20-40-60 Etiquette---Where do I put my napkin?
YOU ASK! WE ANSWER! YOU DECIDE!
QUESTION: I observed some pretty bad habits at the dinner table this year and so I decided to write and ask you all about napkins.
Do napkins stay in your lap during the entire meal? When do you unfold them and put them in your lap? Where does it go if you need to leave the table?
Can you use them to blow your nose if necessary?
CALLIE’S ANSWER: Etiquette 101: When you sit down put your napkin in your lap! Napkins should stay in your lap during the entire meal unless you get up from you are seated. When you do get up, put the napkin in the chair.
Really? Blowing your nose at the dinner table…Gross! Excuse yourself.
LILLIE-BETH’S ANSWER: I was always taught that the napkin goes in your lap as soon as you sit down and stays there unless you need to use it to wipe your mouth. You can also use it to discreetly spit out some bone or gristle found in your meal, but that’s an answer for another time. I don’t think you should use it to blow your nose unless it’s an emergency sneeze that you can’t fight quietly.
If you need to leave the table, you put it back on the table neatly by the silverware, only to return it to your lap once you sit back down.
HELEN’S ANSWER: When you are at dinner with a host, wait for him to unfold his napkin before you unfold yours and then it goes directly on your lap. When you are at a restaurant, place your napkin in your lap as soon as you sit down. If you leave the table, place your napkin to the left of your plate so it is easy to get to when you sit back down.
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