Langoustine Picks or Artichoke Forks Quiz

Answer: Cocktail sticks

The cocktail stick is basically a decorated toothpick, so home cooks often just go with the simple toothpicks. Cocktail sticks may be used to allow a bartender to add an item such as an olive or cocktail onion to a drink, but they are also useful as a means to allow people to select small items such as a mini-meatball or a piece of cheese from a tray as you circulate during the cocktail hour. You may be asked to insert the cocktail sticks into the hors d'oeuvres before starting to carry them around, or you may include a container of sticks on the tray, so that patrons can choose one for themselves, or even use their fingers if they are so inclined. Don't forget to make the tray a convenient place for the return of the cocktail sticks - it is a good idea to have a used stick container in one corner.

Answer: Trong

The trong is the most recent innovation of all the utensils in this quiz. It was developed in 2007 by Eric Zimmermann and Dan Ferrara Jr., because they saw a need for a way to eat this type of food and still have clean hands to allow for the rapid answering of your cell phone.

The name is a portmanteau word, combining tri- (for three) and tong (or prong, depending on who you ask). A trong has three slots, two in which the user inserts two fingers opposing one for the thumb. Once the fingers have been placed in these slots, the plastic trong is what actually comes in contact with the food that is picked up, so diners can quickly slip their clean fingers out when necessary. If your establishment stocks these, it is considerate to offer them to any diners who order this kind of food, even if some may prefer to use their fingers, and lick them clean (or, more politely, wipe them on a serviette) at appropriate intervals.

Answer: Grapefruit spoon

Grapefruit segments are notoriously messy to remove from their rind, so they are often prepared before serving by using a grapefruit knife to separate the segments from the surrounding membrane. The grapefruit spoon, which is also useful for oranges, kiwi fruit and melons, is similar to a teaspoon, but with a tip which is either very sharp or serrated, to assist in the process of extracting the fruit segments. You may or may not be asked to put these out - some establishments prefer to have totally loosened the segments before serving, and provide a small fork, such as a cake fork, instead of the traditional serrated spoon.

Answer: Fondue fork

Fondue is cooked as a communal experience, with a central pot into which each participant inserts a long two-pronged fork (with an insulating handle) holding the food they wish to cook. There are many variants to the process - the question referred to cheese fondue, in which the hot liquid is made from melted cheese and the solid food is traditionally bread. My family used to have beef fondue meals, where each person was allocated a pile of cubed raw meat, which they cooked in a pot of hot oil before dunking each piece in one of the dipping sauces on offer.

Others love to dunk pieces of fruit into melted chocolate. As a waiter, your job will generally be to ensure that supplies are topped up as required, and occasionally to replace a fondue fork that has fallen into the pot.

Answer: Snail tongs and fork

Traditionally, edible snails are cooked (according to the recipe of the chef's choice), then replaced in their shells to be served in their classic presentation - on a tray with an indentation in which each shell is placed. The diner then uses the tongs to gently grab hold of a snail shell, and wields a small fork in the other hand to extract the meat and convey it to the mouth.

The fork and tongs should be neatly arranged on the tray as the snails are being served.

Answer: Artichoke fork

The outer leaves of a globe artichoke may be simply peeled away and dunked in lemon butter before having the fleshy base scraped off between one's teeth, but the centre of the leafy portion, called the choke or the beard, is a mass of undeveloped leaves that is not edible in mature artichokes.

It needs to be removed in order to reveal the base of the flower, called the heart, which is very edible indeed. Once it has been revealed, it is often cut into bite-sized pieces which can be dunked in the rest of the lemon butter.

It must be noted that this is not the only way to eat an artichoke, and some presentations will not require you to include an artichoke fork as part of the table setting.

Answer: Langoustine picks

Before langoustine became the in-demand shellfish, these small forks with (usually) two tines were more commonly called crab picks, shrimp picks or (where I grew up) lobster picks. After cracking the shell of your chosen crustacean, these forks make it much easier to get the meat out, so it is not necessary to completely demolish the shell, just open it up enough so the fork can be inserted.

They are especially useful on those tiny little appendages that almost seem like more trouble than they are worth! Patrons who require one of these forks will often also request a shellfish cracker (again, usually described by the name of the crustacean being eaten), which resembles a two-handled nutcracker, and allows access to the contents of the shell.

Answer: Parfait spoon

In North America, the term parfait refers to a dessert made from layers of ice cream and jelly and/or fruits, with whipped cream on top, usually served in a tall glass. Other ingredients can include broken pieces of meringue and nuts, and yoghurt (fresh or frozen) can replace the ice cream.

The long handle of the parfait spoon helps the diner reach every last delicious bite, so having them available along with the dessert is a mark of a conscientious waiter.

Answer: Sugar tongs

Sugar tongs are small, and often ornate, tongs which make it easy to pick up a sugar cube from the serving bowl in order to place it in one's coffee cup. A formal meal is far more likely to present the sugar this way than as crystals in a bowl, which would require the use of a sugar spoon, but sugar crystals will sometimes be seen. Using the sugar spoon to stir one's coffee after the sugar has been added is definitely a social faux-pas! If you happen to notice it happening you will need to make sure that a new spoon is supplied for the sugar bowl, and the used one is not returned.

Answer: Demitasse spoon

While almost any spoon can be used to stir coffee, it is usual to offer a coffee spoon (somewhat smaller than a teaspoon) for a full-sized cup of coffee, and a demitasse spoon (smaller still) for coffee, such as espresso, which is served in the smaller cups called demitasse (French for half cup). You will only need to offer one if the diner is adding sugar that needs to be stirred in; it is unusual to add either milk or cream to a cup of espresso (but if you are asked to provide it, you will need to make the necessary arrangements, of course).