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TableTact

Table Manners Courses

Practice table setting, dining etiquette, conversation and Japanese dining with five-minute lessons and questions. Try the first course and sample lessons without signing up, then sign in to continue for free.

Practise at your own pace before a meal

Have a meal or formal dinner coming up? Prepare on your own for seating, cutlery and conversation. Choose a dining situation to read about, or check your understanding with a short lesson.

TableTact is a self-study web app for phones and computers. Practise with ordering, spot-the-mistake and conversation questions in lessons of about five minutes. It is not an in-person workshop.

Currently free. Try every lesson in the first course, plus a sample lesson in each other course, without registering. Sign in for the remaining lessons and to save progress across devices.

Try without registering: A Well-Set TableChoose a dining situation
  1. CurrentCourse 1Table Setting

    Understand the purpose and placement of tableware in different dining settings.

    • Read a full-course place setting
    • Bread plate and glass positions
    • Use your napkin with ease
    • Wine service and toasting
    • Take your seat and stow your things
    0 of 5 lessons complete0%
    Lesson progress
    1. 1A Well-Set TableLearn the basic layout of a formal place setting.Not started5 min
    2. 2Cutlery and Its PlacementLearn where the soup spoon, dessert cutlery, and butter knife go in a full-course setting.Not started6 min
    3. 3Using Your NapkinFrom unfolding your napkin to dabbing your lips, stepping away, and finishing the meal.Not started6 min
    4. 4Glasses and WineLearn how glasses are arranged and how to handle being poured for, toasting, and declining wine.Not started6 min
    5. 5Taking Your SeatHow to approach your chair, sit well, stow your belongings, and choose a seat in a private room.Not started5 min
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  2. Sign in to unlockCourse 2At the Table

    Learn what to do from the moment you sit down to the final bite. Build confidence with real-life dining situations.

    • Graceful posture at the table
    • Courses and cutlery signals
    • Bread and soup with ease
    • Eating fish and meat neatly
    • Finishing well with dessert and coffee
    0 of 5 lessons complete0%
    Lesson progress
    1. 1The Flow of a MealFollow a meal from being seated to leaving the table, sit with graceful posture, and keep the conversation comfortable.Not started6 min
    2. 2Courses and Cutlery SignalsLearn the order of a full-course meal and how the way you rest your knife and fork speaks to the server.Not started6 min
    3. 3Bread and SoupLearn how to break bread, handle butter, and enjoy soup quietly and gracefully.Not started5 min
    4. 4Fish and MeatLearn to eat a whole fish neatly and to handle bone-in meat and stray bones with grace.Not started6 min
    5. 5Dessert and CoffeeLearn to use dessert cutlery, handle your coffee spoon, and step away from the table at the right moment.Not started5 min
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  3. Sign in to unlockCourse 3Conversation

    Feel at ease with gracious conversation at the table.

    • Choosing topics and drawing others in
    • Steering away from sensitive topics
    • Eating and talking gracefully
    • Handling the bill and saying thanks
    • Toasts, speeches, and hosting a dinner
    0 of 5 lessons complete0%
    Lesson progress
    1. 1Choosing TopicsLearn how to pick topics that put people at ease, steer around sensitive subjects, and bring everyone into the conversation.Not started6 min
    2. 2Eating and TalkingLearn how to respond when your mouth is full, handle your phone, and keep pace with the table.Not started5 min
    3. 3Closing the MealLearn how to handle the bill, thank your host, and leave the restaurant gracefully.Not started6 min
    4. 4Toasts and Short SpeechesLearn when to propose a toast and how to keep it short, how to respond when you’re toasted, and how to listen when someone speaks during dinner.Not started6 min
    5. 5Hosting a DinnerLearn how to welcome and seat your guests, recommend dishes and set the pace of the meal, settle the bill discreetly, and see your guests off.Not started6 min
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  4. Sign in to unlockCourse 4Japanese Dining

    Whether it's a business dinner in Japan, sushi at the counter, or an evening out with Japanese colleagues, learn how to use chopsticks, handle bowls, sit in a tatami room, and pour and toast — and why each custom exists.

    • Chopstick basics and taboos
    • The meal tray and lidded bowls
    • Grilled fish, sashimi and sushi
    • Tatami rooms and kaiseki dinners
    • Pouring drinks and kanpai
    0 of 5 lessons complete0%
    Lesson progress
    1. 1Using ChopsticksLearn how to pick up and rest chopsticks, split disposable ones, avoid the classic chopstick taboos, and serve yourself from shared platters.Not started6 min
    2. 2The Tray and BowlsLearn how a Japanese meal tray is laid out, how to start eating, which bowls you can pick up, and how to handle a lidded bowl.Not started6 min
    3. 3Fish, Sashimi and SushiLearn how to eat a whole grilled fish without turning it over, how to use wasabi and soy sauce, and how to enjoy sushi and tempura.Not started6 min
    4. 4Tatami Rooms and KaisekiLearn how to step up into a tatami room and leave your shoes, how to treat floor cushions, where the seat of honor is, and how a kaiseki dinner unfolds.Not started6 min
    5. 5Pouring and KanpaiLearn how to pour and receive drinks, look after an emptying glass, toast with someone senior, and join a memorial toast (kenpai).Not started5 min
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