Soup Etiquette (2024)

FAQs

What are the rules for soup etiquette? ›

The etiquette for eating soup is as follows: Always scoop the soup up from the side furthest from you, bring it to your mouth and never lean over the bowl. Sip the soup, do not slurp. When you are down to the last few ounces, slightly tip the bowl away from you, and scoop it up with your spoon.

Proper soup protocol prescribes that when you're finished with your soup, place your spoon on the right-hand side of your plate, or leave the spoon in the bowl with the handle pointing toward the right. If your soup is served in a cup you should always leave the spoon on the plate when you're finished.

The reason you scoop away from yourself is so the soup does not splash onto you. If there are any drips on the spoon, discreetly wipe your spoon on the far side of the bowl along the inside rim. The soup may be gently tilted away from you to finish.

If bread rolls are served, break them with your fingers not with your knife. Only a small piece of roll at a time (never the whole thing) should be buttered, with a butter knife. Soup should be spooned away from you with the bowl tilted away and even if it's steaming hot, never embarrass yourself by blowing on it!

When you're done: At the end of the meal, fold a cloth napkin casually and place beside your dinner plate — or if after dessert or coffee and no dishes remain, in the place once occupied by the plate. It's not to be wadded up or left on the chair or in a plate with remnants of your meal.

--Soup should be the first of six courses. It should be followed by fish, the entree, salad, dessert and coffee. Six is the maximum number of courses for even the most elaborate dinner; and for an informal luncheon, two or three courses are sufficient--soup, entree and dessert.

Once cooled, the spoonful can then be put into your mouth without slurping. At a very formal meal, refrain from blowing or slurping. Instead, hold the filled soupspoon low over the bowl for about 30 seconds to cool, and then proceed to eat it.

If you leave the table during a meal, place your napkin, loosely folded, on the seat of your chair. A napkin is never returned to the table until you're ready to leave; it stays on your lap, even after the meal is finished.

Handle Silverware with Care

If you drop a fork or a knife, it means either a man or a woman is coming to visit (depending on the type of silver and where you are). If you drop a spoon, a child is going to come by. Silverware that falls and points to the back door means the person coming by isn't invited or welcome.

Is slurping soup rude? ›

Slurping your noodles loudly is considered a compliment to the chef throughout Japan and China – a sign of deep appreciation for your one-bowl meal. In South Korea and Singapore, however, not so much. There, you might get unappreciative glances – the kind you get when you talk too loudly in a quiet train carriage.

It depends. If you take a spoonful and put it in your mouth, you're eating it. If you sip it from the spoon or drink it out the bowl, you're drinking it.

The correct way to eat soup at formal gatherings dictates that you should never dip your bread into your soup. Instead, sip your soup from your spoon, place your spoon on your plate, and then use the same hand you use for your spoon to pick up your bread and take a bite.

A good rule of thumb is to have each guest make one quart of soup per each attendee. For example, if six people total attend, each guest (including you) should make six quarts of soup—one to sample the night of the party, and five quarts to give away (you won't go home with a quart of your own soup).

The Rules of Soup Club

Each person needs to make enough soup on their elected day to feed X people (and in return they get free soup the rest of the time). It needs to be served by [set time] on a [set day] etc. I recommend one soup club day a week for a series of weeks.

When serving hot soups, always make sure to serve the soup in warmed bowls so the soup stays hot on its way to the table; likewise, cold soups should be served in chilled bowls.

According to Law Insider, soup is defined as "food prepared from meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, grains, fruit and other ingredients, cooked in a liquid which may include visible pieces of some or all of these ingredients.