To taste western food culture, I suggest you have time to visit Maxim's restaurant in Chongwenmen. The western restaurant there is decorated according to the unique French romantic style at the end of 19, with gorgeous and elegant decoration, small bands playing classical songs in the orchestra pit, and waiters wearing evening dresses. This is the tradition of Kyle's Sim restaurant, which lets customers feast their eyes first (restaurant layout), then their ears (soft music) and finally their mouths (delicious French dishes). Scholars who study western food, after long-term discussion and induction, think that the most important thing to eat western food is to pay attention to the six "M's".
The first one is "menu"
When you enter the western restaurant, the waiter will show you to your seat first. When you sit down, the menu will come up first. The menu is regarded as the facade of the restaurant and the boss has always attached great importance to it. The cover of the menu is made of the best fabrics, and some even make all kinds of beautiful patterns with soft sheepskin. It seems inappropriate to call it a menu here, but it should be called a "menu".
I have a unique ordering skill. No matter how I eat in western restaurants at home and abroad, the food I order is often delicious and cheap, and is often praised by my colleagues. My method is to open the menu and see which dish is named after the hotel. I often take it. I know chefs don't joke about their names, so the dishes they make great efforts to make are sure to be delicious. Please get to the point.
Speaking of ordering food, reading the menu reminds me of an incident that happened in Maxim's restaurant nearly 20 years ago. Four young "ten thousand households" farmers walked into this luxurious restaurant. They have money and want to taste a famous French dish. The restaurant manager and waiter were overjoyed, warmly welcomed them to their seats, politely presented the menu and respectfully invited them to order. Unexpectedly, one of them pushed the menu aside and said disdainfully, "What do you want to eat? You see, what is expensive, we have plenty of money! " Four farmers spent nearly 2000 yuan to eat a famous French dish, but they made a fool of themselves from time to time. They didn't know how to use a knife and fork, so their napkins finally turned into handkerchiefs. ...
Later, the general manager of the French side talked to me about this matter, and I was very touched: "From these four young people, it is very exciting to see that farmers in China are really rich. But it's hard for us to understand that China friends don't look at the menu when they eat western food. In France, even President Charles de Gaulle and President D 'Estaing have to look at the menu when ordering western food. There is no problem of having money, because reading menus and ordering food has become an indispensable procedure and a way of life for eating western food. "
The second is "music"
Luxury and high-end western restaurants should have bands and play some soft music, and ordinary small western restaurants also play some wonderful music. However, the most important thing here is the "audibility" of music, that is, the sound should reach the level of "listening but not smelling", that is to say, if you concentrate on talking with your friends, you can't hear it, but if you want to have a rest and relax, you can hear it, and you should master this temperature.
The third is "mood" (atmosphere)
Western food pays attention to elegant environment and harmonious atmosphere. There must be music, white tablecloths and flowers, and all tableware must be clean. If it is dinner, the lights should be dim and there should be red candles on the table to create a romantic, charming and elegant atmosphere.
The fourth is "meeting"
In other words, you have to choose who to eat western food with, and it must be friends, relatives and people with similar interests. Eating western food is mainly to connect feelings, and rarely talk about business at the western food table. Therefore, in western restaurants, there are few scenes of red face.
The fifth is the "way" (customs)
Also known as "eating" and "eating", in short, we should follow western customs and not do anything abrupt, especially when holding a knife and fork. If we dance, we will "lose our manners". When using a knife and fork, you should hold the knife in your right hand and the fork in your left hand. Cut the food into small pieces and send it to your mouth with a knife and fork. Generally speaking, Europeans don't change their hands when using knives and forks. They always use the fork of their left hand to feed food into their mouths. Americans put down the knife after cutting and put the food into their mouths with a fork in their right hand. But at any time, the knife must not be sent to the entrance. At western banquets, the host will arrange men and women to sit next to each other, and western gentlemen who pay attention to "ladies first" will show their hospitality to the ladies.
The sixth is "rice" (food)
An American gourmet friend of mine once said, "The Japanese eat with their eyes, and the cooking style is beautiful. When they eat our western food, they use their noses, so our noses are very big; " Only you great China people know how to eat with your tongue. "Our Chinese food takes" taste "as the core, and western food takes nutrition as the core. As for the taste, it can't be compared with Chinese food.
To a great extent, eating western food means eating emotional appeal: marble fireplace, glittering crystal lamp, silver candlestick, colorful wine and people's elegant and charming manners, which is a touching oil painting in itself. In order to be more proficient when you taste western food for the first time, it is worthwhile to spend some time familiarizing yourself with these dining etiquette.
1, when sitting, keep your body straight, don't put your elbows on the table, and the distance from the table is better to facilitate the use of tableware. Don't fiddle with the tableware on the dining table. Fold the napkin in half and gently put it on your knee.
2. When eating with a knife and fork, take the knife and fork from outside to inside, with a fork in your left hand and a knife in your right hand; Hold the food with a fork in your left hand, cut it into small pieces with a knife in your right hand, and then send it to your mouth with a fork. When using a knife, the blade should not face outwards. When you put down your knife and fork at dinner, you should put them in a figure of eight and put them on the side of the plate. The blade is pointed at yourself, indicating that you will continue to eat. After eating each dish, put the knife and fork together on the plate. If you are talking, you can hold the knife and fork. You can also hold a fork in your right hand when you don't use a knife, but if you need to gesture, you should put down your knife and fork, never wave and shake it in the air with your hands, never wipe your mouth with a napkin in one hand, and never hold a glass and fork in the other. Remember, never put one end of the knife and fork on the plate and the other end on the table.
Don't eat too much food at a time. Don't talk while chewing, and don't take the initiative to talk to others.
Don't sip soup, but shut up and chew when eating. Don't smack your lips and make a sound. If the soup is too hot, please wait until it is a little cold before eating. Don't blow it with your mouth. When drinking soup, scoop it out with a spoon. When the soup in the soup plate is almost finished, tilt the outside of the soup plate slightly with your left hand and scoop it out with a spoon. After drinking the soup, leave the spoon in the soup plate (bowl) and point the spoon at yourself.
5. Don't spit directly when eating fish, meat and other dishes with thorns or bones. You can spit it gently on the fork with a napkin and put it on the plate. If there is a small amount of food left on the plate, don't scrape the bottom of the plate with a fork, let alone help you eat with your fingers, but help you eat with a small piece of bread or fork. When eating noodles, you should roll them up with a fork and put them in your mouth.
6. Bread should be broken into small pieces and sent to your mouth. Don't bite the whole piece of bread. When spreading butter and jam, break the bread into small pieces before spreading it.
7. When Europeans and Americans eat chicken, chicken breast is often the most expensive. When eating chicken legs, you should first remove the bones by force, and don't eat them with your hands. Don't turn the fish upside down when eating it. After eating the upper layer, remove the fishbone with a knife and fork before eating the lower layer. When eating meat, cut it into pieces, and don't cut it too big, or cut the meat into pieces at once.
8. Don't put on makeup on the dining table, and wipe your nose with a napkin. Burping while eating is the biggest taboo. If this happens, you should apologize to the people around you immediately. Don't stand while eating, sit and ask others to pass the food you can't get.
9. Don't wolf down your food. Food you don't want to eat should also be put on the plate to show politeness. The host suggested that the guests increase their food. If they have an appetite, it is not rude to add food. On the contrary, the owner may be proud of it.
10, don't leave during the meal. If you really need to leave, you should say hello to the surrounding guests in a low voice. When drinking and toasting, even if you don't drink, you should put the cup mouth on your lips to show your respect. When someone pours wine for you, if you don't want it, just say "no, thank you!" " Or gently cover the cup with your hand to show your refusal.
1 1. Don't smoke before the meal is over, and don't smoke before the meal is over on the coffee table. If there are female guests around, you should ask politely, "Do you mind?"
12, you should talk to the guests around you while eating, but you should avoid talking and laughing loudly. Don't just chat with a few acquaintances. If the guests don't know each other, you can introduce yourself. Don't interrupt when others are talking.
13. If you want to add milk or sugar to your coffee, stir it evenly with a small spoon and put it on the saucer of the coffee. When drinking, you should hold the cup handle in your right hand, put the saucer in your left hand, and drink directly with your mouth instead of scooping it with a spoon. Don't bite the whole fruit when eating it. Cut it into 4 or 6 petals with a fruit knife, then peel and core it with a knife and fork.
14, when eating, don't unbutton or undress in public. If the host invites the guest to take off his coat, the male guest can take off his coat and put it on the back of the chair. Don't put his coat or things on the dining table.