First of all, let's talk about the seating arrangement in Chinese food.

"Seating arrangement for heroes" is one of the most important items in the whole Chinese food etiquette. From ancient times to the present day, because of the evolution of tableware, the seating arrangement has also changed accordingly. Ancient seating "ShangZhouZunDong", "face to the door for the honor" family feast chief for the highest seniority of the elders, the end of the seat for the lowest; family feast, the chief for the status of the most honored guests, the guest hosts are at the end of the seat. The chief has not been seated, can not be seated. Modern is the right high left low principle. The right is the top.

Feast, each table on the specific place also has the main honor and inferiority respectively. There are four basic methods of ordering places, and they often work together.

Method one is that the host should mostly sit facing the front door and be seated at the main table .

Method two is that when holding a multi-table banquet, a representative of the host of the main table should be present at each table.

Method three is that the seniority of each table should be based on the proximity of the master of the table, with proximity as the top and distance as the bottom.

Method four, is the same distance from the master of the table, the right is honored, that is, the master of the table facing prevail, the right is honored, the left is inferior.

In addition, the number of people dining at each table should be limited to 10 people, preferably even. For example, six, eight, ten people. Not only is it not easy to take care of too many people, but they may not be able to sit down.

Based on the above four seat arrangement method, the specific arrangement of the round table seat can be divided into two specific cases. They are both related to the main seat.　

The first case: one master seat arrangement method per table. Characterized by only one master at each table, the guest of honor is seated at the right head, and there is only one conversation center at each table.　

The second situation: two masters at each table. Characterized by the host couple seated at the same table, with the male host as the first host, the hostess as the second host, the guest of honor and the guest of honor Mrs. were seated on the right side of the male and female hosts. Each table thus objectively formed two conversation center, if the status of the guest of honor is higher than the master, in order to show respect, can also be arranged to sit in the master's seat, and ask the master to sit in the seat of the guest of honor.　

In order to facilitate the guests accurately and correctly in their seats, in addition to hospitality staff and the host to guide the instructions in a timely manner, should be in each guest belongs to the seat directly in front of the desktop, placed in advance of the eye-catching personal name seat card. When holding a foreign banquet, the seat card should be written in both Chinese and English. The practice in China is that Chinese is on top and English is on the bottom. If necessary, the names of the diners should be written on both sides of the card. When arranging the seats for a casual meal, if it is necessary to arrange the number of tables, you can refer to the arrangement of the number of tables for a banquet. There are four principles that can be followed in arranging the number of seats.　

One is the right high left low principle of two people sitting side by side, usually to the right for the upper seat, to the left for the lower seat. This is because Chinese food is served in a clockwise direction for the direction of the food, the right side of the seat to be prioritized than the left side of the seat to be taken care of.　

The second is the principle of honoring the center seat three people sit together to eat, sitting in the middle of the people in the order of precedence over the people on both sides.　

Three is the principle of facing the door as the upper principle of dining, according to etiquette practice, facing the door is the upper seat, the back of the door is the lower seat.　

The fourth is the principle of special high-grade restaurants, indoor and outdoor often have a beautiful scenery or elegant performances for diners to enjoy. At this time, the best viewing angle of the seat is the upper seat. In some low-grade restaurant dining, usually by the wall position for the upper seat, by the aisle position for the lower seat.

Secondly, there is the use of chopsticks, a Chinese specialty.

The use of chopsticks in China is a scientific invention to be proud of and admired in the history of human civilization.

Eating with chopsticks makes one's hands skillful and can train the brain to make it flexible. Foreigners are envious of these two magical stick-like things that can perform the functions of pinching, picking, scooping and pouting, etc., and are happy to be able to use them to eat. In the long-term practice, people on the use of chopsticks also formed some etiquette taboos: a taboo knocking chopsticks. That is, when waiting to eat, can not sit at the edge of the meal, take a chopstick in one hand and randomly knock, or use chopsticks to knock bowls or tea cups. Throwing chopsticks. When issuing chopsticks before a meal, you should straighten them out one by one and then gently place them in front of each person's table; when they are far away, you can ask someone to pass them, but you can't just throw them on the table. Don't cross your chopsticks. Chopsticks should not be placed horizontally or vertically, one with a large head and one with a small head. Chopsticks should be placed next to the bowl, not on top of it. Avoid inserting chopsticks. When you need to leave a meal in the middle of a meal for some reason, gently rest your chopsticks on the table or on the side of the plate, not in the rice bowl. Fifth, avoid waving chopsticks. In the dish, can not put the chopsticks in the dish waving around, up and down flopping, encountered others also come to the dish, we must intentionally avoid, to prevent "chopsticks fight". Don't dance with your chopsticks. When talking, don't use chopsticks as knives, dancing on the table; also don't invite others to use the dishes, poke chopsticks in front of others, it is rude to do so.

Again, dining style. The main introduction to the banquet, family dinner, casual meals, working meals (including buffets) and other specific forms of etiquette norms.

Banquet

usually refers to a social gathering in the form of a meal. It can be divided into two types: formal banquets and informal banquets. A formal banquet is a grand and formal feast. It is often for the banquet and carefully arranged, in the more upscale restaurants, or other specific locations, pay attention to the rehearsal, the atmosphere of the large-scale dinner activities. For the number of people present, dress, seat arrangement, the number of dishes, music, guests and hosts of speeches, etc., often have very strict requirements and pay attention to. Informal banquets, also known as banquets, also applies to formal interpersonal communication, but more often seen in daily interactions. It is a simple form, favoring interpersonal communication, but do not pay attention to the scale and grade. Generally speaking, it is only arranged for the relevant personnel to participate in, do not invite the spouse, dress, seat arrangement, the number of dishes often do not make excessive requirements, but also does not arrange for the music performance and the guests and masters of the speech.

Home banquet

The banquet is also held at home. Relative to the formal banquet, the most important thing is to create a cordial, friendly, natural atmosphere, so that the guests and hosts of the banquet is relaxed, natural, casual, and each other to enhance communication, deepen understanding, and promote trust.

Usually, family banquets often do not make special requirements on etiquette. In order to make the guests feel the importance of the host and friendly, basically by the hostess personally cook, the host act as a waiter; or hostess cook, hostess act as a waiter, to *** with the hospitality guests, so that the guests have a home away from home feeling.

If you want to participate in the banquet, then you need to pay attention to, first of all, you must dress up neatly and generously, which is to other people is also to their own respect.

But also according to the host invited time on time to the banquet. In addition to cocktail parties, general banquets are asked to guests to arrive half an hour in advance. It is not rude to arrive a few minutes before the start of a banquet for any reason. But to be late is to show a lack of respect for the host and is very rude.

When walking into the host's home or banquet hall, you should first greet the host. At the same time. For other guests, whether they recognize or not, should smile and nod or shake hands to say hello; to the elders should take the initiative to stand up, give way and ask for good morning; to the female guests behave solemnly and courteously.

When you are seated, your seat should follow the arrangements of the host or hostess, because some banquets have long been arranged by the host. If the seat is not fixed, it should be noted that the seat facing the door is the upper seat, and the seat with the back facing the door is the lower seat. You should let the high status, the elderly and the ladies be seated first, and then find an appropriate seat for yourself.

After taking your seat, sit in a proper posture, with your feet under your seat, do not stretch out or shake your legs, and do not lean your elbows on the edge of the table or put your hands on the backs of your neighbor's chairs. After being seated, do not look as if no one is there, and do not stare directly at the dishes on the plate, showing that you can't wait. You can talk briefly with your fellow guests.

When you eat, you should dress properly and not take off your coat, let alone take it off in the middle of the meal. Usually the host signals the start before proceeding. The action of dining should be elegant, and the action should be light. You should put the food on your own plate first, and then pick it up with your chopsticks and put it in your mouth. When putting food into your mouth, take small bites and lean your elbows outward, not to the sides, so as not to touch your neighbor. Don't make noise while eating, drinking, or drinking soup. If you want to use condiments placed in front of other guests at the same table, say hello to others before taking them; if they are too far away, politely ask someone to do it for you. If you have to pick your teeth during a meal, cover them with your left hand or a handkerchief and gently pick them with a toothpick with your right hand.

When drinking, it is a sign of rudeness to try to persuade others to drink, or to yell and shout, especially to those who are not capable of drinking.

If the party is not over, but you have already had a good meal, do not leave the table at will, but wait for the host and the guest of honor to get up and leave the table first, and then the other guests can leave the table in turn.

The casual meal

is also known as the home-cooked meal. The location of the meal is often different and the etiquette is minimal. As long as the diner is considerate of public morals and pays attention to hygiene, the environment and order, there is little else to be concerned about.

Working meal

It is a business gathering in the form of a meal for the business partners who have business relations in business interactions, in order to make contact, keep in touch, exchange information or negotiate business. It is different from formal work meals, formal banquets and friends and family meals. It focuses on a kind of atmosphere, the intention is to meet friends over a meal, creating a relaxed, pleasant, harmonious and cordial atmosphere conducive to further contact. Is to continue the business activities in the form of meals, the table as a conference table or negotiation table. Working meal is generally smaller, usually held at noon, the host does not have to send formal invitations, guests do not have to formally reply to the host in advance, time, location can be temporarily selected. For hygienic reasons, it is best to share meals or serve chopsticks.　During the working meal, business conversations will continue. However, it is important not to make audio or video recordings or have someone take notes as you would in a meeting room. If it is not necessary to take notes, you should get permission from the other party first. Do not act arbitrarily as if you do not trust the other party. If you find out that the other party is not happy about it, you should not insist on doing so.　A working meal is a "business meeting" between the host and the guest, so it is not appropriate to include people who are not part of the conversation. If you happen to meet someone you know, you can say hello or introduce them briefly to the people at your table. But don't leave your friends behind. If someone who doesn't know what they're talking about doesn't want to leave, you can politely say, "You're busy, so I won't take up any more of your time," or "We'll talk again tomorrow. I will take the initiative to call you.

Buffet

It is a modern dining style borrowed from the West in recent years. It does not row seats, nor arrange a unified menu, is the ability to provide all the staples, dishes, drinks displayed together, according to the personal preferences of the diner, their own choice, processing, enjoyment.　Taking this approach, you can save money, and etiquette is not much, the guests and hosts are convenient; dining time everyone can listen to respect. In the holding of large-scale activities, entertaining a large number of guests, this arrangement of dining, but also the most sensible choice.

The choice of cuisine is also important.

The first category is the dishes with Chinese specialties. This one is even more important when you are entertaining foreign guests. Like fried spring rolls, boiled dumplings, steamed dumplings, lion's head, etc., is not a delicacy, but because of the distinctive Chinese characteristics, so by many foreigners respected.　

The second category, dishes with local characteristics. For example, Xi'an's lamb steamed buns, Hunan's Mao's braised pork, Shanghai's braised lion's head and Beijing's shabu-shabu are more popular than the same old raw seafood when foreign guests are invited to dinner.

The third category, the restaurant's specialties. Many restaurants have their own specialties. To serve a specialty of the restaurant shows the host's care and respect for the person being invited.

The fourth category is the host's specialty. When organizing a family dinner, the host must show his hand in public and make a few more of his own dishes. In fact, the so-called "handiwork" is not necessarily perfect. As long as the host's own hands, this alone is enough to make the other party feel your respect and friendship. When arranging the menu, you must also consider the dietary taboos of the guests, and especially pay great attention to the dietary taboos of the guest of honor. These dietary taboos are mainly four: religious dietary taboos, not at all negligent. For example, Muslims usually do not eat pork and do not drink alcohol. Buddhists in the country do not eat meat and fish foods, and it means not only no meat, but also onions, garlic, leeks, mustard and other pungent-smelling foods. For health reasons, there are also taboos against certain foods. For example, cerebrovascular, vein sclerosis, hypertension and post-stroke people, is not suitable for eating dog meat, hepatitis patients avoid eating lamb and turtle, gastroenteritis, gastric ulcer soup and other digestive disorders of people are also not suitable for eating turtle, high blood pressure, high cholesterol patients, to drink less chicken soup and so on. People's dietary preferences are often different in different regions. For this, when arranging the menu to take into account. For example, people in Hunan Province generally prefer spicy food and less sweets. People in British and American countries usually do not eat pets, rare animals, animal offal, animal heads and claws. Some professions, for some reason, often have their own different special taboos in terms of food and drink. For example, national civil servants are not allowed to eat and treat when they are on official duty; they are not allowed to eat and drink at official banquets; they are not allowed to eat beyond the standards set by the state; and they are not allowed to drink hard liquor. Another example is that drivers are not allowed to drink during their work. If this point is ignored, there is the possibility that the other party to make a mistake.　

In the grand and formal banquets, the host of the selected menu can also be carefully written, each person a copy of the diner not only before the meal in mind, but also after the meal can be kept as a souvenir.

Spoon

It's main function is to scoop up dishes and food. Sometimes, a spoon can also be used to assist when picking up food with chopsticks. Try not to use the spoon alone to fetch dishes. When using a spoon to get food, do not overfill it so that it does not overflow and dirty the table or your clothes. After scooping, "pause" the food for a few moments so that the soup doesn't run off, and then move back to enjoy it. When you are not using the spoon, put it on its own plate, not directly on the table, or let it "stand" in the food. After taking food with a spoon, eat it immediately or put it on your own plate and do not return it to its original place. If the food is too hot, don't scoop it up or blow it into your mouth, but put it in your own bowl and let it cool. Don't stick the spoon in your mouth or suck or lick it repeatedly.

Plates

Slightly smaller plates are saucers, mainly used to hold food, and are used in the same way as bowls. Plates are generally kept in place at the table and are not stacked together. The one that needs to be emphasized is a special type of plate called a food dish. The main purpose of a serving dish is to hold dishes taken from the communal plate. When using a food dish, do not take too many dishes at one time, as this will make the dish look messy and like a hungry ghost's birth. Don't put many kinds of dishes together, or they will "tamper" with each other's flavor, which is not good to look at and not good to eat. Don't spit the scraps, bones and thorns you don't want to eat on the floor or table, but gently put them on the front of the food dish, and when you put them there, you can't spit them directly from your mouth on the food dish, but use chopsticks to put them on the side of the dish. If the plate is full, ask the waiter to change it.

Water cups

Mainly used for soft drinks such as water, soft drinks, juice, and cola. Do not use it to hold alcohol, and do not hold a water glass upside down. Also, what you drink into your mouth should not be spit back into the water glass.

Before a Chinese meal

If you are a bit more sophisticated, you will be served a wet towel for each diner. It should only be used to wipe hands. After wiping your hands, it should be put back on your plate and taken away by the waiter. Sometimes, before the end of the formal banquet, another wet towel will be served. Unlike the former, it can only be used to wipe your mouth, but not your face or sweat.

Toothpicks

Try not to pick your teeth in public. If you can't pick, use your other hand to cover your mouth, and don't watch or re-enter what you pick out in public, or flick your hand or spit out what you pick out. Don't hold a toothpick in your mouth for a long time after picking, and don't use it to pick up food.

Dining. Dining in any country has its own traditional customs and symbols, and Chinese food is no exception. For example, fish is essential for Chinese New Year, which means "having more than enough for every year"; and when eating fish with fishermen and seafarers, it is not recommended to turn the fish over because it means "capsizing the boat".

Dining, don't eat shaking your head, undressing, full of oil and sweat, juice and soup flow, loud noise. Not only out of shape and lack of elegance, but also spoil the appetite of others. You can persuade others to use more, or taste a dish, but do not go out of your way, unauthorized, take the initiative for others to clip the food, add rice. This is not to say that this is not hygienic, but also make people reluctant.　

When taking food, don't look around, rummage around, and pick and choose in the communal dish. If you pick something up and put it back, you're being uneducated. More than one table to eat, take the food to pay attention to mutual courtesy, in order, take the right amount. Don't eat more than you can eat and fight over it without considering whether others have used it or not. Can not reach the dish, you can ask for help, do not get up or even leave the seat to get.

During the meal, don't knock and gesture. Also consciously do not smoke. If you need to clear your throat, blow your nose or spit during a meal, go to the restroom as soon as possible.　

Don't groom in public while dining. For example, don't brush your hair, put on makeup, undress, take off your socks and shoes, etc. If necessary, you can go to the dressing room or restroom. Do not leave your seat and walk around while dining. If you have to leave, say hello to the person next to you and say, "Excuse me," or "I have something to do," and so on.

These are the things I learned from Mr. Fan Zhi's "Winning in Hand and Foot". I hope it will be helpful to you!

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