Cutlery is placed in a perpendicular position on top of a plate

Where I’m from, we use “silver ware” to refer to every day forks, knives, and spoons. The first time I asked if I could set the table with silver ware, my flat mate looked at me blankly.

“We don’t have any silver ware.” We were both confused because I knew we definitely did.

“I mean these.” And I opened the drawer where we kept our forks, knives, and spoons.

“Oh! Utensils!*” She smiled and nodded. “Silver ware is usually for real silver utensils.”

And that’s when I realized that English differs depending on where you’re from. To me, it seems that we discuss the meaning of different words in English every day. My chips are your crips. Your chips are my fries. Your biscuits are my cookies. Your pancakes are my crepes. We speak the same language, but we don’t always understand each other.

So we come to utensils.

In America, there are no set rules that I know of for using your food utensils. Most people manipulate their forks in one hand while resting their other hand in their laps. No elbows on the table! And utensils are left willy nilly meaning nothing except that they were left there.

In Austria (and maybe more of Europe), utensils carry the weight of meaning and both hands usually stay above the table.

I’ve taken pictures to help us both out in figuring out this utensil language!

The below image shows utensils set perpendicular to each other. Hypothetically, you’ve finished your first helping of food and you’re not sure if you might want more food. Leave your utensils perpendicular on your plate. This signifies to everyone else at the table that you’re not done yet. If you’re at a restaurant, these perpendicular utensils will keep the waiter from sweeping in and stealing your plate away before you’re done.

But then, you’ve come to the end of your food feasting. Your tummy is comfortably full, and if you’re at a restaurant, you want your plate to be taken away. This is the moment that you lay your utensils parallel to each other. This proclaims to all around that you have completed your meal. Sure, waiter, come take my plate away.

Now you know, and you are ready to eat at restaurants in Europe (although I have yet to figure out how across the continent this habit is). But I’ve been amused to see this utensil language at work, both at restaurants and more casual dining settings.

You're out to dinner, you've finished your meal, now what?  According to etiquette, where do you put your cutlery when you're done eating?  You have two proper options and here they are.

Picture it.  You're out for dinner and you've finished with your meal.  You're done.  At home, you'd simply stand up and wander away from the table knowing full well the dish would disappear, get clean and be returned to the cupboard at some point in the evening.

That's how it worked for my father anyway.

But in restaurants they like non-verbal clues.  Indications that they can take your dirty plate away.  A sign language of sorts.  The waiter or waitress reads the secret code spelled out through your dirty utensils and napkin.

If the waiter doesn't happen to see  you licking your plate (which is the International sign of "Yup ... thems was good eatin'.  I'm done!") how are they supposed to know if you're finished eating?

They know by where you've placed your cutlery.  Honestly, they do.

Where do you put your cutlery when you've finished eating?

The knife and fork go either straight up and down in the centre of the plate with the handles resting on the rim, or pointing between 10 and 4 o'clock.  In each case the tines of the fork should be facing up, and the knife edge pointing in.

Your napkin should be half heartedly folded to the left of your plate.

Do NOT rest the cutlery on the table.

Do NOT cross the cutlery over each other in an X.

Do NOT put your napkin on your plate.

Do NOT perfectly refold your napkin.

Do NOT put your napkin on your chair.

Do NOT fold your napkin into the shape of a swan or a dead chicken and then leave the restaurant wearing it as a hat.

What does it mean when cutlery is placed in a perpendicular position on top of a plate?

What does it mean when cutlery is perpendicular?

What is the correct positioning of cutlery?

What does position of cutlery mean?