In the spring of 2000 at Northwestern University, a young man regaled his dining company at the Willard Formal with tales from his etiquette class.  He was a Medill journalism student, and certain of them were required to learn international niceties so as not to insult some foreign dignitary or start a war by absentmindedly placing a knife blade facing out (an ancient sign of aggression).

The tip I remember most clearly from that evening was this: Once a piece of silverware is picked up, it is never to touch the table again.  When resting one’s knife and fork to drink/use one’s napkin/allow a dish to cool, they rest entirely on one’s plate or in one’s bowl.  When intending to continue eating after said rest, the knife and fork should be placed in an inverted V with the handles at 8 and 4.  This acts as a giant “don’t you dare remove this plate” to the server.  Once finished, both utensils should be placed with handles at 4pm.  This signals you are through, and the server may clear.

For more tips, take a peak at the US Dining Etiquette Guide by What’s Cooking America.  Because we’re in enough wars.

Dining Etiquette Guide