Let’s get personal today!
It’s been quite some time since I started sharing my etiquette tips and tricks with you through my weekly newsletter. Usually, we dive deep into the secrets of table napkins, polite greetings and appropriate dress codes. But for today, I decided to shift gears and get a bit more personal. Here are top 6 things you might yet not know about me (but psst, there is more to come):
1. I AM FROM SLOVAKIA 🇸🇰
That little country in the centre of Europe was my home for the first 18 years of my life. Despite not living there for the past 12 years, I still feel very much Slovak in my habits (like eating pickles with pretty much everything). Slovakia is a beautiful country with even more beautiful nature, but just like with everything, every coin has two sides, and the lack of opportunities in the sphere where I wished to work in eventually lead me to start a new life somewhere else.
2. I AM A VEGETARIAN/PESCATARIAN 🍏
I often get asked to make steak etiquette videos, but unfortunately, I haven’t yet found a companion who would be willing to order a steak and let me use it as a prop 🙂
When I was 15, I decided to stop eating meat and it was one of the easiest decisions of my life as I’ve never been keen on the taste of meat or meat products. Now, the majority of my diet is vegetarian or vegan, but I like to treat myself to delicious fresh fish or seafood once or twice a year when travelling.
3. I HAVE A DEGREE IN MARKETING 🤓
Specifically, in marketing, business and communication. My studies were pretty broad, which felt confusing at times but once I decided to launch my etiquette business, suddenly I got the ’’playground’’ where I could apply all the absorbed theory into practice. I have to admit that my choice of major has helped me tremendously in my entrepreneur journey as I didn’t waste time on figuring things out as I already had some of the formulas (which still didn’t prevent me from failing multiple times though).
4. I AM A VIRGO ♍
With an ascendent in Virgo (no joke).
Out of all the zodiac signs, Virgos are the most systematic and organised but also with tendencies to perfectionism and micro-management. I do not consider myself a superstitious person, but once I read the description of a typical Virgo, it was like having a mirror pointed right at my face. But hey, I love being a Virgo as it helps me to finalise my tasks (and be happy about it afterwards in a twisted Virgo way).
5. I DISLIKE BEER 🍺
If there is one food & beverage group I can’t stand the sight of, it would be beer. Trust me, I tried the light ones, I tried the dark ones, I even tried the fruit flavoured ones. The bitterness of beer is something my taste buds simply cannot get used to, so I happily skip that section on a menu card. On the other hand though, an extra sour water with lemon (think: one full lemon squeezed into a glass) will be my forever go-to.
6. I AM AN AUTHOR 📕
Besides being an etiquette instructor, I decided to gather all my knowledge about dining manners and put them on paper for everyone to have a tool to learn from. My ebook Katarina’s Guide to Western Dining Etiquette is a complex practical guide for everyone who wishes to become confident at any dining venue from start to finish, including when tricky foods such as oysters or caviar are served.
Dear readers, I hope you enjoyed this slightly more personal list and I am pretty sure I will be back with another one soon!
I wish you a beautiful day ahead,
Yours sincerely,
Katarina
Do you wish to become confident at any dining venue and navigate every culinary occasion with ease? Let me teach you dining etiquette from A to Z in my practical ebook! As a bonus, you will receive a FREE guide on how to tame tricky foods such as shrimp, oysters or escargot.