkin crumpled in front of them on the table. If in doubt, don’t forget to follow your host’s lead.

No. 4 – Bread & Butter

If there is one tell that indicates you have no idea what is going on at the table it is truly the way in which you butter your bread. Long gone are the days of the butter sandwich and your crumbling of all of the pieces so that they are manageable is also unacceptable. If you are ready to take it to the next level make sure you take a bit of butter from the dish, place it gently on your plate and then break off, one, and only one, piece of the bread, butter it and convey it to your mouth. And there you have it, the frame of dining like a diplomat. Now it’s time to fill it in with additional training and practice in the real world.