I remember as a child growing up my mother would bake pizza every Saturday night. The dough for the crust was either a package mix or if we made bread earlier in the day, we saved some dough for the pizza. The toppings were simple: a small can of tomato sauce, fried and sliced Italian sausage and lots of thick slices of mozzarella cheese. Then thirty minutes in the oven and wallah! Oh the memories.

Fast forward a couple of decades and now I ask you, do you eat pizza with your fingers or a fork?  As a child, and now most times as an adult, I use my fingers. Now that’s not to say if I’m served pizza with a knife and fork that I skip using the flatware. It’s usually a subtle hint I’m in an establishment where patrons use a fork over fingers.

So when eating pizza with my fingers, here are the etiquette tips I follow so the meal does not become messy.  

1)    Resist blowing on the pizza when it is hot. It really doesn’t cool the pizza any faster. Wait a minute or so for the pizza slice to cool. You will also save yourself from burning the roof of your mouth.

2)    Don’t tilt your head backward like you are going to gulp the slice of pizza. Save the silliness for when you are eating by yourself (if at all). Instead, share some conversation with the folks at your table.

3)    If the pizza slice is layered with soft melted cheese, score the cheese with a knife before taking your first bite. Sometimes using a knife and fork is the better option in this situation.

4)    If the crust is crisp, skip eating the crust and place it on the side of your plate. You don’t want your friends hearing a “crunch” when you bite into the crust.

5)    Avoid licking your fingers by using plenty of napkins. Don’t be shy about asking for more napkins. It is much better to have several paper napkins on your lap than one unsightly and overused napkin.

Now it’s your turn. What are your etiquette tips for enjoying a pizza with friends?

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What is Your Pizza Taste, Fingers or Fork? is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

The reason for the placement of the knife blade stems back to the Middle Ages. During this time men regularly carried at least one knife. For the common man, the knife served two purposes: one as an eating utensil for spearing meat on the tip of the blade, the other for use as a dagger. For aristocratic men, they carried two knives. One knife for use as a kitchen tool for cutting meat before the feast, the second knife as a dagger carried in a sheath suspended from a belt around their waist.

In fact, have you heard the expression, “To whet your appetite?” It comes from the practice during the Middle Ages of placing a whetstone before the entrance of an eating room so men could sharpen their knifes before they would partake in a feast of food.

It is because people were keenly aware men were armed with knives at the eating table (threatening human weapons), that table manners were created for safety. A system of civilized taboos were created to reduce tension while at the same time to protect one another–“we do not want the guests to get mixed up with the dishes.” 1

This is why table manners say not to point a knife at anyone at the table, or to hold the knife standing upright in your fist, or to have the cutting edge of the knife blade face a guest. It is all based on the notion that we sit closely at a table and that we easily could be vulnerable if not for the control, order, and regularity men and women show each other through their table manners.

1 Margaret Visser, The Rituals of Dinner

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A Flatware Folly You Want to Avoid is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

I was in the housewares section looking at the glassware when I noticed a small – maybe three inches wide by two inches tall – round glass dish with a matching dome lid that fit perfectly on this miniature plate. It reminded me of the cut-glass covered butter dish from the Depression era but much smaller. I began to wonder, could these be individual butter dishes? Then I saw not one, but two, three, four, five, six of them! The color would match perfectly with my grandmother’s china, so I couldn’t resist. I bought all of them!

Being excited with my new found treasure, I decided to search the Internet for more information. Sure enough, they are individual butter dishes. They are vintage replicas of Depression glass fashioned into miniature butter dishes

So what is the etiquette for handling the individual butter dish? After bread is served on your main plate (note: there won’t be a bread-and-butter plate in this place setting) simply remove and hold the dome from the butter dish. With your other hand, use your knife to secure a butter pat and place it on either side of your main plate. Then, place the dome back on the butter dish.

As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

Vintage Butter Pat Meets Modern Etiquette is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

In a time when companies are looking to cut costs, The National recently wrote a story on the value of the publisher’s lunch.

Lunches function as a relaxing, social way for editors and agents to learn enough about each other to potentially do business in the future. … Many in the New York publishing business feel that lunches are integral to helping agents and editors build relationships. Relationships which are important because, as editors love to point out, selling books is not like selling widgets. … ‘The idea of the lunch is that you’re looking for the place where your passions overlap,’ said literary agent Larry Weissman.

Mel Flashman, a literary agent at Trident Media Group summed up his recent experience at a business lunch. “Yesterday I had a first lunch with a relatively young editor at Viking. We talked about mutual friends and Sonic Youth. We rarely talked about books but I now have a sense of the books that I would send him.”

But, as The National points out, there is a skill to make the lunch effective.

Editors use the phrase ‘he does a good lunch’ to refer to people who are pleasant to talk to, can transition smoothly from subject to subject and can insert business tactfully into the conversation. … Skilled lunchers make the lunches seem natural.

Altogether, it appears strong relational skills are the key to saving the business lunch in the New York publishing world. What about your industry? Do you do a good lunch?

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In Tough Times, Should the Business Lunch Be Cut? is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

Let’s look at a few of the cupcakes and discover how we will partake in these tasty delights.

The Peach Melba looks oh so scrumptious topped with peach slices and whipped cream drizzled with raspberry sauce. This one definitely needs a fork to capture each savory bite. To add an extra touch to display the Peach Melba work of art, I suggest serving the cupcake without the cupcake liner and swirl more raspberry sauce on the plate. Yes, lovely.

The Rose Petal cupcake is the true eat-with-your-hands cupcake. And did you know those are real rose petals for the decoration? Some flowers are edible so go ahead and take a taste if you choose.

Now the Daisies and Bees cupcake shows a baker’s love of the craft. Just look at the gumdrop flowers and the M&M bees. Do you dare eat the daisy? Certainly you can! Simply remove the sweets from the cupcake with your fingers and either take a candy bite now or after the delight of the luscious cupcake. Have fun and enjoy!

Please Do Eat the Daisy is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

Some are scaling back by opting for meetings at diners verses the upscale restaurant. A sandwich and beverage replaces the meat-and-potatoes lunch. Others are having breakfast meetings verses lunch meetings which can reduce the expense by up to 40 percent. And still others like the chief communications officer at Verizon Communications forgoes the meal and suggests a cup of coffee when meeting with reporters.

Whichever venue fits your financial taste, remember the person who does the inviting pays for the business meal. And if you want to avoid the discussion altogether on “who pays the bill,” don’t let the check come to the table. Simply notify the waiter (before the guest arrives) that you will excuse yourself from the table – near the end of the meal – and pay the bill.

What are your business meal ideas?

Who Pays the Power Lunch Check During a Recession is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

After a business lunch meeting, is it okay to ask for a doggie bag?
My recommendation in this scenario is to pass on the doggie bag. The reason being, the focus of the lunch meeting is on business and the food is really secondary. Instead of a take-out container, consider ordering a smaller portion of food via the a la carte menu. Or possibly order several appetizers for everyone to share.

What do I say when I need to step away from the table?
“Excuse me” is all that needs to be said. You don’t need to tell the people at the table where you are going. After saying excuse me, place your napkin on the chair and push the chair under the table. When you return to the table, simply join the conversation.

If garlic bread is served by the slice, can I take bite from the slice?
Well, that’s tempting…My suggestion is to tear (and eat) one bite-size piece at a time from the garlic bread just like a bread roll. Otherwise teeth marks may show on the bread which may look a bit tacky.

If you’re looking for more etiquette tips, etiquette trivia, and interesting etiquette news, follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/carolbory. Send me an etiquette question and the answer may appear on Twitter or this blog!

A Doggie Bag, An Interruption, A Slice of Garlic Bread is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

The answer is you may cut the lettuce leaf into smaller pieces with your fork if you are eating in the U.S.A. The place setting may also include a salad knife which can be used if the fork does not do a sufficient job.

Take note though, if you are eating in France, the French do not cut their salad with the fork or the knife. Lettuce is torn into bite-size pieces before being served in a salad. If the lettuce leaf is too large, the French wrap the leaf around the fork clockwise.

What To Do With Large Lettuce Leaves is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

Over time I’ve learned the trick to pulling the cork out of the wine bottle is using the correct corkscrew, the waiter’s corkscrew. Wine Spectator demonstrates this process with a fun and entertaining video. Enjoy and saluté!

How To Uncork a Wine Bottle with Pop and Pizzazz is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

Below are a few tips for infusing etiquette in the handling of the tea bag.

At a restaurant when offered a teapot with hot water and a tea bag, unwrap the paper from the tea bag and place the tea bag in the teapot. Allow the tea bag to steep for a few minutes or until your preferred strength. Resist wiggling the tea bag with the string to hurry the steeping process. Instead, engage in conversation with your guest and enjoy the food. Once the tea is at the desired strength, carefully pour the tea into your cup about three-quarters full and savor the flavor. Leave the tea bag in the teapot.

If you are served a teacup filled with hot water and a tea bag on the saucer, unwrap the paper from the tea bag and place the tea bag in the cup. Once the tea is at your desired strength, remove the tea bag from the cup by using a teaspoon. Do not wrap the tea bag string around the teaspoon to drain the tea bag. Instead, place the used tea bag on an extra saucer located on the table. This will avoid puddles on your saucer and a dripping tea cup.

For those empty paper tea bag wrappers, place them slightly under the saucer holding the teapot or your individual saucer.

Tips for Handling the Tea Bag is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog