Established in 1954, the Institut Villa Pierrefeu, perched above Montreux, is the last finishing school in Europe. Its courses, which range from one to six weeks, cover everything from seating precedence and tea-service protocol to black-belt-level etiquette challenges such as eating a banana with a knife and fork. Historically, most of its students were young women preparing for the marriage market.
A five-day course in the “European art of dining” features modules on menu planning, English-style table setting and French-style table manners. The students carefully taking notes on wine pairing and cutlery arrangement work in fields such as technology, corporate law and banking. Some are there to master a foreign culture.
Some lessons have not changed in years. Students are instructed that, once a meal is over, they can place their linen napkin on the right or the left . But in other ways the school has had to adapt. Ms Néri has changed courses to suit professionals, scrapping the old nine-month diploma and offering classes all year round which clients can attend on their annual leave. Schools which failed to adapt have had to close, or take on less glamorous roles.
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Source: TIME - 🏆 93. / 53 Read more »