finger and the thumb so that the end of the handle touches the center of the palm of the hand. The hands should almost cover the handle, but the first finger should not extend down on the blade of the knife or on the prongs of the fork. (See Fig. 82.) The knife is held in the right hand only, and is used for cutting foods and spreading but- ter on bread. For the latter, a small knife, called a butter spreader, is sometimes provided. After the knife has been used for cutting, it should be so laid on the plate, that it rests wholly on it, never partly on the plate and partly on the table. It is not pleasing to see a guest at the table holding his knife upright or waving it in the air while he is talking. DINING ROOM COURTESY 349 The fork is held sometimes in the left hand and sometimes in the right. It should be in the left, when holding foods that are being cut with the knife. It may' be held in either hand when conveying food to the mouth. It used to be considered " good form " to use only the right hand in lifting food to the mouth, though this necessitated changing the folk to the right hand after the knife had been laid aside. The common-sense method of keeping the fork in the left hand to carry food to the mouth is now accepted. (See Fig. 83.) When the fork is held in the right hand and used for con- veying such food as mashed potato to the mouth, its handle should be grasped by the thumb and first finger in some- what the same manner as a pen is held. When a second serving is desired, the knife and fork should be placed together on one side of the plate, in order to make room for the food. At the. end of a course the knife and fork should be placed side by side in the center of the plate. 350 THE PLANNING AND SERVING OP MEALS The Fork and Spoon. — Since both the fork and the spoon are used to convey food, there may be some indecision as to the best use of each. The fork should be used when- ever it is possible and sensible to do so. Soft foods, such as soft-cooked eggs, custards, certain fruits, and desserts served with cream or sauce, should be eaten with a spoon. The fork should be used for brick ice-eream or stiffly frozen Fig. 84. — The teaspoon should be placed in the saucer. desserts. All vegetables, salads, and pastry are eaten with a fork. In the case of salads and pastry, it is sometimes necessary to cut them with a fork. It is unconventional to cut lettuce with a knife at the table ; for the sake of conven- ience, the lettuce may be torn into pieces before serving. If the lettuce leaf is Berved whole it may be folded with the fork before conveying it to the mouth. A salad wafer or a roll may be used to aid the fork either in folding or cutting lettuce. For beverages, the spoon is used for stirring and tasting) but not for sipping. After the spoon has been used it should be placed in the saucer. (See Fig. 84.)- When tasting with DINING ROOM COURTESY 351 a spoon, the side — not the tip — of the spoon should be used. When using a spoon for serving, or for sipping soup, Fig. 65. — Method of holding soup spoon. there is less danger of spilling the food if the spoon, is moved away from, rather than toward, oneself. (See Fig. 85.)

AI-modernized reading of the original text

finger and the thumb so that the end of the handle touches the center of the palm of the hand. The hands should almost cover the handle, but the first finger should not extend down on the blade of the knife or on the prongs of the fork. (See Fig. 82.) The knife is held in the right hand only, and is used for cutting foods and spreading butter on bread. For the latter, a small knife, called a butter spreader, is sometimes provided. After the knife has been used for cutting, it should be so laid on the plate, that it rests wholly on it, never partly on the plate and partly on the table. It is not pleasing to see a guest at the table holding his knife upright or waving it in the air while he is talking. DINING ROOM COURTESY 349 The fork is held sometimes in the left hand and sometimes in the right. It should be in the left, when holding foods that are being cut with the knife. It may be held in either hand when conveying food to the mouth. It used to be considered " good form " to use only the right hand in lifting food to the mouth, though this necessitated changing the folk to the right hand after the knife had been laid aside. The common-sense method of keeping the fork in the left hand to carry food to the mouth is now accepted. (See Fig. 83.) When the fork is held in the right hand and used for conveying such food as mashed potato to the mouth, its handle should be grasped by the thumb and first finger in somewhat the same manner as a pen is held. When a second serving is desired, the knife and fork should be placed together on one side of the plate, in order to make room for the food. At the. end of a course the knife and fork should be placed side by side in the center of the plate. The Fork and Spoon. — Since both the fork and the spoon are used to convey food, there may be some indecision as to the best use of each. The fork should be used whenever it is possible and sensible to do so. Soft foods, such as soft-cooked eggs, custards, certain fruits, and desserts served with cream or sauce, should be eaten with a spoon. The fork should be used for brick ice-eream or stiffly frozen [illustration: Fig. 84. — The teaspoon should be placed in the saucer.] desserts. All vegetables, salads, and pastry are eaten with a fork. In the case of salads and pastry, it is sometimes necessary to cut them with a fork. It is unconventional to cut lettuce with a knife at the table ; for the sake of convenience, the lettuce may be torn into pieces before serving. If the lettuce leaf is Berved whole it may be folded with the fork before conveying it to the mouth. A salad wafer or a roll may be used to aid the fork either in folding or cutting lettuce. For beverages, the spoon is used for stirring and tasting) but not for sipping. After the spoon has been used it should be placed in the saucer. (See Fig. 84.) When tasting with DINING ROOM COURTESY 351 a spoon, the side — not the tip — of the spoon should be used. When using a spoon for serving, or for sipping soup, [illustration: Fig. 85. — Method of holding soup spoon.] there is less danger of spilling the food if the spoon, is moved away from, rather than toward, oneself. (See Fig. 85.)

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