Eight pieces of silverware sit imposingly around the Haviland Limoges china. Silver water goblets paired with tall glasses of iced tea stand by elegant candlesticks, the red taper candles flickering beneath a massive chandelier.
In the lull between the soup and the salad course Cierra Eaton, 13, looks up warily. (That’s Cierra in the photo, left; she’s amazed by the giant refrigerator/freezer at the Troutt home where this dinner was held.)
“What if that falls?” she asks her mentor, Latoya Newsom, who sits at the head of the table. It won’t, Newsom reassures her.
Read the rest of Wendi C. Thomas’s column here. Do you remember learning the ins and outs — and spoons and forks — of fine dining? What has been most useful to you from those early lessons?
December 18th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
I was nearly 11 the first time I went to the kind of restaurant that required servers. A friend treated my family to a nice meal and as we were leaving, I ran up to our friend that was treating us to the dinner and told him not to forget his money that he left in plain sight on the table. Not necessarily the best way to learn about tipping, but it’s something I’ll never forget. My cheeks still get red when I think of the incident…