Guyanese girls know that one of the best ways to preserve long term friendships is to get together over food. We do not need elaborate meals to do so; but we do need to know some basic etiquette rules. Our goal is to entertain simply, yet with style.

coffee cup

(1) Brew your coffee …. it is in poor taste to serve guests instant coffee. If you do not have a lovely coffee pot, you can pour while in the kitchen, and bring it to the table on a tray. However, this can only be done with coffee; as tea must be poured directly from a teapot to the guest’s teacup.

coffee mug

(2) It is quite okay to serve coffee for breakfast in a coffee mug. However a coffee mug should not be used in the evening. Serve coffee in a coffee cup or demitasse during dinner dessert. The handle of the coffee or teacup should be positioned to the right, with teaspoon on the saucer partly behind the handle.

(3) Service for soup follows the same rule. A soup bowl can be used for lunch, but a soup plate should be substituted for dinner. A soup plate has a rim, whereas a soup bowl has no rim.

Soup Plate

Soup Bowl

(4) Please note that at the end of the meal, the spoon should always be removed from the soup bowl and placed in the plate under the bowl. However the spoon is left in the soup plate, the same way that it is left in a regular plate.