Tasty and healthy: a lesson on table manners
At noon on Friday, 24 students with a class teacher arrived at the restaurant, where an interesting lecture and a real multi-course lunch with dessert were prepared for them. Waiters served young guests and responded to all their requests. It is worth noting that the restaurant was able to perfectly pace itself to a special event for children and ordinary work during a business lunch.
The children listened to the opening remarks of the organizers and a short story about the benefits of healthy eating. Then they were introduced to the devices and dishes which each seat was generously served with. In order for children to see a full-fledged picture of classical serving, they specially purchased several types of dishes and appliances. Etiquette rules were communicated accordingly to treats appearing on the table. Children were told how to eat bread correctly, how to hold a spoon, knife and fork, where to put a napkin, how to gently eat a salad and much more. Even such specific knowledge was shared with the children - how to fold the devices at the end of the meal in order to symbolically inform the waiter that you are ready to change the dish, no longer want to eat or took a break and ask not to take the plate.
Class teacher Irina Khrenova said that the offer to participate came from the parents that work at the HRCM Office and then was unanimously approved by the rest. "It is interesting and unusual to attend a master class in a restaurant," Irina Petrovna said. "The children kept asking me questions about the meeting. And I replied that for me, it would be the same surprise as for them. We came and I saw interest in the eyes of the children. We all listened with pleasure to the rules of etiquette and gained new knowledge. A student even told me that "we hadn't eaten right before".
When asked how this event is woven into the educational process, the class teacher replied that the master class was held for them as part of extracurricular activities and corresponds to one of the important educational topics "Talking about proper nutrition".
The lesson was conducted by Head of the HRCM Office Inna Evensaper. Many years of experience in hotel and restaurant management allows her to talk about etiquette at a high expert level. In addition, Inna Anatolievna is a professional in event management. "I tried to communicate the 10 basic rules of etiquette that help us to be polite and not interfere with others, so that everyone at the table was comfortable," I. A. Evensaper said. "Earlier, we held two trial meetings with adults and it turned out that even for them in the lecture there was something new and not everything turned out to be simple for the first time. Initially, I intended to show a complex way of eating salad, since it is interesting but then I realized that the children would get tired. There will be a lot of information for them anyway and I didn't want to overload. I think if children remember only 10%, this is already a success. And the main result for us is the burning eyes of the children and the fact that everyone is satisfied." Inna Anatolievna also shared a memory with schoolchildren - when she was 10 years old, as they are now, she also attended a lesson on etiquette for the first time, in the restaurant "Dubna".
According to the leading specialist of the HRCM Office Anton Shirikov, table etiquette, as well as the previously held culinary class and the events scheduled in the future belong to leisure and educational programmes for the children of JINR employees. "I would also like to include the children of our colleagues from the Member States in an interesting life. The desire to get to us for a similar lesson is already expressed by other schools. We are pleased that the Hotel and Restaurant Complex brings culture to the masses," Anton Shirikov concluded.
Maria KARPOVA, photo by the author