Etiquette and Paper Napkins

Paper napkins can be very decorative, but they can also can be flimsy. If you choose to use, or must use paper napkins, it is okay to use more than one.  Paper napkins are generally recommended only for the most casual of dining, or for very large parties which would normally require a large abundance of linen cocktail napkins, or when crudités and other types of small finger foods are being served.

Dear Mrs. Post: I have always disliked paper napkins; in fact, when given one in a restaurant I always feel inclined to walk out. But my dislike seems to have become a boomerang. I am giving a large cocktail party, inviting over a hundred people and it is impossible to provide linen napkins for so many people. Do you think paper ones on such an occasion would be permissible?

Answer: At a cocktail party napkins are not necessarily provided. And perhaps if you put your own in a pile on the table, they will be sufficient. In addition to these, you might get some paper ones, to have ready in case your supply runs out.

From Emily Post, “In Good Taste,” 1937

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

Coffee Klatch Etiquette

The etiquette of the Coffee Klatch consists mainly of being glad you have friends to share your coffee cakes with. On a large tray, place coffee pot, cups, creamer and sugar bowl, enough small plates and small napkins.

Invite Your Friends to a Coffee Party 

By Mrs. Penrose Lyly

Coffee Klatches must have been invented by genial angels. A pot of sparkling coffee, a bowl of glistening sugar, thick cream and a ring of coffee cake fresh from the oven and a few friends, of course, when the winter day darkens to a cold, brisk night, no man or woman has a right to expect more from the kindly gods. 

The etiquette of the Coffee Klatch consists mainly of being glad you have friends to share your coffee cakes with. On a large tray, place coffee pot, cups, creamer and sugar bowl, enough small plates and small napkins. Light your living room fire and put the tray on a small table near it. Draw as many comfortable chairs as you have guests around the coffee table and then snuggle down for a grand afternoon. 

The Coffee Klatch, when held along the lines described above, is a lot like the traditional afternoon tea, of course except that you don't serve any tea. For that very reason, perhaps, you'll find it a welcome change in your entertainment routine. And you might find, too, that it creates a slightly different atmosphere than the afternoon tea creates; less conducive to gossip, more productive of  “homey” comfort. – Every Week Magazine, 1933

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