How you add salt to food can reveal everything about how polite (or not) you are, says William Hanson, author of Just Good Manners: A Guide to Politeness, Charm, and Decorum.
Are you making a mistake at dinner? And what other social sins might you be committing?
Here, reveal everything from the faux pas that makes you a terrible host to the irritating fashion accessory that makes your colleagues think you’re rude.
Keep reading, if you dare…
Take off your shoes
William Hanson, author of Just Good Manners: A Guide to Courtesy, Charm, and Decorum
Unless they are dirty, keep your shoes on. I don’t want to see people’s feet; They often smell bad.
Traditionally, the upper classes had antique rugs that had been in the family for generations and wooden floors. From the middle class on down, they had wall-to-wall carpets and were more prissy.
Imagine going to Buckingham Palace and Queen Camilla asks you to take off your shoes. If she can handle it, everyone else can.
Offering tours of the house.
This is the definition of clumsiness. His house is not owned by the National Trust. Friends don’t care what you’ve done to your child’s room.
Get salty
Don’t put salt on all your food. Place a pile on the edge of your plate, then take a few granules on the blade of your knife and add them to the food on your fork. In a more relaxed environment, take it with your fingers and sprinkle it.
Never season before tasting, and don’t add salt or pepper at all if you’re worried about implying that the host’s food is bland.
leave the bread
Cut a small piece of bread and spread it with butter on your plate, never do it at the table.
Cut the bread and before the meal begins, you have created a problem; The table is now covered in crumbs.
Instead, tear off a small piece of bread and spread butter on your side dish. Never lift it high.
Leave that insecurity
At a nice restaurant, you reveal your own insecurities by proclaiming how fancy it is and saying things like, “Oh, I’m really not used to this.”
The experience is not supposed to be intimidating. They want you to have a good time, spend money, and then come back and spend even more. Saying this reveals to everyone that it is not their natural habitat.
Sins of social networks
You assume that everyone at the restaurant wants to appear in your photos on Instagram.
They may be very famous, having an illicit affair, or simply not wanting to be caught on camera. This type of behavior will quickly mark you as naïve and not a regular.
The bucket of hyacinth goes on the bouquet
You drink wine extravagantly around the glass or in your mouth.
But the waiter doesn’t care if you like it or not. Wine tasting is a misleading term because you’re not actually meant to taste the wine, it’s all theater. You’re just sniffing to see if it’s clogged.
The exception is the house wine. If you try a small amount and don’t like it, you have the right to change your mind.
No PDA please
You can’t keep your hands off your partner.
Brits still don’t like public displays of affection (PDA), so if you’re at a friend or family member’s house with your partner, don’t leave your hand on their knee for more than five seconds if it’s visible to others. . Keep all affection short and sweet because we are British and not Spanish.
Handshakes, not hugs
A handshake will tell you more about a person’s character.
You are too familiar. It is much better to offer a handshake and not a hug or a kiss when greeting someone for the first time.
A handshake will tell you more about his character. A kiss or a hug is very close to your personal space. A hug can feel insincere and incredibly awkward if both parties don’t fully commit to it.
Money shouldn’t talk.
You talk about money. When it comes to introductions and small talk, avoid general topics: ambitions for your children, opinions on marriage, lavish vacation plans.
Surprisingly, you can talk about sex in a first meeting but not about money. If their answers become choppy, that’s your cue to move on.
The style is silent
You wear loud jewelry in an open office.
Making noise with your bracelets can be irritating to colleagues, especially if you’re tapping away at the keyboard all day. Just like long nails. Wear them to dinner, but in the office you should consider the distraction they are to others.
WFH in the office
You make the office an extension of your home.
While offices are becoming less formal, there should still be a standard of dress. Don’t show up like you just got back from the grocery store or are about to curl up on the couch. Your clothes influence the way you think and you should dress to impress both clients and colleagues.
William Hanson is the author of Just Good Manners: A Quintessential Guide To Courtesy, Charm, Grace and Decorum, published by Penguin, get out now.