Miss Manners' basic training

Judith Martin

In her fabulously witty style, Miss Manners reacquaints us with the proper use of implements for navigating nourishment from plate to mouth and gives specific, practical advice on all manner of mealtime issues: serving takeout food; how to fillet a fish, pound (pop open) a crab, and cope with the mysteries of the mango, the artichoke, a thick, juicy steak, and that long stringy glop of cheese, atop French onion soup; safely feeding children in restaurants; place cards. And seating plans for dinner parties; rules for vegetarians and other special cases; the spinach-in-teeth maneuver; and how to signal with your napkin whether you've left the table for good or will soon be back.