Whether you’re gathering at grandma’s or have reservations for a restaurant repast, David and Barbara Rothschild, authors of EATiQuette’s The Main Course on Dining Etiquette, share these hints for a more civilized celebration:

1) Arrive promptly – but not too early. Don’t expect your hosts to hold up the meal to fit your schedule. Arrive right at, or very shortly after, the appointed time. Don’t show up an hour early and interrupt meal preparations. Once a guest arrives, a host’s attention must turn to him.

2) Put your napkin in your lap as soon as you sit down. And when you get up from the table, place it to the left of your setting, not on your chair or on your plate.

3) Lift stemmed glasses by the stem. Your beverage will be more appealing without all those fingerprints on the bowl of the glass and will stay at the optimal temperature without being heated by your hands.

4) Pass food to the right when it’s served “family-style”. But if the person to your left asks for something it doesn’t need to make a lap of the table first.

5) Try something new. How do you know you don’t like curried Brussels sprouts if you’ve never tasted them? Be a little adventurous and you might expand your culinary horizons. However . . .

6) Take only what you can eat. It’s okay to ask for seconds, but it’s not all right to waste food. And be sure to leave enough for your tablemates by mentally dividing each dish by the number of diners.

7) Don’t season food before tasting. You might as well just say to the cook, “I’m sure this food has no flavor.”

8) Wait until everyone is served before you start eating. Sure, your peas might not be piping hot, but it’s polite to hold off until your hostess takes her first bite.

9) Get a (proper) grip – on silverware, that is. No forks in your fists, please! They should be held more like a pencil than a baseball bat.

10) Don’t push your plate away and say you’re stuffed. Though your intentions might be good, this is an uncouth way to express your gratitude. Remember that someone put a lot of time and effort into the meal.