Another tip for Banquet Season: if there is an invocation or grace being said before a big banquet, wait until it is completed before you place your napkin in your lap. At a smaller occasion, such as a dinner party, if there is no invocation, place your napkin in your lap when your host does. Same thing for an interview meal -- wait for your interviewer to place the napkin in his or her lap.
A dinner napkin is large and folded in half on your lap -- fold it into a rectangle shape, even if it comes folded in a triangle shape. A luncheon napkin is smaller and is unfolded all the way in your lap, so that it is shaped like a square. At no point is the napkin tied around your neck or stuffed into your shirt.The Etiquette Tip of the Week is brought to you by the Culture and Manners Institute -- thanks for the tips!
