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If you don't know which wine goes best with chicken, what a "red mullet" is, the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork or what the maitre d' does in a restaurant, then keep reading.

It may help to know basic formal dinner etiquette when you—a company's new hire—are dining for the first time with the new boss, according to a seminar, "Avoid Looking Stupid At Dinner," held Tuesday night in the University Club.

White wines go best with chicken and fish. Opt for red wine when eating beef, pork or pasta with red sauce. A red mullet is a type of fish, not a hairstyle.

The dinner fork is the long fork in the set of utensils to the left of your plate. The salad fork is the fork—to the left of the dinner fork—next to the napkin.

The maitre d' takes dinner reservations, greets restaurant guests, seats them and starts the meal off with drinks.

That first formal dinner with a new employer will no doubt be an awkward experience, said Andy Ferguson, who gives seminars on dinner etiquette, tax management, the first day on the new job and other "stuff you need to know, but don't learn in the classroom."

The first thing a new employee needs to know about company dinners is "you're not there to eat," Ferguson said. Dinner is an opportunity for small talk and a chance to socialize with the people you work for, Ferguson said, while noting that most companies promote employees with good social skills.

Only 15 percent of employees are promoted because of their technical skills, Ferguson said.

In dinner, "a little common sense goes a long way," Ferguson said. "The dinner may be free, but follow the lead of your host.

"Don't pick up the menu," he said. "Create small talk." Small talk often begins with a handshake. "And there are a lot of ways to shake hands incorrectly," Ferguson said, noting the fish—or weak and floppy—handshake and the gorilla handshake, which is "too strong."

"Shaking hands is very awkward. One hand, eye contact, that's it," he said.

Ferguson dissected the science behind place settings: telling eating utensils apart, and how to figure out which glass and bread plate is yours.

The glass is always on the right, and the bread plate is always on the left, Ferguson said.

Ordering wine is another awkward dinner point.

"Selecting a wine can be intimidating," Ferguson said, but chances are "the boss [or someone else] will be doing it for you."

But if it is up to the newbie to select the wine, he or she should know that wines areß grape—such as Chardonnay—or regional—Sherry—, or a blend, such as Talia Rose.

The wine bottle's label displays the Brand/winery name, the name of the wine, the growing region and the vintage, which gives away the age of the wine.

During the wine presentation, "you're not checking to see if you like the wine," Ferguson said. "You're checking to see if the wine is spoiled. If it's bad it has a vinegary smell to it."

If no one else at the table orders appetizers, then don't order the lone appetizer. "You don't want to be the only one with a salad when everyone else is waiting for their main course."

Don't order an appetizer if you can't pronounce its name, Ferguson warned.

"Foic gras" is goose liver, and bouillabaisse is a stew that contains various seafood.

When finally eating, take small bites. "You don't want to be caught in a situation where you have your mouth full."

Used silverware should not touch the table. Placing the silverware in a "four o'clock" position indicates that one is done with dinner.

Ferguson's seminar, which also covered how to dress professionally (no blue jeans), was sponsored by Alumni Relations. Caps and Compass, the company that runs the seminars, was started in 1999 by two college graduates, according to CapsandCompass.com.

"We go around to different schools and different communities," Ferguson said. "Things you don't learn in school, like dinner etiquette and money management you can't learn early enough."

 
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