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Enter your information below to subscribe INSTANTLYKeep Your Wife Happy - Treat her to Dinner At Home
It doesn't really matter what you serve as long as it is something that she really likes. Perhaps your famous rib recipe or maybe its fried chicken from the take out joint down the road. The important aspects of making her dinner are:
You will want to have a nicely set table in the dining room. Let me tell you how to do that:
Set the table nicely
How to set a table:
The fork goes to the left of the plate and the knife to the right of the plate. A spoon (for dessert or stirring a hot drink) sits to the right of the knife. If you add a dessert fork and/or a salad fork, they will be placed to the left of the dinner fork.
The glasses for wine and/or water sit to the right of the top of the dinner plate. If you are serving wine, use wine glasses not water glasses.
Napkins or serviettes (paper or cloth - paper towel only in the case of an emergency!) are placed either on the plate or just above it towards the centre of the table. It can also be placed to the left of the fork(s). A napkin holder is also a nice touch. Roll the napkin and place inside the holder.
You can serve the plates from the stove or put the food in nice serving dishes on the table. Under no circumstances should you ever serve the chicken from the take out container it was bought in. Transfer the chicken to a nice plate and set it either on the counter for self-serve or on the table for sharing. When you take the time to do this it says "I care enough to do this little thing for you."
Keep the kitchen clean (or at the very least clean up after cooking)
Good china and silverware are optional. You can have a nice meal with your regular dishes. You choose which you want to use. For those of you who don't have the choice - don't worry - it is more about what you are ‘doing' than what you ‘have'.
Turn off your telephone or just hide it in a room upstairs under the pillows so you won't hear it ring. This way you can be undisturbed during your dinnertime. At the very least, make a pledge to ignore it if it rings.
Etiquette for a Special Dinner:
1. Hold the chair for her when she sits at the table.
2. At dinner parties, it is polite to start eating only after the host has begun. Because you are treating your wife I suggest that you start eating only after your guest of honor - your wife - starts to eat. If she is hesitating or waiting for you, then let her know that she is to begin.
3. Start with Gratitude and a Toast. Whether you are religious or not, start by saying what you are thankful for. It could be as simple as "We are so fortunate to have this food on the table and to have this relationship with each other (and our family)." Follow this with a toast to your wife. If you are wondering what you might say, you could say "To the most beautiful woman in the world." It really doesn't matter what you say as long as you are sincere. (Don't say "I love your outfit, when she knows you hate it!)
4. During dinner, listen twice as much as you talk.
5. Turn off the TV
6. Music in the background is nice
7. Loud eating noises such as slurping and burping are very impolite. The number one sin of dinner table etiquette!
8. Always scoop food away from you.
9. Don't blow on your food to cool it off. If it is too hot to eat, take the hint and wait.
10. Keep elbows off the table. Keep your left hand in your lap unless you are using it.
11. Don't talk with your mouth full. Chew with your mouth closed.
12. When you're finished eating, place your utensils on your plate with the handles touching at the 4 o'clock position. Place the napkin to the left side of the plate.
When the meal is over, take the dishes off the table and serve her coffee/tea and dessert. Be sure to do the dishes afterwards and clean the table and the counters. There is nothing more frustrating than having a nice meal made for you and then having to clean up the mess.
If you decide to have a BBQ rather than an indoor meal, you can be more informal however the same rules apply and you can use your outdoor table. Place mats are still good. When I have been camping and had none with me, I've used paper towel. In my book, this is only acceptable when camping however!
Two methods to use your fork and knife:
American Style: Knife in right hand, fork in left hand holding food. After a few bite-sized pieces of food are cut, place knife on edge of plate with blades facing in. Eat food by switching fork to right hand (unless you are left handed).
Continental/European Style: Knife in right hand, fork in left hand. Eat food with fork still in left hand. The difference is that you don't switch hands-you eat with your fork in your left hand, with the prongs curving downward.
Once used, your utensils, including the handles, should not touch the table again. Always rest forks, knives, and spoons on the side of your plate or in the bowl.