Americans’ etiquette for treating guests to dinner

Americans are outgoing, enthusiastic, straightforward, and informal. Their customs and etiquette have many differences. The United States is a country with a strong sense of time. All activities start at scheduled times. It is impolite to be late. Dating with an American is easy. Just make a phone call and the other person will happily agree to meet in the shortest possible time. Americans also have the habit of reciprocating gifts, but they are taboo about accepting gifts that are too heavy. Firstly, Americans do not value the value of the gifts themselves. Secondly, the law prohibits giving gifts that are too heavy. Handicrafts, artworks, famous wines, etc. brought from their hometowns are American Gifts that people like, except for holidays, it is generally not necessary to give gifts when invited to an American home as a guest or even to have a meal. American society has the habit of tipping. Tips are required for all service items. Hotel doormen, room service, etc. need to pay tips of no less than one US dollar. When dining in restaurants, a 15% tip is charged at checkout.

Americans treat guests to dinner, which is a business-related exchange and usually takes place in a hotel or club. The company pays the expense, and only close relatives and friends are invited to their homes for the banquet. American food has a wide variety of different tastes depending on the region and nationality. Hamburgers, "hot dogs", pies, donuts and Kentucky Fried Chicken are all popular foods around the world, but Americans' family banquets for entertaining guests are It is economical, not ostentatious, and not formal. A typical family dinner is a long table with a large plate of salad, a large plate of roasted chicken or barbecue, a variety of cold dishes, a plate of fried rice, a plate of bread slices, as well as sweets, fruits, cold drinks, wine, etc. The guests and hosts sit around the table, and the host says "please". Everyone picks up a plate and eats the vegetables and rice they like. After eating, they can add more to the meal as they please, and talk freely while eating.

Americans treat guests to a meal, a glass of wine, or a weekend in a country house as a way to make friends. They do not necessarily require the other person to reciprocate. If there is an opportunity, invite the other person to their home. Just eat. After finishing the meal, the guest should express special thanks to the host, especially the hostess

American eating habits

Americans usually drink cocktails before lunch and dinner , but in California, people mostly drink wine.

At the same time, before eating the staple food, you usually have a plate of salad. Fried mushrooms and fried onion rings can be used as appetizers. Steak, pork chops and chicken (legs) are the staple food. Lobster, shellfish and various fish, even freshwater fish, are collectively referred to as seafood. French fries are a beloved and almost indispensable food.

In addition, special attention should be paid to the fact that if there is any leftover food, it must be packed and taken home to avoid wastage.

Americans use both knives and forks when eating, and their dining methods are also very particular. Therefore, when invited to dine with American friends, you should pay special attention to their dining habits. Under normal circumstances, there is a table knife and two table forks placed on the dining table. The outer table fork is for eating salad, the inner table fork is used for eating staple food and other snacks, and the table knife is used for cutting meat. If you use both hands, you should hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right hand, and you should not hold the knife for too long at a time.

American breakfast includes: fried or boiled eggs, sausage, fried potato chips, pancakes, jelly, toast, muffins, orange juice and coffee.

If you are dining in an American restaurant for the first time, you should pay attention to the following matters:

1. Choose the right restaurant (such as family-style restaurants, specialty restaurants, buffet-style restaurants, etc.) ;

2. Restaurant business hours (opens from 11:30 am until night);

3. Generally, tables should be reserved in advance:

4 . After arriving at the restaurant, you cannot go directly to the table unless the restaurant has a "seat as you please" notice;

5. When paying, don't forget to leave a certain percentage of the tip for the waiter (usually the actual amount 10% to 15% of the total amount).

With the accelerated pace of American life, fast food has emerged. Its fast food chains are spread all over the world, among which the McDonald's fast food chain has the greatest influence. The fast food products supplied include: hamburgers, roast beef, steak, ham, sandwiches, KFC chicken, fried potato chips, baked pies, ice cream and various carbonated drinks.

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Westerners’ banquet etiquette

Whether you are traveling abroad or on business, if someone invites you to a formal banquet, you need to know some basic etiquette in Western social settings.

Arrival: You'd better arrive on time. You can be late for four or five minutes, but you must not be late for more than a quarter of an hour. Otherwise, you will not be in trouble for others, but yourself. If you go to a wealthy and sophisticated family, the first person you meet when you enter the door may be a male servant who is responsible for helping you hang your clothes or showing you the way, so don't rush to shake his hand first, observe it. Decide again.

Preparation: When you enter the living room, don’t rush to find a seat. On such occasions, Westerners usually have to go around waiting for the host to introduce other guests to them. You can choose a suitable drink from the wine and other drinks brought by the waiter and chat with others while drinking.

When the door of the dining room opens, the male host and the female guest of honor will lead everyone into the dining room. The hostess and the male guest of honor should go last, but if the male guest of honor is a big shot, the hostess and he may go last. Front.

Seating: The rules for Western-style dining are very particular. The seats are usually arranged in advance. At this time, the gentleman or lady who comes with you will never be arranged to sit next to you. Europeans and Americans believe that there are many opportunities to chat with acquaintances, and they should take advantage of this opportunity to make more friends. The host and hostess sit above and below the rectangular table respectively. To the right of the hostess is the male guest of honor, and to the right of the male host is the female guest of honor. Other guests sit in alternating positions for men and women. Before serving the table, the man should help the woman on his right to pull out the chair, and then sit down after the woman sits firmly.

After everyone is seated, the host takes the napkin, and you follow suit. Remember: No matter what happens at this time (for example, the host has the habit of praying before meals), you cannot take the napkin before the host takes it.

Meal: The general menu is three to five dishes. The first three dishes should be cold cuts, soup, and fish, and the last two dishes should be main dishes (meat or seafood plus vegetables), desserts, or fruits. Finally, there is coffee and snacks. When eating, don't focus all your energy on the enjoyment of your stomach. Talk to the people around you. After finishing the dessert, if the coffee doesn’t show up, I might ask you to drink it in the living room later. In short, after you see the hostess put the napkin on the table and stand up, you can put down the napkin and leave your seat. At this time, the polite man has to stand up and help the lady pull out the chair. The lady being cared for does not have to have any special thoughts about this previous and subsequent courtesy. This is what he should do.

Farewell: If you don’t want to be too conspicuous, you’d better not be the first to say goodbye, nor the last to leave. You can say goodbye at any time during this period, but once you say goodbye, you should leave happily. .

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Etiquette for entering a foreigner’s office or residence

When visiting a foreigner's office or residence, you should make an appointment and notify in advance, and arrive on time. If no one is waiting to greet you, ring the bell or knock on the door before entering. Only after receiving permission from the owner can you enter. If no one answers, you can wait for a while and then ring or knock on the door again (but do not ring for too long). No one is allowed to enter without the permission of the owner.

When you have to go because of urgent matters or without prior agreement, you should try to avoid disturbing the other party late at night; if you have to make an appointment during the break, you should immediately meet the person you are meeting with. Apologize first, say "I'm sorry to bother you" and explain the reason for the interruption.

You can enter the room with the permission of the owner or at the invitation of the owner. Although sometimes the time required to negotiate is very short, you should go indoors and do not stand at the door to talk. Sometimes, if the host does not invite you into the room, you can retreat outside the door and have a conversation outdoors.

When you enter the room, if the time required to speak is short, you do not need to sit down, and you do not need to linger after finishing the work; if the time required is longer, you must be invited by the host to sit down. If there is no prior agreement, the conversation should not be too long.

When you are invited to visit or be a guest at a foreigner's home, you should arrive at the time proposed or agreed by the host. It is impolite to arrive early or late. If you are late, apologize. Visits are usually scheduled around 10 a.m. or 4 p.m. It is customary in the West to prepare snacks and drinks for guests. Guests should not refuse, but should taste and drink the accepted drinks (but if you are really not used to it, don’t force it).

Do not ask to visit the owner’s courtyard or house without the owner’s invitation or consent. You can visit the house under the leadership of the owner, but even familiar friends are not allowed to touch personal belongings and indoor furnishings other than books, flowers and plants.

Greetings should be given to everyone in the host's family, especially the wife (husband) and children. If there are children present, you should take the initiative to shake hands and hug them to express your love. If you have cats or dogs at home, you should not show fear or disgust, and do not kick or blast them.

When leaving, you should say goodbye to the host politely and thank the host for the reception.