MOSES LAKE — Applying for a job can lead down some strange pathways.

It’s not just skills and a properly presented resume. It’s the right preparation, the right presentation, the right look, even the right fork.

Wait. What?

Sometimes a prospective employer will invite a prospective employee to lunch, said CB Tech director Christine Armstrong. Or dinner. Maybe even a fancy lunch or dinner, complete with multiple plates and a whole lot of silverware.

So – what to do with that salad plate? How does a prospective employee engage in conversation while spooning down the soup? If it’s a buffet, how much food is too much?

Welcome to the “manners meal.”

The goal of the manners meal was to show CB Tech students what to do when confronted with multiple courses and forks. It’s not training that every kid gets, Armstrong said. “They’re going to know more than about 90 percent of the kids their age.”

The high-end buffet was under the direction of “guest chef” Dani Goll. She is a candidate for the job in CB Tech’s culinary program; head chef Susie Moberg is retiring at the end of the school year. The menu included a pork loin, vegetable medley, salad and rolls, with bread pudding for dessert – not exactly a sandwich and cheese curls.

As for the art of making conversation, kids from different programs were mixed together to encourage them to talk to each other. “So they have to use their manners,” Armstrong said.

The right way to use multiple forks was not something kids at CB Tech expected to learn when they signed up. “Definitely not,” said Gavin Allison. On the other hand, the welding students thought it could be of some use, even if not during a job interview. “Maybe at a meeting, or something,” said Noah Galfano. Besides, the food was “pretty good,” Noah said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].