Dining Guide / During the Meal
How to Eat Soup
Bring soup to your mouth quietly with the spoon. Never lift the soup plate to drink from it.
Try what you’ve read in questions based on real dining situations. · 5 min
View the At the Table course
Key Points
- The soup spoon is on the right, next to the knives.
- Spoon the soup away from you, then bring it to your mouth without slurping.
- If it’s hot, don’t blow on it. Wait a moment, or take soup from the cooler edge.
- When you pause or finish, leave the spoon in the soup plate. With a soup cup, rest it on the saucer.
Do
- Take small spoonfuls
- Sip quietly from the side of the spoon
Avoid
- Slurping
- Lifting the plate to drink from it
- Blowing on the soup to cool it
Handy Tip
When only a little is left, tip the plate away from you by lifting the near edge. Any drips fall away from you, and you can finish neatly.
Customs That Vary
In France and some other countries, people may spoon toward themselves instead. Either direction is fine as long as you eat quietly.
Practice in a Lesson
- Bread and Soup — 5 min · Sign in to unlock
Read next
Sources
- Emily Post Institute, “Guide to Food and Drink” — Course-specific guidance for bread, soup and other foods.
- Emily Post Institute, “Top Table Manners Tips” — Posture, napkins, utensils, soup and phones at the table.