Etiquette and Table Service Styles

This post below is from “Galatime” the new Italian Etiquette book by Petra Carsetti and her husband, Carlo Cambi – I am very pleased to say that I will be sharing more from Petra’s new book in the coming weeks:
“The etiquette of the new millennium for those who love to live well and in harmony with others; for those who are curious to know the origins of “good manners,” for those who want to socialize with certainty of manners and education of thought. It is a sort of invitation to the renaissance of the encounter. But it is also an essay, which can be read almost in the form of a novel, on the history of costume, as well as a friend to ask for advice on doing the right thing at the right time. Because beyond the fashions, the ways count. To understand this there is Galatime”

English, Russian, French and Italian Service

Here is a review of the main existing services:

Russian (or guéridon) service takes advantage of a trolley placed near the table from which a waiter (a servant in the house) divides and makes the dishes that are served to the right of the diner; this type of service requires expert hands in portioning.

English service: the waiter (or the servant) from the serving dish divides and serves the diner directly from the left with tongs; this method is widely used in receptions and banquets because the service is very quick and fast, but often if it is not performed by expert hands, it could lead to splashes of sauce, stains and food falling from the serving plate directly on the tablecloth or on the clothes of bystanders.

French service which in turn is divided into: 

1. Direct, in which a servant or a waiter hands a serving dish to the left of the diner with a serving utensil (or utensils) from which he will serve himself according to his own taste and hunger; this type of service allows guests either to be able to take the desired food without exaggerating the portion if it is not to one's liking or by abounding a little more (never excessively) if it is a very popular dish;

2. Indirect when the different foods are served in trays set on other tables or trolleys and each table serves itself using the servers found in each individual serving dish. It is a very informal method that can be taken into consideration, for example, in dinners with a large number of guests; naturally if you choose this type, you must set up tables with free spaces to be able to move, food warmers for dishes that must be kept warm, far from those that must be kept cold.

Italian service (or al plate, service surassiette) is that which involves the preparation of the dish in the kitchen and then brought directly to the diner, served from the right. This system is the most used, perhaps the most elegant and refined (it is no coincidence that in starred restaurants it is the only type of service, in which the dishes are often covered by a cloche) but it has the flaw that the guest cannot decide the quantity of food to be taken and therefore he will be forced to eat a large portion even if he does not find it to his liking. In a formal meeting at home, if there is no domestic help, it would impose a prolonged or continuous absence on the hostess. 

From all these types of service we learn to choose the one that best suits your occasion, knowing however that the dishes are always removed from the right and put back clean from the left; one or more trolleys are set up to place both the dirty dishes (on the floor below, covered with a cloth) that will never be stacked one on top of the other on the table, but cleared one at a time with the respective cutlery even if they are not used (maybe put all in a special container), and the clean dishes that will have been prepared previously on the upper level of the trolley and then given to diners without having to be absent continuously.

From “Galatime. È sempre tempo di buone maniere”

It should be specified that the cheese must of course be brought just before serving the pasta or soup and removed immediately afterwards; the menage must be removed when the saucer or crescent for the salad is removed; first the serving dishes must be removed and then the dinner plates. Finally, remember that everything must be cleared before dessert, except the glass of water (with its carafe) and the centerpiece. – From “Galatime,” by Petra Carsetti and Carlo Cambi

Petra Carsetti was born into a gastronomic minded family… true lovers of excellent foods and wines. From an early age she showed a great passion for the table, which she later developed by working in important, well-known Italian restaurants. Since 2005, she has written many books on food and wine, along with guides to Italian restaurants, specializing also in galateo and etiquette at the Accademia Italiana Galateo and ANCEP (the Association of Ceremonialists for Public Institute). She teaches etiquette in schools to adults and children, is a consultant for various political and economic authorities, and she has a weekly column in a historic newspaper. She also writes for various other newspapers, and in September she will come out with her new book, “GalaTime: it is always time for good manners”!

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia