Table Manners
How to Behave in the Modern World and Why Bother
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- £8.99
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- £8.99
Publisher Description
An authoritative and witty guide to modern table manners for all occasions by one of the world's most acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs
Table Manners is an entertaining and practical guide to manners for everyone and every occasion. Whether you are a guest at a potluck or the host of a dinner party, a patron of your local bar or an invitee at a state dinner, this book tells you exactly how to behave: what to talk about, what to wear, how to eat. Jeremiah Tower has advice on everything: food allergies, RSVPs, iPhones, running late, thank-yous, restaurant etiquette, even what to do when you are served something disgusting. With whimsical line drawings throughout, this is "Strunk and White" for the table.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
James Beard Award winning author and chef Tower (New American Classics) offers a smorgasbord of tips for negotiating human decency in social situations in an increasingly complex and technologically connected world. Based upon the principle that "when people approve of your table manners they think you know how to do everything else properly as well," he lends clarity to everyday moments that require a degree of social prowess. On interrupting, he says, "Best to get a grip and realize the evening will not crash because your pet opinion is not aired." He adds, "The number-one rule for enjoyable and profitable conversation is to listen more than you talk." Perhaps the most culturally relevant section is the chapter titled "Techiquette," in which he addresses the vexing intrusion of smartphones on table fellowship: "Once you pull out your phone others will, too, dissolving what may have been a lovely conversation." Cell phones must be silenced, he says, because "no one wants to hear your bells and whistles." This lively and helpful book offers the last line of defense against social barbarity and self-referential boorishness, emphasizing that "the more you think about others around you... the more likely you are to behave well." 13 b&w illus.
