How often have you been in a situation where you have felt uncomfortable? How did you deal with it? Did you have the skills in your wheelhouse to get over that feeling, or maybe help someone else get over that same feeling in a social situation? What it all boils down to is etiquette, the skill of putting people at ease, and being able to follow simple basic guidelines of social behavior. Now that sounds like a lot, but in reality it is an introduction into the world, and that is what we want for our youth. After all the world is at their feet and we want to make sure they have the skills they need to claim it and make it even better. This is why we started our 4-H Etiquette Day Camp. Of course our youth reasons for being there ranged from learning something new to "because my parents forced me to be here." No matter what the reason by the end of the day they had all learned something new, and had new experiences, made new friends, and had to admit they had a pretty good time.
Our day started with introductions. A good first impression is important, and a firm handshake, talking in a clear voice, and looking someone in the eye can make all the difference. Learning to avoid the dead fish handshake and muttering was tough for a few, but by the end of the day, they had it down. After getting through introductions we moved on to table settings. Setting a table, knowing what the purpose of each utensil is, and how to use it was our crash course before leaving for lunch. We split up into groups and each group had the opportunity to practice setting the table. We wont say they had it down pat at the end of the lesson, but they had a pretty good grasp on it.
By then it was time to get in the vans and head to Pinehurst to visit The Carolina Hotel. The grandeur of the four star hotel was evident from the moment we arrived. Our 4-Her's were well behaved as they went through the lobby and the main dinning room to one of the private side dining rooms. The oriental rugs, and chandlers putting many of them in awe. As they were seated they impressed the staff with having their feet on the floor and sitting up straight in their chairs. The entire experience had them in such awe that most of them did not speak until the main course of our lunch. the staff at the Carolina did a wonderful job of walking us through our meal and the proper way to handle utensils, courses, and our behavior. Daniel Collier led our etiquette lesson and started with introductions and handshakes to each person in the dining room as we started on our salad. After our salad we had an intermezzo of raspberry sorbet, which served as a palette cleanser. That was followed up with our main course, boneless chicken breast with mashed potatoes (that were piped onto the plate) and a lemon pan jous. That wowed our group but dessert was the bomb. It was a deconstructed strawberry shortcake, that would make the pickiest of taste buds jump up and dance. 
Chef Kevin introduced our meals to us, and after our wonderful mean, introduced our group to the behind the scenes where our lunch was made. Our 4-H members aw everything from storage areas, supply chains, to prep areas, the bakery, and most importantly the wash area. As they learned the folks who wash are the most important folks in the kitchen because without them the kitchen could not function. It wasn't long before we said our thank yous and goodbyes and headed back to Robeson County to finish our lessons.
When we got back we split up into groups and rotated between five tables of activities. There we played an etiquette game, leaned cell phone dos and don'ts, worked on conversation starters, figured out fashion dos and don'ts, and wrote thank you notes to the folks at the Carolina Hotel. Before we knew it it was time to get ready for our mixer. Now you might not know this but there are some skills we learned that we never thought of such as balancing a plate of food and cup of punch so that we can eat and shake hands, when there is no place to set things down. We learned our guests should go first, and we go second. Even better we could go back for seconds after everyone gets firsts so we don't have to pile our plates with food. As our adults came in we greeted them, allowed them to get food first, and we did not say anything looked nasty, we just found things we liked and enjoyed good conversations with new people. All in all it was a successful day, and who knows maybe some folks had some help getting the dinner table set that night.
No comments:
Post a Comment