Dear Diane,
I have a question about table settings. I am confused as to which side the soup spoon is placed on the table. Left or right?
L.
Dear L.,
I’m glad you brought this up as I have talked a great deal about table setting etiquette this holiday season. Now is the time when family and friends gather together and share a meal. Of course, you certainly want to know where your bread plate goes and which is your water glass. In fact, the soup spoon is set on the right side of the place setting (see my Holiday Etiquette: Setting the Thanksgiving Table). Furthermore, if you serve tea, the teaspoon would be set on the right side, before the soup spoon. Consequently, the spoon set above the dinner plate, along with the fork, is the dessert spoon.
Best,
Diane
You may also like How to Host Your First Thanksgiving. For more of Diane’s etiquette tips read her posts on Inc., subscribe to her articles on Huff Post, “like” The Protocol School of Texas on Facebook, and follow her on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter. Buy her new book, Modern Etiquette for a Better Life.
