'Tis the season of toasts with Fleming's Steakhouse

Though I've only visited there a few times, I really love Fleming's Steakhouse in the Tucson Foothills. Besides having a lot of character, this restaurant doesn't hold back when it comes to their advertising mail outs. Fleming's sends out a small booklet, usually about 10-12 pages and mostly about wine, on a seasonal basis. These booklets always offer interesting information about wines, whether it be tips for paring food and wine or a discussion about the red wine spectrum. The Fall edition focuses on the "Red Rapture" Red Wine Dinner that Fleming's has scheduled for November 13th. There's also a great section titled "How to make the most of every toast", and it discusses the fine art of making a toast. I've never been big on making toasts, but since we're moving into the season of celebration and Fleming's doesn't offer their marketing information online, I thought I would include a little summary of the article.

Looks like toasting has been around since 6th Century BC when the Greeks were toasting each other to prove that their wine wasn't poisoned. The word "Toast" comes from the Roman practice of dropping a piece of burnt bread in the wine to disguise the taste of bad vintages. Very interesting!

Today people make toasts for all sorts of reasons, whether it be wishing the happy couple a rich and prosperous life together or the drunken rambling of a family member trying to steal the show. Toasts are fun and even educational, depending on who the speaker is. But as with everything else in life, there are a few rules to toasting properly, so here's the list!

• When making a toast the speaker should always stand unless it's a small, informal gathering. No sitting!
• The "toastee" should never stand during the toast or drinks to himself. If you're the one being toasted, just smile really big and say thank you.
• Clinking glasses is optional, but raising glasses is not. If you're drinking wine or a cocktail, raise your water glass. Try to at least look interested!
• One should never toast the guest of honor before the host has had the opportunity. If the host is a little slow in this area you better give him a push to get the ball rolling.
• Eye contact is considered polite when toasting. In some cultures it's bad luck if you don't make eye contact.
• Never, ever, under any circumstances hit your fork against your glass to get everyone's attention. It's considered de'classe'!