On November 5, students and staff participated in an event called the Etiquette dinner. During this event, staff and students were able to chat with their friends, meet new people, eat amazing meals, and were able to learn how to properly network with one another. At a business dinner, people may not have been taught which fork to use or which bread roll is theirs at the table, which is why this Etiquette dinner was offered to all Juniors and Seniors for free.
At each table, there were roughly seven people: six students and one teacher. The teacher was considered the host of the table. With the teacher being the host, students had to learn how to be patient and follow the host’s lead instead of just eating immediately. Students learned how to properly pass a basket of rolls, and that the salt and pepper should be passed together instead of individually, as they are a pair. Students at this event were also told to wear business casual clothing, making sure they are prepared to eat small to not get their nice clothes messy. Students were also taught not to “open their cloth napkins like a bull fighter” as the speaker said. Juniors and Seniors were told to not ask questions that have a yes or no answer, since those answers do not keep the conversation going, therefore they also learned examples of questions on what to say to others at the table, like asking about what the best part of the meal is or why someone showed up to the formal business event. Another vital etiquette lesson students gained from this evening was not to shovel food in their mouth like it is the last meal they will ever have. They were taught to take small bits of the bread and butter each individually at a time, hold their silverware gently, and not pick up the plate to eat.
Kaylea Detweiler, a Junior at Hamburg, said that she did not expect that handshakes, like the ‘sweaty palm’ or the ‘limp fish’ have names and are an important part of an introduction. She did not realize that at a formal event, one must eat with the outside fork first, then work their way in. Her lava cake for dessert tasted “so delectable, so tasty, so comforting.” This dinner made Kaylea very confident and prepared for a business meal in her future.
Mrs. Del Conte, the school’s career specialist who set up the etiquette dinner, said that they had 38 people attend. She said that this was a couple more people in comparison to last year, but she still wished more showed up to this event. She said “I am glad that students who were picky eaters were able to gain more experience of how to eat formally without offending the host, but I wish there were more ways that these students could learn and feel comfortable in this new setting.” She also wished there was more time for preparation for this event, as the food was not piping hot when they got it, since the speaker talked for the first half an hour. Along with time preparation, she said that there will be a longer survey next year to be able to gain more numbers like what kind of dessert people would want for that event, since they had run out this year and the year prior for certain desserts, though the vanilla cream fruit cake she had was also delicious.
Mrs. McCarthy-Wright, the school’s librarian along with several club advisor titles, was a host at this event. She said that she was “glad to see everyone in their finery.” She said she learned that the salt and pepper travel together around the table. The taste of Mrs. McCarthy’s food was quite flavorful this year, and she is excited to eat her leftovers of her vegetable meal.
Andrew Koval, a Senior at Hamburg who attended the etiquette dinner last year, said “I enjoyed learning more information, since I absorbed more information about etiquette and table manners this year.” Compared to last year, Andrew believed the speaker covered more about actual groups and how to interact with them, instead of basic rules of how to hold the items or eat properly. He enjoyed eating ham and potatoes this year. Andrew said he felt extremely prepared for a formal business meal in his future. His pumkin cheesecake he had for dessert tasted “rich and deliciously creamy” to him.
