Sunday's Greek Savoir Vivre - How to Eat ...

Table manners play an important part in making a favourable impression. They are visible signs of the state of our manners and can often lead to professional success. The etiquette of table manners depends a lot on culture but, in all cases it should make us feel comfortable and confident. Here's how we eat various dishes in Greece and Cyprus.

You can pick up asparagus stalks with your finger if they are firm and not sauced - one stalk at a time. However, if your fellow diners use a knife and a fork, you'd rather do so as well. In Greece, as in many other countries, asparagus is finger food. If in doubt, use utensils!

Vegetable sticks are also finger food and they are usually served with dips. You can pick them up with your finger and dip only one piece at a time. If vegetable  sticks are sauced, you should use your knife and fork.

If you like some bread with butter before starters, spread the butter on a small piece of bread. Do not make a sandwich!

Remove the legs and claws with the fingers from hard shellfish and crustaceans. Then remove the flesh with a seafood fork or nutpick and separate the body into bite-size pieces. Break the tail with your fingers and eat the meat with a fork. Do not forget to rinse your fingers in the rinse-doights (finger bowl) provided.

At a formal meal, chicken and poultry is eaten with a fork and knife unless the bone is wrapped in foil in which case you can pick it up with your fingers. At informal or family meals, you can eat poultry using your fingers and a fork. 

At a formal meal, bananas, apples, oranges and figs are eaten with a fork and spoon which should be provided. Pears, melon, grapefruit and kiwi are cut in the middle and eaten with a spoon. Use your fingers to eat cherries, grapes and apricots, and a spoon to eat all kinds of berries.

At formal meals, soup is eaten with a soupspoon by resting the end of the handle on your middle finger with the thumb on top. Dip the spoon sideways into the soup at the edge of the bowl, then skim from the front of the bowl to the back. Sip from the side of the spoon and do not slurp - whether at formal or informal meals!

Comments

[A Twitter User]

Oh these table manners make me crazy....hehehe!That's why I prefer casual dining. In the Philippines, we usually eat with a fork and a spoon with our meals. The Americans use fork all the time, and only use spoons for soups and desserts. It's fine to burp in the Philippines because it is a sign that you are "fully satisfied" with the food the host served or you are "grateful for the food " that God has blessed in the dining table. Burping in America is very rude, especially in the dining table. In the Philippines, we don't put our hands on our chins while eating because it is a sign of "dissatisfaction" of the blessings. But we can eat with our legs raised on our chairs.
Thanks for sharing this important information. At least I know what to do while dining in your country :-)

[Anastasia]

Thank you so much for sharing your own table manners. Eating with your legs raised on your chairs must be fun , but here in Cyprus , it would be very bad manners. Also, slurping is considered to be very rude in Greece and Cyprus, however much you like a soup. :-)

[Lakis Ioannou]

I often attend formal business lunches or dinners and I always avoid eating fruit unles there's a fruit salad. I find it hard to eat an apple or a banana with a fork and spoon!

[Stefania]

Eating grilled lobster with my fingers is the only way to really enjoy it! Thanks for all the useful tips.

[Alexia M]

I believe that table manners in general are very important - not only in formal meals or business lunches/dinners, but also in everyday life and - why not - in casual meals. I just hate people eating noisily or grabbing food with their fingers. As for vegetable sticks served with dips, I always ask for toothpicks if they are not provided. Also in the Netherlands, slurping soup is very rude.

[Anastasia]

So do I! It's practically impossible for me to eat apples or oranges with a fork and spoon!

[Anastasia]

Well, maybe so, but that would be very rude in a formal meal.

[Anastasia]

I couldn't agree more, Alexia. Table manners are only a small part of good manners in general.