Ruth gives lectures at high schools on proper etiquette.

 

 

In this picture Ruth is overseeing the fine, but almost lost, art of hand kissing as Ricky Leavitt kisses the hand of Home Economics teacher Sandra Serafin at the Lake Zurich High School in Lake Zurich, IL. where Ruth had given a seminar on etiquette.

 

 

 

Ruth is demonstrating a proper handshake with one of the students at the Lake Zurich High School.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruth is explaining the difference between a red wine glass and a white wine glass to the students. She had set a place setting for a seven course meal and explained the use of each knife, fork, spoon, etc. at her lecture.

 

The students were given a true/false etiquette quiz at the seminar. Some of the questions were:

 

  1. If you have accepted a date to your prom but then your "true love" calls and asks you to go, it is OK to tell your first date that you have gotten a better offer.

    2.  

    False. Once you have accepted an invitation whether it is to your prom, a party or whatever, it is rude to then cancel your acceptance unless under dire circumstances. In this case, your "true love" should have asked you to the prom sooner or, if you thought that he/she were going to be asking you to the prom, then you should never have accepted the first invitation.

     

  2. At your prom banquet dinner, you, the gentleman, seat the lady to your right whether she is your date or not.

    3.  

    True. If you would prefer seating your date at the table, make sure that she sits on your right.

     

  3. After all the people at your banquet table are seated, you may then put your napkin on your lap.

    4.  

    True. Under most situations, you may simply wait until everyone at your table is seated and then put your napkin on your lap. If, however, you are dining in a private home or in a restaurant where there is a "host" and/or "hostess" sitting with you, then you must wait to put your napkin on your lap until that person puts his/hers on his/her lap.

     

    Note: If there is a hostess and a host, the hostess is the one you follow whether it is putting your napkin on your lap or starting each course of the meal.

     

    Exception: If you are dining at a very long banquet table, then you need to wait to put your napkin on your lap only until the people sitting around you are seated. You may begin each course when those around you have been served also. This only applies at a VERY LONG banquet table!

     

  4. A lady may put her purse on the table if it is a very small purse.

    5.  

    False. A small purse should be put on the lady�s lap during dinner. In the event that the lady is carrying a large purse that would not easily fit on her lap, which is not likely at the prom, it should be put on the floor by her feet.

     

  5. Your bread and butter plate will ALWAYS be on your right!!!

    6.  

    False. Your bread and butter plate will ALWAYS be on your left!!!

     

     

  6. You hold a dinner knife as you would hold a dagger.

    7.  

    False, false, false!! At the seminar, Ruth demonstrated the proper way to hold a knife and fork.

     

  7. When eating American style, you may cut several pieces of food at a time so that you do not need to change your fork from your left hand to your right hand too often.

    8.  

    False. Only one or at the most two pieces of food should be cut at one time before changing the fork from the left hand to the right if you are right handed. European style eating is more efficient because the fork is not changed from the left hand to the right to eat the food, but both styles of eating are correct.

     

     

  8. If you need to leave the table during your meal, you neatly fold your napkin and place it to the right of your dinner plate so your waiter knows that you are coming back.

    9.  

    False. If you need to leave the table during the meal, you must leave your napkin on your chair. It is uncouth to put a soiled napkin on the table while others are still dining. If you are dining at a fine restaurant, the waiter will fold your napkin while you are gone and put it on the arm of the chair.

     

     

  9. If you, the lady, want to reapply your lipstick after your meal, it is OK to do so at the table.

    10.  

    False. A lady should NEVER apply make-up at the table. This personal act upsets men because they feel that they are privy to an intimate gesture. It would be especially inappropriate when you are older and at a business lunch or dinner.

     

     

     

  10. When you have finished a course, you push your plate forward to let the waiter know that he can remove your plate.

    11.  

    False. When you have finished a course, you put your knife and fork in the "finished" position. Ruth then demonstrated the "finished" and the "resting" positions of the knife and fork.

     

     

  11. After your meal is finished, you put your napkin neatly to the left of your dessert plate, not refolded, just neatly and you push your chair under the table.

    12.  

    True. Need I say more?

     

  12. If you are on a date at a restaurant, the lady should precede the gentleman into the restaurant to assure that she gets the best seat at the table.

    13.  

    True. Later, when you are in business situations, either the business man or the business woman enters the restaurant first. If, however, you as a business woman are entertaining a business man, then he should precede you into the restaurant so that he gets the best seat at the table. If he is not comfortable preceding you into the restaurant and insists that you go first, do so and be happy that you are entertaining a gentleman!

     

     

  13. If your grandmother gives you a graduation present, you do not need to send her a thank you note because she is family.

    14.  

    False. Your granny will forgive you if you do not send her a thank you note because she loves you. However, if you do send her a note, you can be sure that she will show it to all of her girlfriends at her bridge parties or at her golf club to brag about what a properly raised grandchild she has!