All countries in the world, east or west, have the custom of entertaining guests. Banquet, as its name implies, is to invite people to dinner. In people's social activities, from government officials to ordinary people, banquets will be held in various forms as long as the situation requires. It can be seen that banquet is an important part of people's social interaction.

1, social function of banquet guests

The importance of banquet is determined by its social function. People invite guests to dinner because it has the function of connecting feelings and dredging interpersonal relationships. When people sit together, drinking wine and tasting delicious food, the distance between them will be closer, the feelings will be closer, and the relationship will be closer, and things will be easy. For this, the feelings of China people are particularly profound. Mr. Qian Zhongshu said in the question of "eating": "Eating has many social functions, such as connecting feelings and talking about business. It is shameful to eat other people's food when ..................................................................................................................................... has food. The subtlety of communication is nothing more than this. " Hu Ping also said in the article Confessions of a Gourmet: "No? Many interpersonal relationships in officialdom have been harmoniously reflected on the wine table: no matter how stingy people are, they will become generous, and sophisticated people will become gentlemen. Hot air and fragrance are busy weaving roses on people's faces. People seem to be a few years younger, which is a psychological effect; The net is stretched several times, which is quite effective. " Recently, some people even mocked some improper banquets in the form of limerick. The so-called "chopsticks can be lifted"; It's a bit vulgar to say "one end of the glass is easy to hold", but it does talk about the idea reward.

When we criticize some improper banquet activities, we should also realize that its function of connecting feelings and dredging interpersonal relationships can not be underestimated. This has been fully reflected in banquet activities around the world. For example, the United States is a country with developed commerce. Without business relations, business cannot be done. Whether the business relationship of a company, an enterprise or a shop is stable is the key to his success or failure. If the director of this department refuses to establish and stabilize this relationship here, he will be in big trouble. No wonder all kinds of business departments now have public relations departments, and some business schools also offer public relations courses. Because of this, there are many banquets or entertainment activities in the United States or any other commercial society. They don't have to eat or drink, but such activities are essential. Emily Post is Ettiquette is an American etiquette activity, and a chapter is devoted to this kind of etiquette activity. Book seed o saw the purpose of this banquet and said:

Thank you for your service;

Celebrate the agreement just reached.

Win the trust of customers or new customers;

Explore common problems;

Be better friends with someone;

Ask for help;

Suggest or discuss some ideas;

Introduce others;

Leave the office to have a rest and relax.

The people of China are developing the socialist market economy, and there are more and more commercial activities, so all kinds of entertainment are inevitable, and the main form of entertainment is still eating activities. It is wrong to eat and drink with public funds, but entertainment is necessary. Therefore, this kind of activity must be standardized, so that it can be carried out orderly and moderately.

In order to connect feelings and dredge interpersonal relationships, there are not only official banquets, such as banquets for visiting foreign guests or domestic guests; In order to maintain a good business relationship, other industries and departments should celebrate the lampblack, such as hosting a banquet for business customers mentioned above; Ordinary people in famous rooms also celebrate with lampblack. According to the custom of China people, their confidants, friends or acquaintances, who haven't seen each other for a long time, will find a time to get together for a drink and talk about old things or other feelings. This kind of banquet between relatives and friends has affinity effect, and through this form, the established interpersonal relationship has been further strengthened. People support, help and take care of each other. In order to show their consent, people will hold a banquet. Every household will have visitors. For important guests coming from afar, China people usually buy wine and hold a banquet to "welcome guests". Guests are leaving, or relatives and friends are traveling far away, and people should "send a farewell dinner" for them. In fact, this kind of banquet activity also exists in other countries, but it is similar. There are still some important events or activities in the lives of ordinary people, such as weddings, funerals, children's birthdays, full-moon babies, promotions or housewarming, and banquets are also indispensable. Banquets held for such activities all have obvious celebration meaning. At this point, China and English-speaking countries are basically the same. Wedding banquet, birthday banquet, housewarming banquet, etc. There are both in the east and the west, and their practices may be very different. As for the banquet held for the funeral, it mainly refers to the elderly in China. When they die, they are considered a funeral. This is the meaning of "weddings and funerals, weddings and happy events" in Chinese. When the old man died, later generations often gave banquets to the guests attending the funeral to show filial piety. This is a traditional habit of China people. People who do this in small towns and vast rural areas in China rarely hold funeral banquets. Middle-aged people or young people died suddenly due to illness, injury, natural disasters and man-made disasters, and no banquet was held.

2. The banquet situation and norms in English-speaking countries.

Although banquets invite people to dinner, they also have different forms. This is particularly evident in English-speaking countries. Generally speaking, they have eight kinds of banquets.

Dinner with a seat.

Buffet dinner

A formal lunch

Reception (reception)

Cocktail party;

Byob and Byof = bring your own bottle, bring your own food;

Picnic (picnic)

Tea party (Zhu Meiping, 1995).

Although the above forms of Chinese banquets can be found in China, banquets, receptions and dinners with seats are more popular in our country, which is not a way for westerners to bring their own drinks and food together for everyone to share. But more is the canteen of the unit to cook some delicious food on holidays and sell it to everyone at a low price. Individuals buy some drinks and colleagues get together to enjoy them.

What form people take when entertaining guests generally depends on the identity of the guests, the purpose the host wants to achieve and his convenience. In official international communication, it is a state banquet); Entertain visiting heads of state. Entertain business customers or people with various business relationships, friends, relatives or colleagues, and anyone else who needs hospitality. Some work according to the banquet rules, and some look at the specific situation. The formal should be formal, the casual should be casual, and it is important to achieve the purpose of the banquet.

Lunch is often used in business activities in the United States. Some managers have lunch appointments almost every day. This kind of banquet is usually arranged in a restaurant that is convenient for both the host and the guests. Booking in advance is like teaching a quiet table. If you want to talk business with guests, you need a quiet place more. This kind of working lunch usually lasts about an hour. Although it is not so strict now, it should not exceed one and a half hours at most. If people have the habit of drinking cocktails before meals, it is more appropriate to have one. Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't want to drink. If the guest wants to double it, you don't have to bend over, but you can use something like orange juice or mineral water instead. If your guests want to continue drinking, you can politely say, "Maybe we should order, it's getting late." Lunch is more casual, and even if there are many guests, seats are rarely arranged.

In American business activities, another way to entertain guests is business dinner. It is not as frequent and convenient as lunch, but it is also used from time to time. When some managers are too busy to arrange lunch appointments, they will take the form of dinner. This kind of banquet is often attended by several people, and everyone is committed to the common cause. Be sure to inform the invited guests before the banquet begins. This is usually done by the manager's secretary. She can call the guests or write short messages. Without a secretary, you have to do it yourself. However, it should be noted that such banquets generally do not include family members. You should also reserve a quiet table or a single room in a convenient restaurant. The host must arrive early to meet the guests, introduce people he doesn't know and arrange seats for them. Arrange the highest-ranking guest or host to sit on the host's right, and the guests of the second rank to sit on the left. The rest of you are welcome to sit down. If there is no hierarchy, the host can say, "Ladies and gentlemen, please sit down." After all the guests arrived, the host began to order wine. Drinking before meals is generally limited to one or two glasses. Someone wants a third cup, and nothing can stop it. But don't ask each guest for another drink at this time. It's embarrassing to ask for a bottle of wine but not let the guests drink it. If the host wants wine, it is best to choose a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white wine according to his own habits or tastes. Drinking is followed by eating. A formal dinner usually includes six courses: soup, fish, main course (meat and vegetables), salad and dessert (pudding, cake, ice cream, etc.). ) and coffee or tea. Sometimes, people put fish in the main course. Of course, the specific food is usually ordered by the guests themselves. This kind of business dinner is usually held at the same time as other activities. For example, invite guests to dance, watch opera, listen to music or watch a football match after dinner. In new york, some clients are opera fans, so it is certainly the most pleasant thing to invite them to Broadway to watch high-level opera performances. In the southern city of New Orleans, some customers like jazz, and it will be very happy to invite them to spend a wonderful evening in a French residential area.

There is also a traditional way for American business circles to entertain guests, that is, to invite their business customers to play golf or tennis, swim or organize other sports activities in country clubs not far from the town. There are usually two ways: the host invites guests to arrive at the country club in the morning, play golf or tennis, have lunch together, and then go home to continue working in the office or go home. Another way is that the host and guests get off work in the morning, and then make an appointment to drive to the country club for lunch together or separately, and then play golf or tennis after dinner.

Some banquets in American business circles mentioned above are only attended by people related to business activities, and their families are excluded.

But in fact, some business banquets also invite family members to participate. For example, foreign business customers and their families come to the town where the owner lives for sightseeing; The owner wants to establish a close relationship with customers; The host holds a formal banquet or dance, which requires the participation of both husband and wife; The host and his business partner have become good friends and want to share this friendship with themselves and their relatives. The owner is the boss of the company, and he wants to get to know the employees better. Under the above circumstances, it is inevitable to invite family members to the banquet. Business banquets attended by ordinary family members are arranged in the evening, outside the restaurant, but sometimes at home. Banquets at home often make guests feel relaxed. Welcome home. Sometimes colleagues from the company are invited to have breakfast or lunch at home, usually to facilitate personal communication.

China is developing a socialist market economy, and business activities are becoming more and more frequent. There are also many business entertainment. However, in most cases, China people are more accustomed to eating and drinking in restaurants at night. Because China's cooking art is well-known at home and abroad, and there are many China restaurants with various cuisines, people generally choose those restaurants with characteristics to let their guests have a full meal and let them appreciate the elegant demeanor of China's food culture. Some restaurants or restaurants also have karaoke. Those who are interested can try their singing skills. Of course, some people take guests to the theatre, listen to music or go bowling after dinner, or organize other similar entertainment activities.

Whether it is a business banquet or a business banquet, the competent authorities have specific norms to follow. As long as people follow the example, they can achieve the expected goal without losing their manners. What is generally difficult to master is the folk family banquet. Banquet at home, whether formal or informal, whether Chinese food or western food, involves the purpose of the banquet. If you don't think about that link carefully, you may be unhappy or even misunderstood. Not only does it not help the harmony of interpersonal relationship, but it will further damage it. It is obviously necessary to know this knowledge.

In English-speaking countries, whether in restaurants, clubs or at home, whether there are many people or few people, the following must be done to make the banquet successful. First of all, the invited guests should have similar interests and similar temperament. There is an old saying in China that "a thousand glasses of wine are few, but lovers talk more than half a sentence". I think it's suitable for use here. If the guests don't speak properly, it's easy to ruin the happy atmosphere at the table. Secondly, the menu should be carefully prepared to suit the taste of the guests. In addition, the dining table should be gorgeous: napkins should be ironed, silver tableware should be cleaned and glassware should be shiny. The food should be well cooked. If there are servants, or temporary waiters, these waiters should be amiable and competent for their jobs. Finally, I want to talk about the host and hostess themselves. They should be elegant, generous, modest and enthusiastic. They warmly welcomed their guests and were very happy for their arrival.

In English-speaking countries, there are formal and informal ways to entertain guests. As far as western food is concerned, as long as guests sit around the table and someone pours wine and serves food, it is regarded as a formal banquet. Of course, there are some differences in this formal banquet, mainly in the way the host and guests dress, the texture and specifications of tableware, the types of dishes and the level of service. It is said that at the beginning of this century, banquets without servant service could not be considered formal. With today, people's ideas have changed a lot. As long as the hostess can cook a good dish, the tableware is beautiful, the wine vessel is sparkling, and the dining table is properly arranged, it is also a very formal banquet specification. To treat guests, we must first determine the list of inviters. It is best to be like-minded and similar in temperament, but people's personalities and interests are always different. When arranging seats, the host may wish to arrange like-minded people together and separate people with different views. But people have some different views, even a little argument about a certain problem is very beneficial, because they can stimulate people's interest and lead to different topics.

Western banquet tables are usually rectangular. When eating, the host and hostess sit at both ends of the table, and the guests sit at both sides of the table. The general norm is that female guests sit on the right side of the host. She can be the oldest lady, a newly engaged girl, a woman writer who has just published a novel, or the wife of her master. Of course, the male guest of honor sits on the hostess's right. If there are no guests, the hostess can let the oldest lady among the guests or the overnight guest who has stayed in the host's house for a few days sit on her husband's right. Otherwise, she can let the male and female guests (including husband and wife) sit down separately according to her favorite method. A female guest other than the guest of honor needs to sit on the host's left, and her husband needs to sit on the hostess's left.

At private banquets, the host never announces the arrival of guests. But at a formal banquet, it is necessary to do so. Announcing the names of arriving guests is usually done by the people involved in the service.

At a very formal banquet, when the guests arrive, the existing servants meet them at the door and take their coats. The hostess stood at the door of the living room, smiled and shook hands with the guests to welcome her. Of course, she would say, "Nice to meet you." (Nice to meet you), "I'm glad you can come!" (Glad you could come) Wait. The owner of the house entertains other guests. Once he finds a new guest, he will apologize to others and immediately come over to welcome the new guest. Most banquets are not so formal. The host and hostess are standing near the living room. When they heard the doorbell ring, both husband and wife came forward to greet the guests. If the host is serving cocktails to the guests, he will bring their favorite wine to the new guests or ask the service staff to take care of what they want to drink. Naturally, the hostess will introduce the new guests to others she doesn't know.

If there are cocktails to entertain guests before dinner, the formal banquet should be held at least one hour later than the time specified in the invitation. If the guests are not allowed to drink anything before the meal, the party should be held 20 minutes late, because the late guests need some time to rest. During this short time, the hostess may sneak into the kitchen to check the preparation of the food, but the time to leave should be as short as possible.

For guests who don't arrive on time, the host can generally wait 15 minutes according to the specification, which means that the party can start a quarter of an hour later. When eating out, it is considered impolite to wait for late guests for more than 20 minutes. When the guest who came that night finally arrived at the restaurant, he had to go to the hostess and apologize to her. At this time, the hostess doesn't have to stand up. If the female guest is late, the hostess only needs to shake hands with the guest quickly, and other men don't have to stand up to say hello. Of course, the host can't blame the guests, but he should say something polite, such as: "I'm sorry for your poor driving, but I'm sure you don't want us to wait for the diners." I feel sorry for you, because this car is too difficult to drive. I know you don't want us to wait for you. ) Late guests should also eat a dish served with other guests. If it happens to be dessert, the hostess will tell the waiter to bring a large plate of main course from the kitchen.

Generally speaking, the hostess should tell the waiter when to announce the banquet in advance. At a very formal banquet, when he saw that the cup was full of water and the candle had been lit, he went into the living room and whispered to the hostess, "Dinner is ready." You can start. Or at this time, the hostess just glanced at the waiter in the restaurant and nodded to her. The hostess announced, "Dinner is ready. Shall we go in? " The meal is ready. Let's go in. When guests are still drinking cocktails and can't leave immediately, the hostess will signal the waiter when to start, and the waiter will tell the chef. Sometimes, some guests like cocktails very much and don't want to go in for dinner. At a large banquet, when guests are talking to each other in piles, even if the banquet is announced, the guests still don't move. At this time, the hostess will mobilize the guests to enter the restaurant and take their seats.

The host took the hostess into the restaurant and sat her on her right. If it is an informal banquet, the hostess always enters the restaurant last. But when the president or governor of the United States is the guest of honor at the banquet, that is another matter. In this special case, the hostess should lead the male guest of honor to sit down, and the male host should lead the wife of the president or governor to sit down. Then the other guests sit down. After entering the restaurant, guests can sit down according to the seat card with their own names written on it. If there is no such instruction card, the guests have to wait for the arrangement of the hostess. The hostess sat down as soon as she found a seat, but she stood until everyone found a seat. Of course, before taking a seat, a man should hold the chair for the lady on his right. A male guest should not sit down until the hostess is seated. The male guest of honor should accompany the hostess into the restaurant, but take care of the female guest on his right and sit down; The male guest on the left of the hostess should take care of the hostess. Sit down.

When holding a formal banquet, the order of serving is very particular. Usually, every dish is served by the hostess first, and then served counterclockwise to the guests in turn, and the host has to wait until the end. If there is only the hostess at the party, the lady on the host's right should start serving. It should be noted that never serve the hostess first; It is very impolite to do so.

Generally speaking, before the guests sit down, it is best to fill the cups on the western food table. If you don't do this, the waiter can wait for the guests to sit down before pouring water into each cup. Then, the waiter pours wine for each guest, or in the order of serving as mentioned above. Generally speaking, he should say politely, "wine, sir (or madam)?" Would you like some wine, sir or madam? The waiter should pour the wine on the guest's right, and can't pick up the glass.

As soon as the soup is served, the bread in the plate or basket is handed to everyone. There are several different styles of bread at the banquet, such as croissant, thin bread, rye or graham crackers. If there is not enough bread, you can try it again. When serving, the waiter should raise the bottom of the tray with his left hand. If it is a hot dish, there is a napkin under the plate to avoid burning it. If it is an oval plate, you need to hold it on the table with both hands. Each dish has its own set of tableware. In addition, there are big spoons and forks on the dining table for guests to use when taking food.

Finally, the hostess saw that the last dessert had been used up and stood up slowly. The guests also left their seats and returned to the living room. In the past, after meals, men and women always went to separate rooms to drink coffee or smoke. Today, some extended families still hold formal banquets. But what is more popular is that the host will advise the male guests to sit still at the table, drink a cup of black coffee, brandy or smoke a cigar. This is mainly to take care of women, because many women hate the smell of cigars. At the same time, the hostess took the female guests back to the living room and invited them to have coffee, liqueur or cigarettes. She also often suggests that female guests go to her room to freshen up. Generally, two or three people will do this, and most people will stay in the living room to drink or chat. After a quarter of an hour or 20 minutes, the male guest returns to the living room to meet the female guest, and the host then offers sweet liqueur or whisky for the guests to enjoy.

Of course, it is the guest's business to ask the guests to leave and go home. In the past, the first person to leave should be the guest of honor. Other guests, no matter how late, should wait there quietly for the action of male and female guests. Usually, female guests sit there and mumble, "God, these people don't go home!" " "Suddenly, she knew that she should leave first. But today, great changes have taken place in the norms. As long as it's getting late, any couple can propose to go first. Now, the usual practice is that the leavers get up from their seats, say goodbye to the guests who are talking, then say goodbye to the guests and go to the hostess. They chatted with the host and hostess for a while, thanked them and left.

The above mainly introduces the general practice of formal family banquets in English-speaking countries, mainly the United States. It should also be mentioned here that the main course of western food is drinking.

Western food should not exceed six courses at most, as mentioned above. It should be noted that salad should be served after the main course and before dessert. This is different from the way restaurants entertain guests. It is usually served as the first course in a restaurant. Unless it is an informal banquet, guests prefer to serve salad first, preferably in the order mentioned above. The dishes at the banquet should be as balanced as possible. For example, greasy dishes are best served with light dishes. If the second course is cream scallop, the main course may be roast pigeon or mutton. Also pay attention to the collocation of dishes and tastes. A single hue or taste is not desirable.

English-speaking countries are very particular about banquets. They not only have many kinds of wine, but also have certain rules about when and how to drink it. Generally speaking, you should drink cocktails before meals. When entertaining guests, it is appropriate for the host to provide two or three cocktails. Cocktails are made. For example, the old-fashioned wine that people often drink before meals is made of whisky with ice, soda water and bitter wine. At the banquet, guests should accompany the meal with wine. You usually start drinking sherry, but the first course on the table should contain sherry, that is, you can't drink sherry with cream chicken soup or cream thick soup. Drink black bean soup or turtle soup. Sherry should be put into a small glass bottle and then poured into a V-shaped glass. Of course, this wine can also be used as a cocktail before meals, or as a table wine for lunch or meals. Guests should drink dry white wine when eating fish or main course. Dry white should be kept in the refrigerator for at least a few hours or even days before drinking, because people like the cool taste. When eating red meat dishes, such as steak or pork chops, duck or game, guests should drink red wine. Of course, at some informal parties, guests can drink from beginning to end. All red wine should be kept above the indoor temperature when drinking, but Burgundy (a kind of red wine produced in Burgundy, France or similar wine produced in other regions) is one or two degrees higher. Champagne is a kind of wine to drink at special parties, usually when there are meat dishes. If it is the only wine on the table, pour it for the guests when serving the first course. If champagne is not the best kind, it should be kept in the refrigerator for a day, and it may be cooled by using a wine cooler when drinking. Premium champagne is usually cold, but it will cool. Champagne glasses should be wide-brimmed, thin and tall. When using the wine glass, you should hold your neck, so that you can enjoy the fun of sprinkling wine and keep the appropriate temperature of the wine unchanged. If there is no waiter to pour wine at the banquet, the host can open the bottle and put it in front of the guests, who will help themselves. When guests grow up, they can put two bottles of wine, one at each end of the table.

In the past, when guests were invited to a banquet, it was impolite to refuse a dish prepared by the host. He should eat every dish and try it even if he doesn't like it. But in fact, some people are allergic to certain foods. Therefore, at today's western banquet, if he doesn't want to eat some food, such as crabs, he can skip it, but he needs to explain it to the host, lest the host mistakenly think that the reason for his refusal is the poor quality of the food. Therefore, at today's western banquet, if you avoid eating certain foods, guests can say "no, thank you." No, thanks. This has become the established norm, and the host does not think it is rude.

Western countries, such as Britain and the United States, are increasingly advocating that kind of free and informal gathering form. So buffet or semi-buffet banquet is very popular now. Buffet, called buffet dinner in English. When the host entertains the guests, he puts the prepared food and various drinks on the table for the guests to choose at will. Guests put their favorite food on the plate, help themselves to drinks, find a place to sit or stand, and talk to others while eating and drinking. Buffets are popular for several obvious reasons. First, guests can walk around and talk freely. Secondly, there are many guests. Because the guests help themselves to eat, they don't need others to serve them. Buffet can be divided into pure buffet or semi-buffet. The former means that after the guests have packed their own dishes, they can find a place to sit down and enjoy at the banquet place and talk with other guests while eating. Buffet is when guests sit down at one or more pre-set tables after picking up the dishes. Semi-buffet is more formal than pure buffet, but it gives guests more freedom of movement without looking at the seats when eating.

Lunch banquet is also a common social form in English-speaking countries. There are two kinds of luncheons or lunch parties. One is business luncheons, as mentioned earlier. There is also a kind called social luncheon. People seldom use the word lunch verbally, but are more accustomed to using lunch. However, in written and third-person invitations, everyone formally uses the word lunch. Usually, a social luncheon is a form of gathering of ladies, which is initiated by the hostess and invited by the ladies. If the luncheon is held on weekends, men will be invited, otherwise it will be a purely female activity. Most of the participants are mothers, housewives, women club members or women who work for half a day. Sometimes a small luncheon is held at the hostess's house. Large ones are mostly held in clubs, restaurants or restaurants. If there are men at the luncheon, it will be very light. If there are only women at the luncheon, the amount of food will be much less, but it needs to be prepared beautifully. Pre-dinner cocktails include sherry, tomato juice mixed wine or daiquiri. Of course, for those women who don't drink, there should also be tomatoes or list juice drinks. Luncheons are also formal and informal. The seats of the guests are also arranged in advance. If there are many people, guests can sit at different tables. A large formal lunch is usually served by a waiter, and the procedure of serving food is similar to that of a formal banquet. The small one is another matter. Many people cook buffet lunches, and the guests help themselves to the dishes and drinks. This can not only save service personnel, but also make the hostess a lot easier. An ordinary lunch can have two or three courses. If it is a family lunch, it will never exceed four courses. The following five dishes are commonly used by people to hold such banquet activities, from which we can see that food is much simpler.

A) fruit or soup bowl

B) eggs or shellfish seafood

C) Poultry, beef and mutton (not roasted) or fish

D) salad

E) candy

Of course, there is bread and butter at lunch. Hot bread is a major feature of lunch. Table wine is mainly wine, which can be planted and low-alcohol, such as dry white wine or red wine. At the luncheon held in summer, it is best to cool white wine before drinking. At the same time, iced tea and iced coffee are also popular table drinks. But in winter, hot tea and hot coffee are more popular with guests.

As mentioned many times above, when entertaining guests, guests have the habit of drinking cocktails before meals. The so-called cocktail is a mixture of two or more wines with fresh fruit juice or fruit dew, as well as spices and bitters. Making cocktails is a special skill. What kind of wine and spices are needed for a cocktail has specific regulations and making methods. Hotel restaurants have full-time bartenders. But people who often drink cocktails can mix them themselves. It is said that the late American President Roosevelt was very good at this. There are many kinds of cocktails. At present, there are more than two thousand kinds. Cocktails have become a common drink used by the upper class to entertain guests.

Cocktail parties are mainly used to entertain guests with cocktails, sometimes called cocktail parties. This kind of banquet