Diagram for Setting the Dining Table

It is generally concurred that the state of mind when eating is an important factor for enjoying meals. A neatly laid table adds a sense of comfort and pleasure that also aids in easy digestion. It then becomes important to make the table as attractive as possible. In fact there are specific rules regarding the layout of a table that can be readily understood by the diagrams alongside.

Everything on the table must be scrupulously clean to begin with. Each place setting has the forks placed with the tines up and on the left of the plate. Knives are placed on the right with the sharp edge toward the plate. Knives and forks should be placed at a comfortable distance. They should neither be crowded nor appear sprawled-out. They are to be set about an inch from the edge of the table.

Spoons, bowl up, are placed at the right of the knives. Occasionally they are put at the top of the knives for lack of space. If using silver cutlery they may be arranged according to size. It is better however to place them in the order of use, placing those to be used first on the outside. The soup spoon being large is sometimes placed out of order between the knives and smaller spoons.