Mealtime Customs

Family Meals Eating together is

important to a family’s social health

How many of you eat meals together as a family? 

To help make the most of family meals, it is important to keep a positive mealtime

atmosphere and pay attention to the table’s appearance.

Mealtime Atmosphere

Sierra’s family keeps the TV on during dinner. Dinner at Mark’s house often

erupts into complaints and accusations involving Mark, his sister, and their

parents.

What is wrong with these scenarios? How can they be improved?

An upbeat atmosphere can be as essential to your family’s health as

nutritious food

What are some interesting topics that

you have or can discuss with your family?

People who read or watch television as they eat pay little attention to what and how much they eat

Setting the Table

How the table looks at mealtime can be as significant as how the people around it behave

 Table settings include the following:

Tableware- includes any items used for serving and

eating food

Place setting- the pieces of tableware used by one person to eat a

meal

Serving pieces- platters, large bowls, and other tableware used for

serving food

Cover- the arrangement of a place setting for one

person

Table-Setting BasicsThe cover is usually on the table before people sit down to eat.

The plate goes in the center of the cover, about 1 inch from

the edge of the table

Arrange flatware in the order in which it is used, starting at

the outside and working in toward the center

Forks go on the left of the plate, knives to the right

Place spoons to the right of the knives

If you have a soup spoon and a teaspoon, you would use the soup spoon first so place the

soup spoon to the right of the teaspoon

Place a beverage glass just above the

tip of the dinner knife

The cup and saucer or mug go to the right of the spoon

The napkin is usually placed to the left of the fork

Settings for Family Meals

Most families choose simple table settings for everyday meals

 For most meals, you need at least a dinner plate, fork, knife, teaspoon, and beverage

glassServing Family Meals

There are two common styles of serving food, they are family service and plate service

Family Service 

The cover is set with the necessary tableware

 The food is placed in serving dishes and passed around the table with

people helping themselves 

The main advantage of family service is that people can serve themselves

the amount they want 

Disadvantages include 

Hot dishes left on the table may cool to room temperature allowing bacteria to

form

 Difficult to practice portion control which

leads to overeating

 Excess food left on a plate must be thrown away which wastes both food and money

Plate Service 

Plate service is generally used for family meals and in restaurants

 Food is placed on the plates directly from the

containers in which it was cooked and the plates are then brought to the table

 The only exception is salad

 Plate service saves cleanup time more than

family service does

General Guidelines 

Place breads and rolls on a plate or in a basket and pass it around the table

 If a basket it used, line it with a napkin

 

Serve salads either in individual bowls at each place setting or in a serving bowl that is to be passed around

the table 

Salad dressing should be served separately so that people can use the amount that

they want

 Serve dessert after the dinner plates, salad

bowls, and serving dishes have been cleared from the table