Which Fork Do I Use? is “the most social-confidence-building book I have seen in a long time” says Sara Waxman, DINE magazine in the December issue!
Our mantra (one we borrow from the founder of the Protocol School of Washington, Dorothea Johnson, and our instructor/mentor) is “we didn’t know, what we didn’t know” before we were certified to teach etiquette and protocol twenty years ago. We are grateful for what we learned. It has made the two of us different people than we were. Our humble beginnings did not train us to dine with confidence. Rosemarie tells the story of her teenage years when a friend’s parents allowed her and her friend to go eat a hamburger at another location so that she would feel more comfortable while the parents dined at an upscale restaurant. Linda recalls being so nervous at a holiday dinner, white tablecloth and all, that she could barely swallow her food.
Without knowledge of their role at the table, many people will go through life declining invitations or even skipping the captain’s dinner on a cruise all because they lack the skills to be comfortable dining in any situation.
Today there are many who wouldn’t give their table manners a second thought. But, the same is not true of those who may be dining WITH them. Think job interview or a first date. Knowledge is power. Even at the dining room table. In this case POWER = CONFIDENCE. And confidence looks good on everyone!