FYI:
For Your Information

When your idea of eating out changes to something a little nicer than a hamburger at a fast food place, then it’s time to learn restaurant etiquette. At first a nice restaurant may be intimidating, but as you learn how to read a menu and how to talk with the waiter or waitress, you can relax and enjoy the experience.

• Making reservations. As soon as you make plans, be sure to call in advance and reserve a table. Chances are you’ll be disappointed if you leave it until the last minute. Plan to actually arrive at the restaurant by the time of your reservation. Most busy restaurants cannot hold tables for you. If your plans fall through, call and cancel your reservation.

• Reading menus. Avoid being surprised by either the choices or the prices offered by a restaurant. Usually restaurants have a menu posted outside or just inside the front door. If one is not posted, ask the hostess if you can see a copy of the menu.

• Here are a few phrases you may run into on a menu and what they mean:

  • a la carte: Each item is ordered and priced separately.

  • gratuity: A tip for the waiter or waitress’s services. Sometimes the gratuity is added into your bill. It is usually 15 percent.

  • entree: The main dish of the meal.

  • appetizer: A small food item or drink served before the meal.

  • du jour: Literally means “of the day.” Soup du jour means the soup the chef chose to make that day.

  • a la mode: Topped with ice cream.

  • flambe: Served flaming.

  • brochette: Food broiled on a skewer.

• Taking your seat. When entering a restaurant, wait for the hostess or maitre d’ to lead the way. The girl should follow the hostess and the boy should follow them both.

• Taking care of the check. In some restaurants, the waiter will not bring your check unless you ask for it. He doesn’t want to rush you. If the check comes in a folder or on a small tray, that usually means you should place the money in the folder or on the tray and the waiter will take care of it. If you are not sure, ask the waiter how the check is to be handled.

• Ask the waiter. If there is something you don’t understand about an item on the menu or a utensil on the table, ask the waiter. They are usually happy to explain.

The Young Men and Young Women of the Peoria Second Ward, Peoria Arizona Stake, combined a service project with learning a new skill. They accepted the challenge to install and plant ten weed-free gardens for people in their ward. The idea of a garden without weeds was appealing to them after remembering long hours in the hot sun weeding.

The homeowners supplied the money for the black plastic and the plants. The youth provided the muscle.

To add to the challenge, the group decided to prepare and plant all the gardens in one hour. Since they planned the project for their weekday activity night, they needed to complete the garden within an hour because darkness could hamper the work. This meant they had to do some careful planning and divide the group up into smaller groups.

Each group with adult leaders was assigned a garden spot. They cleared the rocks and grass, turned over the soil, mixed in the fertilizer, spread the plastic, cut the holes, and planted the plants. They succeeded in putting in each garden in the hour time limit. They earned a few blisters but were pleased with the result.

Linda Bradshaw of the Sutton Coldfield Ward, Lichfield England Stake, travelled to St. James’ Palace in London to meet His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. She was one of a group of young women and young men from all over the country chosen to receive the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.

Requirements for the gold award include participation and excellence in five areas—physical activity, a skill, community service, residential outward-bound course, and an expedition. Linda became proficient in art and crafts, playing the flute, aerobics, swimming, and self-defence. She completed her community service serving as an assistant junior school teacher during her free school periods. Her experience as a teacher’s assistant helped her decide to make teaching her career.

Her outward-bound experiences included abseiling (like rappeling), canoeing, fencing, and orienteering. Her four-day expedition was hiking and camping across the Cader Idris Mountains in North Wales.

“As each stage became progressively harder,” said Linda, “I appreciated the way completing seminary booklets and setting goals to memorize scriptures helped me to overcome hurdles and learn how to complete my goals for these awards.”

Robert Wood of the Austin Third Ward, Austin Texas Stake, has enjoyed music and has excelled in it. In high school, Robert played viola and violin in the all-city, all-regional, and all-state orchestras. He served as orchestra president. He also played with a special group of students invited to perform in Carnegie Hall.

In addition to his music, Robert is a top student. He earned his Eagle Award and served for two years as seminary president.

Of the 1,800 students in the Oakville Missouri senior high school, ten are LDS. But these ten certainly do not go unnoticed.

Included in this group of ten are the freshman and junior class presidents, the freshman starting quarterback, the MVP of the varsity girls’ volleyball team, five cheerleaders, two basketball players, a member of the show choir, a member of the speech and debate team, an assistant gymnastics coach, and three members of the Oakville diving and swim team.

All are members of the Oakville Ward, St. Louis Missouri South Stake.

Julie Dieker sees one main difference between her and her friends at school. “I know where I’m going and why I’m here. Most of them don’t. This knowledge helps me to focus on the future more realistically.”

Their athletic abilities carry over to their ward. The Young Women’s basketball team took first in regional competition, and the Young Men’s team took second.

Together, these youth use their talents and valiant testimonies to help each other. They are well respected and liked by their peers and are setting a great example for others to follow.

Dan Taylor was asked to join the modern U.S. national pentathlon team. He was one of 13 athletes chosen for the team. He hopes to compete in the pentathlon in the 1992 Olympics.

The modern pentathlon is a combination of five athletic events: running, swimming, fencing, equestrian, and pistol shooting. The event has been a part of the modern Olympics for over 100 years.

Dan is a member of his city’s swim team and has repeatedly placed in the top five in state swimming championships. He is a member of the Colorado Springs Seventh Ward, Colorado Springs Colorado North Stake.

Andy Sheneman of the Grand Valley Ward, Grand Rapids Michigan Stake, has been selected as the drummer for the All-State Jazz Band. He came out on top after a statewide competition. The two jazz combos that he plays with each received number one ratings in state competition. In addition to playing the drums, Andy gives lessons to six aspiring young drummers.

Andy served as vice president of student council his junior year, and was a candidate for president his senior year. He is also on the debate and soccer teams and serves as section leader in the marching and symphonic bands. He has played the leading roles in school plays.

Andy represents his ward on the stake youth council.

Lara Woods of the Ypsilanti Ward, Ann Arbor Michigan Stake, has achieved a variety of accomplishments in school, seminary, and sports. Besides earning excellent grades, she served as early-morning seminary president her senior year and never missed a single day of seminary in four years.

Lara lettered in track and cross-country. She helped her cross-country team to the state championship and received the coaches’ award for her efforts.

Katherine DeVinna of Riverside, California, was awarded the first soccer scholarship ever given to a girl athlete in the Riverside City School District.

As a senior, Katherine served for two years as varsity captain of her high school soccer team. She was awarded Most Valuable Player as a sophomore and again as a senior.

Katherine is a Laurel in the Victoria Ward, Riverside California Stake.

by Nicole Walburger

A conference involving over 700 Laurels and priests from nine stakes was held in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. As a group, we read the Book of Mormon in 11 1/2 minutes.

We started out by gathering in the cultural hall. We were each given a number and page out of the Book of Mormon. We then proceeded to find the other person who had the same number. We were instructed to read to each other the page we had been given. One partner read to the other, and then he in turn read his page to his partner.

As we read all together, you could hear a loud murmur in the cultural hall. We were timed, and we ended up reading the entire Book of Mormon in 11 1/2 minutes. We signed a personal contract that for the remainder of the year we would each read the rest of the Book of Mormon. This contract was signed, sealed, and placed in safekeeping until the following year.

Over 300 Young Men and Young Women plus their advisers gathered from Transvaal, Natal, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe for a regional youth conference at the Sudwala Caves about 450 kilometers from Johannesburg, South Africa. The theme of the four-day conference was “How Great Shall Be Thy Joy.”

After the opening speaker reminded the youth about Captain Moroni and his title of liberty, the group hung a banner in a prominent place for the duration of the conference to remind them that they must stand for righteousness.

The activities during the conference included a lively volleyball competition, plus meetings on temple preparedness and missionary work. A speech festival was held featuring competitors selected in stake speech competitions. A scripture chase became a literal chase, as locating the correct scriptures involved running to the correct location (the jungle gym became King Benjamin’s Tower; the swimming pool served as the Waters of Mormon). Topics on self-improvement and individual interests were introduced in workshops, and the group took advantage of the locale by hiking up the mountainside for a tour of the Sudwala Caves.

Of course, the conference would not have been complete without a testimony meeting. They finished up with a service project that involved clearing litter from the grounds of the resort.

Roberta Rowler is a Laurel in the Auckland 14th Ward, Auckland New Zealand Manukau Stake. Roberta, or Bobbie as she is called, loves to dance. Her particular specialty is national dancing. She has won many awards and is qualified to judge it but is not yet old enough. Although she is still in school, she teaches dance to seven pupils. She is also learning to play the bagpipes.

Bobbie recently graduated from seminary after completing four years of study.