Cherry tomatoes were one of a few obstacles guests had to conquer on their quest to learn proper dining rules during a special Etiquette Dinner at Colorado Mesa University (CMU).
Career Services began sponsoring CMU’s annual Etiquette Dinner in 2013, with a total of 10 people in attendance. This dinner, held on Oct. 29, brought in 153 total people.
Coordinator of Career Services Alecia Dembowski introduced the event. An attendee of 10 other etiquette dinners, Dembowski said she continues to learn something new every single time. After she thanked the choir for performing and Sodexo for catering the event, Dembowski introduced the guest presenter for the night, Nina Harris.
“My mother always taught me if you’re 15 minutes early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. This very holds true to anything in a professional meeting stature,” Harris said.
Harris first defined the word “etiquette” for attendees and acknowledged the separate standards of etiquette for different countries. After Harris addressed the appropriate attire and when to arrive for events like this, the five-course meal began.
Each table was set up to seat up to eight people. Slices of chocolate cake accompanied name tags, candles floated in vases filled with water and empty glasses awaited guests. If attendees were ever unsure of what to do, Harris encouraged them to look to their table host for guidance. These hosts happened to be CMU professors, Career Services and other department staff, and they led conversation throughout the night.
“I was told about [the Etiquette Dinner] from some of my professors and thought it would be a good opportunity and a good way to meet new people and learn some new etiquette skills that might help me in the future,” second year Radiologic Sciences major Julianna Lopez said.
The courses started with bread and butter and got more complex as the night went on. Guests had to battle wonton soup with steamed cherry tomatoes and spinach crowding the bowl, a wedge salad and eventually spaghetti with red sauce.
Harris guided guests through each course and paid special tribute to the dangers of squirting tomatoes and slurping sauce. Sodexo staff traveled back and forth to remove plates and brought more courses to guests, as each table held their own conversations.
Krysten Reyes, a sophomore English Literature major, signed up for the Etiquette Dinner because of TRiO Student Support Services. Reyes aspires to be an international teacher, so she wanted to learn about the differences in etiquette among separate cultures. Reyes said the event helped her learn how to small talk with people she hadn’t met before.
“It’s interesting to see how much you actually do wrong when eating. Learning the correct way on how to eat and seeing different manners that you would and wouldn’t use at different settings was very influential,” Reyes said. “It’s definitely a good experience to have, even if you’re not going into a major or a business that will use it. I feel like everyone should have that basic knowledge and have correct manners.”
As the night grew to a close, table guests became more comfortable with one another, and the etiquette training doubled as a social networking opportunity.
“If you couldn’t make it this year, I would say definitely try to make it another year and educate yourself about it. I think it’s very beneficial and could really help you with any career path,” Lopez said.
