Don't place your napkin on the table while others are eating. The right utensil, used with the appropriate food, both teases and satisfies the palate with the taste of outstanding food. In a formal place setting, there are three forks to the left and three knives and a soup spoon to the right of the plate. Above the forks is the bread and butter plate with the butter knife lying across the upper edge of the plate. Such a place setting originated in Europe, where our customs began.
European settings remain the most formal and demonstrate the more unusual utensils and placement.
Much more common, and the type you will probably see at lunch, is a setting with two forks on the left, one knife and two spoons on the right. The salad fork, with a shorter handle and wider tine base, is furthest to the left. To the right of the knife usually is a soup spoon, noted by the rounded bowl of the utensil. Further to the right is a spoon used for appetizers-a fruit cup, for example. The butter knife, set on a small plate above the forks, has a small handle and a small flat blade, rounder at the tip.