Those endless “elbows off the table” admonishments may have seemed like a drag in childhood, but they were actually setting the stage for good etiquette rules and good manners as an adultand that’s ...

How one handles themselves, particularly while eating in the presence of others, can make an enormous impression. Though, genetically, we may not differ much from our chimpanzee brethren (yes, ...

Someone cutting a steak with a knife and fork - Denys Poliakov/Shutterstock These days, the words "etiquette" and "manners" are used more or less interchangeably. Maybe etiquette is seen as a fancier ...

Table manners are often viewed as an out-of-date, classist set of rules that have no place in the 21st century. But in his new book, Table Manners: How to Behave in the Modern World and Why Bother, ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When I entertain, whether on holidays with family or for dinners with friends, I like to use my good china and crystal. But we usually have drinks and appetizers first, so people ...

In an October 1985 issue of the “The New York Times,” editors published what was essentially an obituary for dining etiquette, accompanied by a notecard-size illustration of dinner party guests ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I learned, as a child in an all-right-handed family, to set the table with the knife and spoon on the right and the fork on the left. Since I gave birth to a left-handed child, I ...

Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. In 2023, a standard table setting, the ones today that weirdly try and ...

These days, the words "etiquette" and "manners" are used more or less interchangeably. Maybe etiquette is seen as a fancier set of manners -- the kind of fork-crossing, tea-stirring social cues you ...