A few quick tips in making your dining more memorable. BMW is not only a fabulous car manufacturer, it is also the rule of thumb when setting the table – Bread, Meal, Water/Wine. Never second guess yourself again, it works every time. Bread to the left of the main plate, Meal in the middle of the table setting, Water/Wine to the right of the main plate or anything liquid to drink. BMW to drive or to dine, either way the BMW makes your life a little easier.

As the guest you should always say a quick little toast to thank the host/hostess for the lovely meal you are about to partake in as well as for their time. Pick up your glass, touch it gently with everyone else at the table or if you are unable to reach them make sure to look at the person in the eye, tip your head and raise your glass. Many cultures have a word or words that they say out loud when toasting like: Cheers, Sto Lat, Na zdrowie. Check out Matador Nights for 50 ways to say Cheers!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

The other day while at a stop light with my car windows rolled down a pick up truck pulled up next to me. I noticed he also had his windows down so I turned my head toward him and nodded a friendly hello. He looked at me, smiled and spit. Let me clarify, he didn’t spit at me he aimed his spit at the ground. I thought to myself, why is it that men spit and women don’t. I didn’t have anything in my throat or did I? Is there something biologically different about us, other than the obvious?

 So, I decided to do some research on the topic and it seems as though Sally Trove  had the same quandary about this topic as I. Sally has found that this act of spitting has been going on with the male species for thousands of years and has many meanings. Who knew that spitting was something of a rite of passage?

 Males use spitting as a way to mark their territory, to rid themselves of a bad feeling; some even think it looks cool. Those that are superstitious and wake up with a bad dream believe they need to spit 3 times to push away the evil demons.

 Armed with this information and having 3 grandchildren that are all boys I decided to teach them how to spit, in a nice way of course, with watermelon seeds. I had no idea that spitting was so hard. By the time we finished eating the watermelon, my grandsons ages 7, 4 and 3 were significantly better at spitting than I was. I attempted to instill in my grandsons that this is not something that is done in public. Girls do not find this cool and if you feel a need to spit then take it inside to the restroom.

For those of you that want to do your own research the next time you find yourself having a picnic be sure to serve watermelon and make a target, get everyone involved, have a few laughs, do your own research, team up the girls against the boys. And while you’re having a watermelon seed spitting contest it would be a great opportunity to talk about spitting and keeping it to yourself.  I think this could be a science project or a thesis. Maybe I’m on to something.

 All in all it makes me think twice about walking anywhere barefoot.

How to eat Shish kabob

Know how to eat what you serve…

Shish kabob is an easy and stylish dish to serve when having guests. There are endless combinations to put together whether creating shish kabob as an appetizer, for the main entrée or just something sweet for dessert, they are always a big hit.

One caveat in entertaining is to always know how to eat what you serve. As the host or hostess your guests will look to you for guidance when they are unsure of what they are doing.

For instance, little appetizer shish kabobs are sometimes no bigger than a toothpick so they can be eaten right off the stick as fingerfood and then the toothpick can be placed in a cocktail napkin and thrown away or placed on the side of your small appetizer plate. No utensils are necessary for this dish.

When serving shish kabob as the entrée your guests will need a knife and fork to eat them with. You wouldn’t want them to have to suck or yank the food off with their mouth, as that is when accidents are sure to happen.

Although you can serve shish kabob out on your patio with paper plates you must think about  how your guests will get the food off the skewer. If your event is very casual and buffet style where people may not necessarily be seated at the table you may want to think about how they will stabilize their plate and if your paper plates (if that is the case) are suitable or sturdy enough.  Summer time cookouts often have guests eating from paper plates so as the host or hostess take the time to think about how you and your guests will manage the menu.  Thinking the details through from the food, to beverages, to seating and eating will create a well planned and accident free event.

To eat shish kabob it is customary to hold the tip of the skewer in your left hand with the opposite tip on your plate. Take the fork in your right hand and gently remove the food from the skewer starting from the bottom first. You may only want to remove a few pieces at a time as that is often easiest to work with. I’ve seen many disasters happen when someone attempts to remove the food from the skewer by starting at the top and sliding is off all at once. It might be easier if you think of eating a shish kabob as “bottoms up.” Once the skewer is empty, you can place it on the left hand side of your plate. Never place the empty skewer on the table as it could soil the linens or tabletop.

If any of your guests seem uncomfortable starting their meal this is terrific sign that they might need some guidance, take this opportunity to grab yourself a plate, sit down and start enjoying the meal. Your guests will quickly follow your lead. Knowing how to eat what you serve will always serve you well….

Happy dining

Tip is an acronym for To Insure Promptitude. Here in America generally speaking the wait staff in a restaurant survive on their tips. They are paid less per hour as their tip money makes up the balance of an hourly rate. That being so, we probably all have at least one horror story we could share about bad service, my question is why? It’s not a right of passage that we have to TIP, it is a direct reflection on how you treat others. Having a bad day at work, whether you are in an office situation or serving food in a restaurant is no place for your personal problems. Once you walk through the doorway you need to leave your personal life behind you. Believe me all of your problems and issues will be there right where you left them when you get off your shift. Use the workplace to be present, focused and free of whatever is bugging you. If you can’t take the heat (of being in the public eye) then get out of the kitchen, so to speak. If you are outgoing, courteous and forward thinking it will show in the stash you will collect from your patrons, bad economy or not. Being a waitress or waiter is a direct reflection on you. Your nightly or daily take-home is all about you; the good, the bad or the ugly.

Ask Merry Tip: An open-faced sandwich can be considered finger food if it is small and will not fall apart when picked up.

Ask Merry:Yes asparagus is finger food well maybe not when it’s smothered in hollandaise sauce and running down your arms, not a good sight.

Ask Merry Tip:More than half of all business is finalized over the dining table, how are your dining skills? Check out http://ping.fm/HtV4U

Ask Merry Tip: When you are the host, delay your business discussion until coffee and dessert. Ask questions to encourage conversation.

Ask Merry Tip: Dining at a restaurant, the host guides the server to take the guests order first, the host orders last.

Ask Merry Tip:When finished eating place your utensils across your plate at the 10 and 4 o’clock positions, napkin folded beside your plate.