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Printer-Friendly ModeBusiness fraternity takes the bite out of etiquette lessons
April 14, 2008 —
Delta Sigma Pi is teaching students how to eat.
The coeducational business fraternity co-hosted a dinner on Friday with the goal of teaching students proper table manners and etiquette.
Mike Simon, of SVSU's career planning office, delivered a presentation before dinner with step-by-step instructions on how to properly butter bread, pass water, eat soup and manage crackers and even sit down.
For example: When eating bread, take off a bite-sized piece, butter it, and then eat. No buttering the whole roll, or cutting it in half with a knife. And pass the basket counter-clockwise when finished. If there's one piece of bread left after everyone's finished with their first roll, it's impolite to eat the roll.
The event was in the works for some time, said Todd Conley, DSP's professional activities director.
"Last year, it got put on the back burner," he said.
Conley said that DSP intended for students to network with company representatives at the career fair earlier in the day and sit down with them for dinner later on in the afternoon, and many did, as officials from Gordon Food Service and Delphi - both co-sponsors - were present at the event.
"It taught me a lot about business etiquette," DSP bookkeeper Grant Essenmacher said.
Student Association and the Office of Career Planning and Placement also supported the event.
Dining tip 1: Work utensils from outside in. Soup spoons and salad forks are usually located on the outside.
Dining tip 2: Drinks are on the right, napkins and bread are on the left. Don't go grabbing your neighbor's drink or wiping your mouth with someone elses' napkin.
Dining tip 3: Mom was wrong: Keep your hands above the table or on the rests of your chair at all times. This arcane rule stems from an old renaissance practice. If someone's hands were below the table, it usually meant someone was getting stabbed.