Table Hold Small Bowl Large Food Salad Pepper

Many "dishes," or ceramic pieces used to hold food, are placed on a dinner table in addition to the ones mentioned in this podcast. For example, a "gravy bowl" is a small bowl with a handle that is used to hold "gravy," or a dark gray or brown sauce that is poured over meats. "Serving bowls" are large bowls that hold food so that people can use a "serving spoon" (a large spoon) to move food from the serving bowls to their own plates. Soup is served with a "ladle" (a large serving spoon especially for liquids). Salad is usually placed in a "salad bowl," and people use "salad tongs" (a long tool with two parts that connect at one end and is used to pick things up) to move the salad from the salad bowl to their plates.

The center of the table usually has "salt and pepper shakers," which are small bottles filled with salt and pepper that have holes in the "lids" (tops) so that they can be "shaken" (moved quickly up and down) "upside-down" (with the top facing down and the bottom facing up) to put salt and pepper on one's food. Often there is a "creamer," or a small bowl with a handle that holds "cream" (milk with a lot of fat in it) for one's coffee.

On top of the tablecloth, there might be "placemats," or rectangular pieces of plastic or cloth that are placed under each diner's plate. Each person also has a "napkin" (a small piece of cloth or paper used to clean one's mouth and hands). If the napkins are made from cloth, sometimes they are placed in a "napkin ring" (a round piece of metal or wood used to hold the napkin for decoration).