I. Dining place and matters needing attention
When invited to breakfast, lunch, dinner, buffet, cocktail party or tea party, there are usually only two kinds, one is formal and the other is informal. If you go to a high-end restaurant, men should wear neat tops and leather shoes, and women should wear suits and shoes with heels. If formal clothes are required, men must wear ties.
The following are some of the most representative occasions and precautions:
1. buffet
Buffet (also a common one in reception) can be breakfast, Chinese food, dinner or even refreshments. There are cold dishes and hot dishes, which are placed on the food table with tableware for guests to use. It is usually held indoors or in the yard or garden to entertain different numbers of guests. If the venue is too small or there is no service staff to entertain more guests, buffet is the best choice.
At the beginning of the buffet, you should wait in line to get the food. Before you take the food, help yourself to a plate. Adhere to the principle of "eat less and run more", don't eat too much at a time, you can eat more times. After eating, put the tableware in the designated place. It is not allowed to "get more than one bargained for". If you eat a buffet in a restaurant, it is generally priced according to the number of people eating. Some also stipulate the length of the meal, requiring you to finish it. If you don't finish it, you need to "buy" what you didn't finish.
There are two kinds of buffets, and the one that sits and enjoys some services is the best. It combines an elegant environment with a relaxed atmosphere. Such a party needs certain services, unless it is small enough for the hostess to handle, and it also needs enough space to accommodate the dining table. The other is that there is no need for a table, no need for service or little service. Guests can entertain themselves, bring their own plates, silverware and napkins to the place where they feel most comfortable, and discuss problems at any time.
Buffet, in addition to solving the problems caused by extra services, also solves the problem that the hostess arranges the table. When guests are free to choose a place, order and satisfaction are not the responsibility of the host. Often provide a variety of dishes, guests have enough choices, and the host does not have to worry about whether the menu meets his appetite.
2. Cocktail party
The reception is lively and simple, which is convenient for people to talk. Drinks are the most important hospitality items, and there are some snacks, such as snacks, bread, sausages and so on. , are ready to put on the table and coffee table or served to the guests by the waiter with a tray, so that the guests can walk around at will. The holding time is usually from 5 pm to 7 pm. In recent years, cocktail parties are often held before and after various large-scale international activities.
On this occasion, it is best to hold a napkin in your hand so as to wipe your hands at any time. Hold the cup in your left hand, so that you are ready to extend your right hand to shake hands with others at any time. Don't forget to wipe your mouth and hands with a tissue after dinner. Throw the used paper towels to the designated place.
3. Banquet
Dinner is divided into grand dinner and informal dinner.
Western customs, grand dinners, that is, formal banquets, are basically arranged after 8 pm, and China usually starts from 6 pm to 7 pm. Holding this kind of banquet shows that the host attaches great importance to the theme of the banquet, or for a celebration. Seats are usually arranged for formal dinners, and the dress code should be indicated on the invitation. There are speeches or toasts, and sometimes dinner music is arranged, which is played live by a small band.
A light meal is a simple form of banquet. This kind of banquet atmosphere is cordial and friendly, suitable for relatives and friends, and some are held at home. Clothing, seats, tableware, layout, etc. Don't be too particular, but it's still different from ordinary family dinners.
In the west, it is a habit to invite couples to dinner at the same time. If you are invited, please read your invitation letter carefully. The invitation letter will indicate that you will be accompanied by a person, husband or wife, or bring a partner. You'd better tell the host their names when replying to the invitation.
4. Other preventive measures
One of the characteristics of western food is that there are many tableware: cups, plates, silverware and so on.
Tableware is carefully arranged according to the order of serving different dishes. Put a food plate (or soup plate) in front of the seat, a fork in your left hand and a knife in your right hand. The spoon is also placed on the right side of the food plate. Put the dessert spoon, fork and coffee spoon above the food plate, and then put the glass slightly to the right. From right: wine glass, champagne glass, beer glass (water glass). Napkins are stacked in beer cups (water cups) or food plates. Put the bread plate on your left hand, and the butter knife on it is placed horizontally in the plate with the blade facing yourself. The number of knives and forks should be equal to the number of dishes when eating. They should be placed from the outside to the inside in the order of serving, with the edges inward. When eating, it should be arranged from outside to middle, followed by appetizers, fish and meat. At more formal dinners, napkins are made of cloth. Napkins in high-end restaurants are often beautifully folded, and some are tied with small ribbons. Be careful not to wipe your nose or face with a napkin.
Small bottles of salt and pepper can be placed in front of the middle of each set of tableware, between each set of tableware and even in the center of the table, so that a set of small bottles can be used.
After all the tableware is set, don't forget the decorations on the table, such as candlesticks or making a small vase with your teapot, which can add a romantic atmosphere.
Don't put hot water in the cup when entertaining guests, which is neither scientific nor safe, because the cup is easy to burn. Therefore, hot water, hot tea, etc. It should be put in a porcelain cup, which is used to hold ice or cold water.
Westerners drink tea in a different way from China. China people usually drink tea by putting the tea directly in a cup and drinking it with boiled water, while the tea is still in the cup. In the west, tea bags are used or tea leaves are soaked in a teapot first, and then the tea is poured out for drinking, leaving no tea leaves in the teacup.
When sitting, keep your body straight, don't put your elbows on the table, don't cross your legs, and keep a certain distance from the table to facilitate the use of tableware. Don't fiddle with the tableware on the dining table. When the hostess picks up the napkin (if there is no hostess, look at the host), it means eating. Spread the napkin on your leg. If the napkin is large, fold it in half and put it on your leg to cover your leg above the knee.
At a formal dinner party, after the female guests put away their napkins, the men should also put away their napkins. It is best to open the napkin with both hands to avoid shaking it back and forth. Do not pin napkins on the neckline, belt or shirt neckline. When eating, you should keep your head at a certain height, not too low or too moving.
If you leave your seat temporarily during the meal, you can put your napkin on the chair. Never put napkins on the table, otherwise it means that you don't want to eat any more and ask the waiter to stop serving you.
Many hosts don't want their guests to smoke at home. If you want to smoke, you can smoke in the designated place after dessert with the permission of the host or hostess. Don't sit in the dining seat, let the guests around you enjoy the "fairyland" with you.
2. Western table manners
What must be noted at the dinner table is:
1. western food ordering and serving order
There are four or five categories on the menu of western food, namely appetizer, soup, salad, seafood, meat, snacks and so on.
The main course should be decided first. If the main course is fish and the appetizer is meat, the taste is more diverse. In addition to eating a large amount, it is not necessary to prepare a whole meal from a single dish on the menu, as long as the appetizer and the main course are together, a dessert is enough. You don't need soup or appetizers, which is also an ideal combination (but in Italian food, spaghetti is regarded as soup, so in principle, these two dishes are not ordered together).
The formal order of providing a full set of meals is:
1) headboard. The first course of western food is the first course, also called appetizer. The contents of appetizers are generally divided into cold dishes and hot dishes. The common varieties are caviar, foie gras, smoked salmon, cocktail glass, creamy chicken crisp box, roasted snail and so on. Because appetizers are appetizers, appetizers generally have a special flavor, salty and sour, with small quantity and high quality.
2) soup. Different from Chinese food, the second course of western food is soup. Western-style soup can be roughly divided into clear soup, cream soup, vegetable soup and cold soup. There are oxtail clear soup, various cream soups, seafood soup, American clam soup, Italian vegetable soup, Russian Luo Songtang soup and French roasted onion soup. There are few varieties of cold soup, such as German cold soup and Russian cold soup.
3) Side dishes. Fish dishes are generally considered as the third course of western food, also called side dishes. Species include all kinds of freshwater and marine fish, shellfish and molluscs. Aquatic vegetables and eggs, bread and crispy box vegetables are usually called side dishes. Because fish and other dishes are tender and easy to digest, they are placed in front of meat dishes, which is different from the main course of meat dishes. Western-style fish dishes pay attention to the use of special sauces, including tartar sauce, Dutch sauce, hotel sauce, white cream sauce, archbishop sauce, American sauce, sailor fish sauce and so on.
4) Main course. Meat and poultry dishes are the fourth course of western food, also known as the main course. The raw materials of meat dishes are taken from the meat of cattle, sheep, pigs and cowboys, among which beef or steak is the most representative. Steaks can be divided into sirloin steak (also called sirloin steak), filet mignon, "T" bone steak and thin steak. Its cooking methods are often roasting, frying, roasting and so on. Sauces used for meat dishes mainly include Spanish sauce, concentrated boiled sauce, mushroom sauce and Bainisi sauce.
The raw materials of poultry dishes are taken from chickens, ducks and geese, and game such as rabbit meat and venison is usually classified as poultry dishes. Chicken is the most variety of poultry dishes, including pheasant, turkey and bamboo chicken, which can be cooked, fried, roasted and stewed. The main sauces are yellow gravy, curry juice and cream juice.
5) vegetarian dishes. Vegetarian dishes can be arranged after or at the same time as meat dishes, so they can be regarded as a dish or a side dish. Vegetables are called salads in western food. The salad served with the main course is called raw vegetable salad, which is usually made of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and asparagus. The main sauces of salad are vinegar oil juice, French juice, dried island juice, cheese salad juice and so on.
Besides vegetables, there is another salad made of fish, meat and eggs. This kind of salad is usually without sauce and can be used as the first course in the eating order.
Some vegetables are cooked, such as broccoli, boiled spinach and potato chips. Cooked vegetables are usually served on the plate with the meat dishes of the main course, which is called side dishes.
6) dessert. The dessert of western food is eaten after the main course, which can be regarded as the sixth course. It really includes all the food after the main course, such as pudding, pancakes, ice cream, cheese, fruit and so on. 7) Coffee and tea. The last course of western food is to provide drinks, coffee or tea. Coffee usually contains sugar and whipped cream. Tea usually contains fragrant peach slices and sugar.
2. Grade problem
Even if the guest's status, status and age are higher than that of the host, please sit next to the host when arranging the seating. The host sits in the main seat, the wife of the first important guest is in the right hand, the wife of the second important guest is in the left hand, and the hostess sits opposite the host. She is flanked by the most important first and second male guests. Now, it is not important to sit between men and women if it is not a very formal lunch or dinner.
3. Use of knives and forks
When using a knife and fork, hold the knife and fork from the outside to the inside, the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand; When cutting things, the left hand holds the fork to hold the food, the right hand cuts it into small pieces and sends it to the mouth with the fork. When using a knife, the blade should not face outwards. When you need to have a rest in the middle of a meal, you can put down your knife and fork and put it in the center of the plate in a figure of eight, indicating that you haven't finished eating yet and you have to continue eating. After eating a dish, put the knife and fork side by side on the plate, which means that you have finished eating and you can take the dish or plate away. If you are talking, you can hold a knife and fork, don't put it down, but don't wave it. When you don't use a knife, you can hold a fork in your right hand, but when you need to gesture, you should put down your knife and fork, never wave it in the air, don't wipe your mouth with a napkin in one hand, and don't hold a cup with a fork in the other. Never put one end of the knife and fork on the plate and the other end on the table at any time.
4. Precautions at the dinner table. Don't wear makeup on the dining table. Wipe your nose with a napkin. Burping while eating is a taboo. When you take food, you can ask others to hand you food that you can't get. Don't stand up. Don't send too much food to your mouth at once, and don't talk while chewing. Don't wolf down your food. You should also put some food you don't want to eat on the plate to show politeness. You shouldn't leave your seat while eating. If you really need to leave, you should whisper hello to the guests around you. When drinking and toasting, even if you don't drink, you should touch the mouth of the cup on your lips to show your respect. When someone pours you wine, if you don't need it, you can simply say "no, thank you!" " "Or gently cover the cup with your hand to show your refusal. Don't unbutton or undress in public during meals. If the host invites the guest to take off your coat, the male guest can take off his coat and put it on the back of the chair, but he can't put his coat or things with him on the dining table.
3. How to eat western food
The specific way to eat western food is very different from Chinese food.
1. When eating bread and butter, it is usually steamed stuffed bun and steamed stuffed bun.
Help yourself to bread and butter, then break the bread into small pieces, wipe one and eat one.
Eat sandwiches, small sandwiches and toast by hand, and cut them into larger ones before eating. A hot sandwich with gravy needs a knife and fork.
Eat meat
Westerners eat meat (lamb chops, steak, pork chops, etc. ) big chunks. When eating, cut the meat into small pieces with a knife and fork, just the size of a bite. Eat a piece, cut a piece, don't cut it all at once, and don't put the whole piece of meat in your mouth with a fork, while biting, chewing and swallowing.
When eating beef (steak), because you can decide the degree of raw and cooked according to your own preferences, the waiter or host will ask you the degree of raw and cooked when ordering food.
When eating meat with bones, such as chicken, don't "cook" it directly. Fix the whole meat with a fork (you can stand the fork upright and press the meat with the back of the fork), then insert a knife along the bone, cut the meat and eat it while cutting. If the bone is small, you can put it in your mouth with a fork, separate the meat from the bone in your mouth, cover your mouth with a napkin, spit on the fork and put it on a plate. But the meat that needs direct "hands-on" is often served with hand washing water. Always wipe your hands and mouth with napkins.
Don't turn the fish over when you eat it. After eating the upper layer, remove the fishbone with a knife and fork before eating the lower layer.
Eating salad
In western food, salads often appear in such occasions: as a side dish of the main course, such as vegetable salad, which is common; As a spacer, such as between the main course and dessert; As the first course, such as chicken salad.
If the salad is on a big plate, use a salad fork. If you put it with the main course, you should fork it with the main course.
If salad is a side dish, it is usually eaten with cheese, fried corn flakes and so on. First take a slice or two of bread and put it in your salad plate, then take two or three pieces of cornflakes. Cheese and salad should be eaten with a fork, and cornflakes can be eaten by hand.
If the main salad is accompanied with salad dressing, you can pour the salad dressing on a part of the salad first, and then add the sauce after eating this part. Until it is added to the lettuce leaves at the bottom of the bowl, so it is easy to pour the juice.
The habit of eating salad should be: cut a large lettuce leaf into small pieces with a fork. If it's not delicious, you can use a knife and fork. Cut one piece at a time, and then cut it after eating.
eat soup
5.oysters and clams
When eating oysters and clams, hold the shell with your left hand, take out the oyster meat with your right hand, dip it in seasoning and eat it with an oyster fork. Mixed shrimps and crabs can also be dipped in seasoning alone and eaten with oyster forks.
6. spaghetti
When eating spaghetti, roll the noodles slowly with a fork. It is most convenient to roll four or five noodles at a time. You can also eat with a spoon and fork. Spoons can help forks control slippery noodles. You can't suck it directly with your mouth, or you will easily spill juice everywhere.
7. fruit
In many countries, fruit is eaten as dessert or with dessert. Usually many fruits are mixed together to make fruit salad or fruit platter. The key to eating fruit is how to remove the core. You can't bite it all off. If you have a knife and fork, you should use it carefully. Cut it into four pieces, peel it and eat it with a fork. Be careful not to spill the juice. When there is no knife and fork, you can gently take the stone out of your mouth with two fingers and put it on the edge of the fruit bowl. It is very impolite to spit stones out of your mouth.
8. Western fast food and snacks
Hamburgers and hot dogs are eaten by hand, but be sure to put a napkin on it and let the sauce flow onto the napkin, not onto your hands or clothes. Just in case, you can pad it with a napkin in one hand and prepare one or two napkins in the other.
Pizza can hold the cake in your hand and turn the outside into the inside to prevent the stuffing from falling out. But you can't see pizza on the general dinner table.
Corn tortillas are a common food eaten by hand. You can dip it in mixed sauce such as sweet beans or ketchup.
Fried food and potato chips can be eaten by hand or with a fork. If you are outdoors, you can of course eat it with your hands.
Ladies should also pay attention to the fact that when eating, you should put less in your mouth every time. Chewing, making noise and damaging lipstick. If you get your fingers dirty from eating ordinary dishes, you can ask the waiter to bring hand washing water.
Four. Handling of five special situations
1. What should I do if I meet my master's gratitude?
Some hosts will thank and pray before eating, sitting or standing, and guests should be like hosts. Don't eat or drink anything before Thanksgiving prayer. Keep your head down quietly. Until the prayer is over, put the napkin on your lap and start eating.
2. When the teeth are blocked or foreign objects enter.
If your teeth are stuffed with leaves or sand, don't pick your teeth with a toothpick at the dinner table, but drink some water. If not, go to the bathroom so that you can rinse your mouth or use a toothpick.
If you encounter unpalatable food or foreign objects, you must be careful not to cause unhappiness to the people who eat together, but you don't have to eat the unpalatable things reluctantly. You can cover your mouth with a napkin, spit quickly and ask the waiter to change a new napkin. If there are foreign objects such as stones in the food, you can take them out with your thumb and forefinger and put them on the edge of the plate.
Even if a bug leaps out of your salad (this is the best time to exercise your courage and grace), you should calmly ask for a replacement, just wink at the host or waiter, don't make a scene, let everyone know that you dare not eat it.
3. What should I do after eating garlic or onion?
Eating garlic or onions for dinner is not very popular at home, in the office or at parties. We introduce several solutions:
One is to use mouthwash;
The second is chewing gum;
The third is to wipe the inside of the mouth and tongue with a slice of lemon;
The fourth is chewing a few pieces of tea or coffee beans.
What should I do if I spill something on the dining table?
If you spill something on the dining table, the host should ask the waiter to clean up your dirty place. In case it can't be cleaned up, he will spread a new napkin for you to cover the dirty things, and then serve the next dish. If you are at home, just clean it with cleaning products.
If there are many stains on your seat, please ask the host to give you another napkin to cover the dirty place and apologize to the host and other guests. If you or your family break anything of the owner, you should arrange to put the broken things together, clean them up or repair them and send them back at the owner's convenience.
5. What if the knife and fork fall to the ground?
While eating, the knife and fork accidentally fell to the ground. If you bend down to pick it up, it will not only be unsightly, but also affect people around you and get your hands dirty. You can signal the waiter to handle it, and you can change the tableware.
5. How to leave gracefully?
The time to leave the reception after dinner is determined by common sense. If the reception is not held on weekends, it means that the departure time should be between 1 1 and midnight. If it is on the weekend, it can be delayed. It should not be too early or too late to leave.
At all kinds of cocktail parties (except the biggest one), it is polite to thank the hostess in person before leaving. When thanking, you can leave after explaining what you have to say. Don't talk all the time, so that the other person can't do his own thing and can't say hello to others. If you have to leave early for some reason, don't be too conspicuous when thanking, so as not to let other guests think that they should leave too.
If you are the guest of honor, you should say goodbye to the host before the other guests. Generally speaking, the host and guests should leave the camera between 20 and 40 minutes after the snack is finished. Ordinary guests should not leave before the guest of honor, otherwise it is disrespectful to the host and guest of honor. If you really need to go first, you should also explain the situation sincerely.
Guests attending cocktail parties should get up and leave at the time specified in the invitation. If you receive an oral invitation (the time may not be specified), you should think that the reception will last for two hours. If the guest stays and the hostess has another dinner appointment, she should explain politely. She can say in a friendly way, "I have to break up with you because I have to ..."
In addition, it is very appropriate to write or call to express your thanks after attending cocktail parties or informal dinners or cocktail parties. If you want to meet again soon, you can also thank them in person.