Etiquette Keepsake - How to Eat your Dinner, Part 2

So there I was finishing up my soup, and just as I was putting another spoonful back, the waiter asked if he could take my dish. I wasn't quite ready for this, and it also seemed a pretty simple question to answer. After politely refusing his offer to take my dish, Robin told us that this isn't a regular occurrence. Normally servers are trained to look for placement of utensils as a signal that someone is finished with a particular dish. Placing the soup spoon to the side of the soup bowl signals that you are finished, and that the server may take the dish away.

Robin prompted us for questions, which none of us had, and so she pulled out a little cheatsheet lathered in great etiquette related questions. Questions like "Where does your napkin go when you get up from the table?" and "What do you do if your napkin falls on the floor?". Do you know what to do if a piece of your food falls on the floor? You leave it, and just be sure you don't step on it. What do you do if someone accidentally grabs your drink instead of theirs? Politely ask to use their drink.

I won't bore you too much with dinner. All you need to know is the chicken was delicious, the pasta was hard to eat properly, and it is not polite to use more than two packets of sugar in your tea, and if you are going to use two, open them at the same time. Also, if you eat an olive that is still stuffed with the pit, you need to be pretty dextrous to remove the pit from your mouth. You're supposed to place it onto the fork and put it on the plate.

Dessert was great, and it was supplemented well by Jan's presentation on interview attire. Like Mr. DaSaro, she did a good job keeping it up to date and connecting it with our generation, and there were good points made throughout its entirety. The biggest point I retained from the presentation is that the focus of the interview should be you - not your clothes. Wear something conservative and neutral. Distracting the interviewer with what you wear will sometimes tell him that you are hiding something. Another great point is that you really should shop with the intention to spend some decent cash. Buy the best clothing you can afford. To a point, more expensive clothes are produced with greater quality, and will probably fit you better. Look at it as an investment.

Jan finished her presentation without a microphone, and we transitioned to the Geomatics "Best Dressed" contest. All of the Geomatics students in attendance stood at the "front" of the room and we voted on who we thought was dressed the best. #10 was a sure shot for generalized criteria, but I really don't think his suit was appropriate for an interview. It didn't quite fit him properly, and looked kind of blocky, and I really think big jackets like his are more appropriate at the CEO level. Jackets are alright, just make sure that they don't make too much of a statement. Some of the other contestants were wearing outfits that looked more suited to some sort of formal. No one really seemed to be dressed for an interview, but that's just my opinion. Regardless, #10 got my vote, and also won the contest.

Robin shared her closing thoughts, praised our table, thanked our hosts, and I got to stand up along with Alicia and Amy to receive a round of applause for being Career Services student workers. That made my night, and brought an end to the event.

In conclusion, I had a great time. I learned a lot about proper dining, and got to have a decent dinner, too. Dining is such a complex game; not to be underestimated.