November 24, 2011
Mahanoy City Native Says Etiquette Still Important
In Many Aspects of Life
BY JOHN E. USALIS
MAHANOY CITY - "Dr.
John Etiquette" believes
knowing the rules is
liberating, not restrictive.
"One of the reasons that
etiquette is having a revival
right now is that it is
estimated in the United States,
30 percent of job interviews
are being conducted during a
meal," Mellon said Sunday
during a visit to the Kaier
Mansion Bed & Breakfast
hosted by owners James and
Joan Goodman. "Companies,
including hospitals, health
care, nonprofits and others,
want to see that you're
comfortable in all types of
settings and you're able to
conduct yourself in those
situations."
Some etiquette rules are
practical.
Jacqueline Dormer/staff photo John
"Dr. John Etiquette" Mellon
explains table manners Sunday at
the Kaier Mansion Bed & Breakfast
in Mahanoy City.
While society has become
more casual and manners and
propriety may seem less
important, Mahanoy City
native John N. Mellon, a
professor at Misericordia
University, maintains that
they are far from obsolete.
"How do most people hold a
wine glass? Usually by the
bowl. So what are they doing?
You have this perfectly
chilled wine that is being
heated by your hand. Now,
the bad part is that as you heat
wine, you're losing some
alcohol content," Mellon said.
Sitting at the head of the table
with the Goodmans to either
side, Mellon explained some
rules of dining, such as where
to place the napkin when
leaving the table but not
finished dining - to the left or when finished with the
meal - to the right - where the
silverware is placed, and
knowing which butter dish or
wine glass is yours when
sitting at a round table.
"Have you ever gone to a
meal and you wonder is that
your coffee cup or is that the
next person's when it's a
round table?" Mellon asked.
"When you sit down at the
table, the first thing you
should do is scout out your
territory, and you do that by
B-M-W. 'B' stands for your
bread and butter plate, 'M'
stands for your meal and 'W'
stands for your water. So any
food to your left is yours, and
your liquids are to your right."
According to Mellon, there is
a growing need to learn the
international rules of etiquette
and they don't all apply to
dining.
"When I lived in Connecticut
for 11 years, 30 percent of the
people you interacted with
were from around the world,"
Mellon said. "The world is
becoming much smaller.
November 24, 2011
When we think about giving
flowers in America, for
example, one of our flowers
would be red roses, and it's
amazing the number of
countries in the world where
you don't want to give
anything that is red. You
wouldn't wrap a present in red
paper. In America, we think
13 is unlucky. In other
countries, there are other
numbers that are our '13.' In
some countries, it is insulting
to give something with your
company logo, like a pen."
Jacqueline Dormer/staff photo John
N. Mellon explains the proper way
to pick up a wine glass to James
and Joan Goodman, owners of the
Kaier Mansion Bed & Breakfast in
Mahanoy City.
Procedures on gaining new
clients are also changing, with
American businesses adopting
new ways of doing things in a
more social setting.
"In some countries, even
making a sales call in
America, some companies
don't even want to discuss
sales with that first business
call. They want to discuss
you," Mellon said. "So a
successful salesperson who
wants to go after a new
account will contact the
company and invite their
representative to lunch or
dinner and say, 'I want to
introduce myself.' They'll
spend that whole meeting just
interacting with each other
and then make an
appointment for a later time to
discuss business."
While being late to a dinner
or event in America is not
acceptable, it is much
different in Europe, Mellon
said.
"In European countries, if
you're 15 to 30 minutes late,
it's proper etiquette," Mellon
said. "Also, in some countries
it is acceptable to eat off
someone else's plate."
A 1972 Mahanoy Area
graduate, Mellon earned his
bachelor of science degree in
business management from
Penn State University in
1976, his master of business
administration at the
University of New Haven in
1986, and was awarded his
doctorate from George
Washington University in
1991. He is currently an
associate professor of
marketing at Misericordia
University, Dallas, Pa., and is
an online professor of the
School of Business of
Thomas Edison State College
in New Jersey. He has been at
Misericordia since 2002 but
has been teaching at the
college level since 1986.
In addition to his teaching
duties, Mellon developed the
Dr. John Etiquette training
service in teaching individuals
and groups the ins and outs of
social interactivity.