What’s the proper way to hold a wine glass? What’s an appropriate gift to bring a host—and what shouldn’t you bring? How should you correctly introduce guests to each other? What is appropriate cell phone usage at a business dinner? Here are just a few of important etiquette questions.
In their new book, Modern American Manners: Dining Etiquette for Hosts and Guests, Fred Mayo and Michael Gold have written a guide to help us learn appropriate manners so we can enjoy the pleasures of good food, good drink, and good company without worrying about what behavior is proper.
Chapters cover how to be a good host, how to be a good guest, and how to behave at business events, cocktail parties, formal dinners, and restaurants. There is also a unique chapter discussing pet peeves and how to handle them with grace, civility, and appropriate manners.