Whether you are traveling abroad or on business, if someone invites you to a formal banquet, you need to know some basic etiquette of western social places.

Arrival: You'd better arrive on time, even if you are four or five minutes late, but you must never be more than a quarter of an hour late, otherwise you will be embarrassed. If you go to a rich and elegant family, the first person you meet when you enter the gate may be a man, who is responsible for hanging your clothes or giving you directions, so don't shake hands with him in a hurry, observe and make a decision.

Preparation: enter the living room, don't worry about not finding a seat. Westerners usually walk around on this occasion, waiting for the host to introduce other guests to themselves. You can choose a suitable glass of wine and other drinks from the waiter and chat with others while drinking. When the door of the restaurant is opened, the host and hostess will lead everyone into the restaurant. The host and hostess should go last, but if the host is a big shot, the host and he can go first.

Seating: the rules of western food seating are very particular, and seats are generally arranged. At this time, the gentleman or lady who comes with you will never be arranged to sit next to you. Europeans and Americans think that acquaintances have many opportunities to chat and should take this opportunity to make more friends. The host and hostess sit on the top and bottom of the rectangular table. The male guest sits on the right side of the hostess and the female guest sits on the right side of the host. Other guests are seated alternately by men and women. Before the man goes to the table, he should help the woman on the right to pull out the chair, and then sit down by herself after the woman sits firmly.

After everyone is seated, the host takes the napkin and you take the napkin. Remember: no matter what happens at this time (such as the host has the habit of praying before meals), you can't take the napkin until the host takes it away.

Dining: The general menu is three to five courses. The first three dishes should be cold cuts, soup and fish, the last two dishes are the main course (meat or seafood with vegetables), dessert or fruit, and finally coffee and snacks. When eating, don't focus on the enjoyment of your stomach, and talk to people around you more. If coffee doesn't appear after dessert, you may be invited to the living room for a drink later. In a word, you can put down your napkin and leave your seat after you see the hostess put it on the table and stand up. At this time, the polite man has to stand up and help the lady pull open the chair. The lady who is taken care of doesn't have to have special ideas about this series of attentions, he should.

Farewell: If you don't want to be conspicuous, you'd better not go first or last. In the meantime, you can leave at any time, but once you leave, you should leave quickly.

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Etiquette for entering a foreigner's office or residence

Arriving at the foreigner's office or residence should be agreed and notified in advance, and arrive on time. If there is no one waiting, ring the bell or knock on the door before entering, and the owner can only enter after agreeing. If there is no answer, ring the bell or knock at the door later (but don't ring the bell for too long). No one is allowed to enter without permission.

If you are in a hurry or have no prior agreement, but you have to go, you should try to avoid disturbing each other in the middle of the night; If you have to make an appointment with the other party during the break as a last resort, you should apologize immediately after meeting the person who made the appointment, say "I'm sorry to disturb you" and explain the reason for the interruption.

You can enter the room with the permission of the host or at the invitation of the host. Although sometimes the negotiation takes a short time, you should go indoors instead of standing at the door to talk. Sometimes, if the host is not invited into the room, he can retreat to the door and talk outside.

When you enter the room, if you need to talk for a short time, you don't have to sit down and don't stop after you finish. If it takes a long time, you can sit down at the invitation of the host. If there is no prior agreement, try not to talk for too long.

When you are invited to visit or visit a foreign country, you should arrive at the time suggested or agreed by the host. It is impolite to arrive early or late. If you are late, apologize. Visits are usually arranged at 10 am or around 4 pm. In the west, it is a habit to prepare snacks and drinks for entertainment. Guests should not refuse, but should taste and drink the drinks they accept (but don't be forced when they are really not used to it).

Without the owner's invitation or consent, you may not ask to visit the owner's courtyard and residence. You can visit the house under the guidance of the owner, but even familiar friends should not touch personal items and indoor furnishings except books, flowers and plants.

Greet everyone in the host family, especially his wife (husband) and children. If there are children present, you should take the initiative to shake hands and hug them to show your love. If you have cats and dogs at home, you shouldn't show fear or disgust. Don't kick and blow.

When you leave, you should say goodbye to the host politely and thank him for his reception.