Quietly, and from the side of the spoon!
One does not place the entire spoon in one's mouth. Soup is sipped silently from the side of the spoon. As tempting as it may be to place the entire spoon in your mouth, especially when a truly yummy soup is served, refrain yourself!
Fill your soup spoon by skimming the surface, scooping the spoon away from you. The reason you scoop away from yourself is so the soup does not splash onto you. If there are any drips on the spoon, discreetly wipe your spoon on the far side of the bowlalongthe inside rim. The soup may be gently tilted away from you to finish.
A soup spoon is placed on the right side of the soup bowl, or if there is a knife at the place setting, to the right of the knife. The most traditional soup spoon is the size of a large, oval tablespoon, especially if you own an antique European set of flatware. These large "soup tablespoons" are still used today for formal dinners (and can also be used for a dessert course) and are served with "soup plates" which have a large flat-rim, and are not referred to as bowls. When finished, the spoon is left to rest in the soup plate at the 9-3 o'clock position.
For luncheons, a lighter soup, bouillon or a cold soup are typically served in a cream soup cup with delicate handles on either side. The handles may be used to pick up and to sip from the cup. I still use a spoon for fear that some surprise portion of soup will inevitably splash out on me! A soup cup is served with a smaller,round bowledspoon, referred to as a bouillon spoon or cream soup spoon. These days, smaller oval soup spoons are often used for all types of soup, in place of the larger tablespoons. When finished, the spoon is placed upon the liner plate, beneath the soup cup.
Forbidden Faux Pas
No-No:To hold a soup spoon, whatever the size, with your pointer finger placed on the top surface of the spoon or along the leading edge, similar to holding a knife or a pen. A soup spoon is held in your right hand with your thumb on top of the flat portion of the handle.
No-No:To put the entire soup spoon in your mouth or to blow on it to cool it down.
Millennial Tip
Any time of year, I think soup is an elegant first course to commence either a luncheon or dinner party. I prefer to have the soup served and placed on the tables, prior to the guests being seated. That being said, a hot soup may cool off a bit depending on how long it takes your guests to be seated, but this method works extremely well for cold soups!
Mummy would often add a beet to a cream soup recipe (depending on the recipe) to create a lovely pink hue... and who doesn't love pink?
