Miss Charming

Over Christmas break I devoured the Emmy award winning series, Dowton Abbey. (Thank goodness for Netflix!)  I'm totally hooked on it and can't wait for the new season to begin this coming Sunday! (pbs) If you love Jane Austin you will love this storyline.  It's set in England in the early 1900's and follows the lives of an Earl and his 3 daughters. They live in the most beautiful castle and have a boat load of servants which, relentlessly seem to stir up more drama than a  telenovela!  Of course I am drawn to the costume design and hairdo's of the period, they are just exquisite! But also, I love the etiquette and the traditions of housekeeping that have been lost today.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not pinning away after all of those tedious chores but some of them are quite lovely.  One beautiful tradition is the setting of the formal table.
For those of us who need a refresher course, I found Emily Post’s instructions most helpful.  For a special dinner, a well set table is most charming, and ever so glam! xoxo -Taj

For a basic table setting, here are two great tips to help you -- or your kids -- remember the order of plates and utensils:

1. Picture the word "FORKS." The order, left to right, is: F for Fork, O for the Plate (the shape!), K for Knives and S for Spoons. (Okay -- you have to forget the R, but you get the idea!)
2. Holding your hands in front of you, touch the tips of your thumbs to the tips of your forefingers to make a lowercase 'b' with your left hand and a lowercase 'd' with your right hand. This reminds you that "bread and butter" go to the left of the place setting and "drinks" go on the right. Emily Post could have used that trick -- she was often confused about which bread and butter belonged to her -- and sometimes she used her neighbor's! In which case, when it was called to her attention, she would say to the dismayed lady or gentleman, "Oh, I am always mixing them up. Here, please take mine!"

Some other things to know:

• Knife blades always face the plate
• The napkin goes to the left of the fork, or on the plate
• The bread and butter knife are optional
  (via Emily Post)