5 Indian dining etiquette you should definitely remember – Take your fine dining experience to another level!

Regardless of where you eat, proper etiquette at the table is important as it is the way your kids will pick up good table manners. Reading the menu at a restaurant, using the napkin properly on your lap, not cluttering the table with keys, or phones, not speaking with your mouth full, and being considerate of other diners around you are some of the basic points to bear in mind.

Eating and enjoying food together is almost a revered ritual in Indian Culture, visitors are made to feel at home and welcomed to share a meal. Points to remember if you are a guest is to take cues from the host or hostess in helping yourself to the dishes served. It is good etiquette to wait while all around the table have served their food before you commence eating here too, observe for cues from your host. If you need to replenish a curry request the person closest to the dish to pass it to you rather than reaching across the table. Always use the utensil in the dish to serve your food. If you are at a restaurant with friends, most of the points above still apply, however, you would use cutlery to eat with or if preferred your fingers. Usually using your right hand, using the left is considered not hygienic by most people. Many visitors to Dubai experiment with using their fingers whilst savouring the delightful cuisine at Tina's brunch.

Most Indian homes and even restaurants pay attention to the concept of non-wastage of food. Therefore as guests at the home of friends or even at restaurants be mindful. At a friend's home serve what you can consume as you can always do another helping. When you order at a restaurant check whether the portion serves 02 or more and order accordingly, this is practised by those who patronize restaurants such as Tandoor Tina. Remember it is prudent and graceful to decline to take a refill when you are a guest at a friend's home rather than leave food uneaten.

Most Indian Foods are immensely enjoyable using fingers, however, that need not deter you from using cutlery if you are dining out. Good points to remember are using cutlery for eating, rather than gesturing, cut food into bite-sized pieces before carrying them to your mouth and do the cutting bit by bit. If the food is hot, wait a while for that dish to cool off, blowing is not appropriate. Eat at a moderate pace, savour the food and pace eating along with others. If you use stemmed glasses for water or beverages, hold them up from the stem.

Wait till everyone is finished before you stand, at another's home follow the host. If the food was good, pay a sincere compliment to the host. If you were invited to a restaurant extend your appreciation for giving you a delicious meal. These little courtesies take your relationships a long way.