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Times are always changing, though the rules of Western Dining Etiquette do not change with times.  So are these rules still applicable to our today's dining habits?

1.  The Napkin should be placed on the lap and should be used only for blotting the mouth in-between bites.  It should never be used to wipe the face, blow the nose or wipe the table and utensils.  When finish the meal, place the napkin loosely folded on the left side of the table to indicate that one is done with the meal.

This rule is mainly for the purpose of enforcing personal hygiene, since it is unpleasant to be blotting one's mouth with something that had just used to wipe the face, table or utensils.  Putting the napkin on the left side is for indication of one's intention to end the meal, which is a form of politeness.  Verdict: Practical

2.  No tasting of each other's food, no matter how close you two are.  Well, we are not living in the stifling olden times where being prim and proper is of utmost importance over interactions between close friends and love ones.  As long as

A. Couples don't overdo it, going all PDA (Public Display of Affection) with their food,

B. Permission is given to taste the food,

C. Good hygiene is practised,

Tasting of each other's food should not be of such great issue.  Verdict: Redundant

3. When a lady leaves the table to attend to some personal matters and comes back, all gentlemen at the table must stand up and wait until she is seated again.  While modern women still appreciates to be treated like a lady, this rule is pushing things a bit too far.  It is like announcing to the world, "Hey, I just come back to eat!".  It is not necessary to make a big hoohah over a lady coming back for her meal.  Verdict: Redundant

4. Western dining Etiquette does emphasizes on the importance of placement of dining utensils (Spoon, Fork, Knife, etc) during various stages of dining.  One of such rules is that once the utensils are used, they should never go back onto the table, one should put them on the plate when not using them at any one time.  This is for personal good hygiene and not to marr the surface of the table with ugly food stains. 

Another one; there are specific formations on how one should place the dining utensils on the plate, during meals and after finishing the meals.  This is good for clear indication to the service staff on one's intentions, without the need for the service staff to come over constantly and enquire about clearing the plates, or one does not have to request personally on the clearing of the plates.  And this is very good for testing the standards of the service of any fine dining establishments.    Verdict: Practical

5. No placing of Elbows on the table.  Actually, I don't really see any obvious functional reason of this rule, though I must say that maybe, peek-a-boos will not happen to ladies wearing low cut blouses if they do not place their elbows on the table since they will not lean slightly forward to reveal anything in this case.  Verdict: Depends

So there you have it, on how some western dining etiquettes still play a part in our lives.  So which western dining etiquette do you think is practical or redundant?  Do you have any more points to add to this list?

Update: Rachel had added a very good point about No Licking of Utensils, which looks greedy and sloppy.  Not to mention such sights may spoil the appetite of fellow diners.  A very practical dining etiquette rule. 

I had worked with Japanese before, and every now and then, we would dine out together to celebrate the completion of projects.  One thing we needed to note when choosing the dining venue is that we should not choose to dine at Japanese Restaurant with a non Japanese chef.  Yeah, the Japanese from Japan do not like to eat Japanese food prepared by a non Japanese.

When this information is revealed to some, most will respond "Wow, such arrogance!" or "Wow, they have so much pride in their own culture!".  Usually, I will respond by saying "Will you eat Chinese food prepared by a non Chinese?", to which many of them will answered "No".  

From this episode, we can see that pride aside, most of us have this ingrained idea that "Our own local food is the best, only when it is prepared by a local".  I guess this is due to the reason that we believe that only a local will understand the local culture and the local community, to prepare a local dish that best represent the local's taste and pride.  This may be true to some extent, since culture, feeling and knowledge are paramount to creating the unique essence of a good dish, not just some formulaic recipe.

However, I personally feel that if the chef had stayed and trained in a local community for a few years, I'm sure that he/she will be able to integrate into the local culture and recreate that local unique essence in his/her food.  I guess there is no shortcut to gaining recognition for one's culinary skills in any particular area, no matter what is the demographics that the chef is from.

So do you eat your local food prepared by the locals only?

How about food of other cultures?  Japanese food prepared by Japanese chef, Chinese food prepared by Chinese chef, French food prepared by French chef, Italian food prepared by Italian chef, Indian food prepared by Indian chef, etc.  Will food of this category appeal to you more than the others?

Update: Besides the great comments made on here, other comments can be found on the one posted on IReallyLikeFood's website.