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« Letting in a little light | Main | Supermarket cooking school » Tuesday, October 17, 2006In fear of faux pas
Louisiana-born Colleen Rush has just written "The Mere Mortal's Guide to Fine Dining," a book that many people I've eaten dinner with need. She tells you what to do in a restaurant -- not just which fork to use, but how to be gracious about the entire experience. She writes with little asides, some called "Eat This" and "Lagniappe," which point out things like where foie gras is from and what the problem is with Chilean sea bass (most isn't sea bass, but rather Patagonian toothfish, which is dwindling). She discusses ordering. "Restaurants are not above using psychology to steer you into ordering higher-profit dishes," she writes. She maintains that those are listed first and last on the menu, because that's what diners read thoroughly. There's real etiquette stuff here. As in, don't push your plate away from you when you're done and never stack for the waiter. And put utensils, including the handles, on the plate when you're done. Another hint: "When in doubt about any table manner matter, glance around the table or dining room and copy your host or the classiest act in the place." Lots of fun here. Pop quiz: In a restaurant if something is set down before you on a tiny plate, what is it called? Alas, we can't turn the blog upside down to give the answer. It's an amuse bouche (mouth amusement) or amuse gueule (palate amusement), meant to delight you. Posted by Sheryl Julian at 08:11 PM
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