learn to speak, learn etiquette

Chapter 24 Understanding Entertainment Banquet Etiquette (2)
A Chinese manager entertained the chairman of a western multinational company at home. He cooked 4 vegetarian dishes for the foreign guests, cooked a bowl of pickled mustard shredded pork soup, and finally gave each person a small bowl of Dandan noodles.The big foreign boss who claims to "eat all over the world" said sincerely: This is the most beautiful meal he has ever eaten.It can be seen that to highlight the characteristics of Chinese food, it is not necessarily necessary to use delicacies from mountains and seas.

Before going to the banquet, you should freshen up and dress up, and don't spoil other people's appetite with disheveled and unkempt clothes.As the host of the banquet, you should pay more attention to your appearance, and make others feel that the host is well-dressed.

The number of tables for large-scale Chinese banquets is particular.The one or two tables at the front of the stage are usually owned by the host or the distinguished guests, so those who are going to the banquet should not sit rashly.Although round tables are mostly used in Chinese banquets, each table usually has a host or receptionist in charge of taking care of it.The seats on both sides of the table are reserved for the guests at the table, and it is not advisable to sit there unless invited.The best way is for the host to mark the seats where the guests should sit on each table in advance, so that everyone can take their seats according to the number.For a formal banquet, a menu should also be prepared for each guest.Chinese tableware mainly includes cups, plates, bowls, plates, chopsticks, and spoons.At a formal banquet, the water glass is placed on the upper left of the plate and the wine glass is placed on the upper right.Chopsticks and spoons can be placed on special seats or in paper sleeves.Shared chopsticks and spoons are best placed on dedicated seats.Condiments such as soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil should be served several times per table, and toothpicks and ashtrays should be prepared.When entertaining foreign guests, knives and forks should also be prepared for those who do not know how to use chopsticks.

The dishes should be served in the following order: cold dishes first, hot dishes second, sweets and fruit last.No matter how many tables there are at the banquet, each table must serve food at the same time.There are roughly the following ways of serving dishes: one is to serve a large plate of dishes and let everyone take it by themselves.The second is that the waiter holds the dishes and puts them into everyone's food plates one by one.The third is to serve it in a small dish, one serving per person.

Pay attention to civility and courtesy when dining.Do not repeatedly persuade foreign guests to eat, but introduce the characteristics of Chinese cuisine to the other party, and it is up to him whether to eat or not.Some people like to persuade others to eat, and even serve each other.Foreign guests do not have this habit, if you are polite again and again, they may be disgusted: "I said I won't eat, why are you forcing me to do it?" By analogy, when attending a banquet held by foreign guests, don't expect the host to give you food repeatedly.If you wait for others to order food for you, you will have to starve.

Today, when all kinds of cuisines in the world are flooding our daily lives, our enjoyment of Chinese cuisine is a harmonious atmosphere filled with everyone coming together, and the fun of caring for each other is highly praised and welcomed.But some foreign guests are not as comfortable eating Chinese food as they imagined.For example, once Mr. Zhang, who was in business, entertained a Japanese to eat Beijing cuisine.A plate of steaming roast duck was served on the table, "Come here, please, please, please, this is the famous Peking duck!" Mr. Zhang warmly greeted the Japanese guests.Maybe some people, like this Japanese guest, don't know how to eat Peking duck, so Mr. Zhang took advantage of the situation to kindly demonstrate.He first takes a flour skin, then puts the crispy skin of roast duck and green onion or cucumber strips, and then adds some condiment sauce, and finally rolls up the skin and eats it with his hands.In this way, the Japanese guests followed suit.

Chinese cuisine has the characteristics of Chinese cuisine. A dish is served on a plate or container and everyone eats together.It is different from the one-person-one-serving way of eating in the West, and it will naturally create a harmonious atmosphere for people who have dinner together.

When a Chinese dish is served on the table, you can take what you need, or you can take the opportunity to take the food and put it on the bowl of your companion, which is what we call persuading and giving food. This kind of active care is exactly what eating Chinese food means. The fun of cooking.

If the small plate for personal use is full, it should be replaced, so as not to mix the taste and damage the original flavor of the food.You should keep your mouth closed when you eat, and don't gurgle when you drink soup.Do not put the whole chopsticks and spoons in your mouth.Don't stir the dish with chopsticks when picking up dishes, and don't pick good ones to eat.If the soup is too hot, drink it later instead of blowing it with your mouth.Don't eat while looking for someone to chat with.Don't spit out the bones and fish bones in your mouth on the table. You can cover your mouth with a napkin, take them out with chopsticks and put them on a plate.Don't eat the dishes that fall on the table.Do not play with the bowls and chopsticks or point them at others during the meal.Don't pick at your mouth with your hands.When picking your teeth with a toothpick, cover your mouth with your hands or a tablecloth.Don't let the utensils make any noise, use the spoon with your index finger on top, hold down on the handle, and your thumb and middle finger on the bottom.The food of Tangliu should be served with a small spoon.In addition, chopsticks are the most commonly used tableware in Chinese cuisine. Let’s talk about the usage of chopsticks and the demeanor and education embodied by them.Eating with chopsticks is the "tradition" of the Orientals, especially the Chinese, and it is also a kind of upbringing of the Orientals.Perhaps because it is so common, it is sometimes neglected by everyone.It seems that there are not many people who can really hold chopsticks well today.The etiquette of using chopsticks mainly includes: do not wave chopsticks on the dishes; do not pierce dishes with chopsticks; do not hold chopsticks in your mouth; superior.

Here is an example.One day, two women were dining at a Chinese restaurant.One is a foreign guest named Mary, and the other is Chinese Miss Lin. "Mary, can you use chopsticks? I'd better ask for a fork for you!" Miss Lin said with a little air. "No need! Thank you for your concern. I have practiced using chopsticks and I will definitely use them well."Mary smiled and answered confidently.Then I reached for the hygienic chopsticks placed in the cylinder on the table.Perhaps it is a novelty for foreigners to eat with chopsticks!Even the owner of the restaurant is paying attention to Mary.Mary carefully tore off the wrapping paper, picked up the chopsticks with her right hand, and ate.But I saw that she not only held the chopsticks gracefully, but also used them freely, and she didn't turn over dishes with chopsticks.In short, Mary really "knows how to use chopsticks", and even the boss nodded in admiration.On the other hand, Ms. Lin, either did not pick up the dishes smoothly, or let the soup contained in the dishes drip on the table. They also used chopsticks, but it was not foreigners who made a fool of themselves.

Some people even think that if you hold the chopsticks poorly, it proves that there is something wrong with that person's tutoring.If you want to be a standard company employee or a worker in foreign communication, you must at least learn how to hold and use chopsticks correctly!
Inviting guests to have a meal is also a kind of reception etiquette. Here, we must pay special attention to one thing, that is, when treating guests, we must first cater to the dishes that the guests like.

[-]. Western food etiquette

At present, no matter at home or abroad, no matter whether they are attending a formal banquet or going to a restaurant by themselves, it is common for Chinese to eat Western food.In foreign exchanges, it is required that when eating western food, the arrangement of seats, the use of tableware and the way of eating must conform to the norms.There is no reason to be unique and unconventional on such occasions.

If two men and women go to a restaurant to eat, the man should ask the lady to sit on his right, and never let her sit on the side of the road where people come and go.If there is only one seat against the wall, ask the woman to sit there and the man to sit opposite her.If two couples are dining, the wife should sit against the wall, and the husband should face their respective wives.If two gentlemen accompany a woman at a meal, the woman should sit between the men.If two people of the same sex eat, the seat against the wall should be reserved for the elder among them.Everyone should walk from the left side of the seat when entering or leaving the seat.

The arrangement of banquets for formal banquets can be followed by international conventions: the height of the table depends on the distance from the main table, with the right high and the left low.When there are many tables, the second card should be placed on the table.Long tables are used for western food.The height of the seats on the same table depends on the distance from the host's seat.Western custom is a cross arrangement of men and women, based on the seat of the hostess, the guest of honor sits on the upper right of the hostess, and the wife of the guest of honor sits on the upper right of the host.Our country arranges the seats according to the position of each person as usual, so as to facilitate their conversations.If the wives attend the banquet together, arrange the ladies to sit together.That is, the guest of honor sits at the top right of the host, and the wife of the guest sits at the top right of the hostess.For banquets with more than two tables, each table should have its first owner, whose position should be in the same direction as that of the main table owner.

The tableware used to eat Western food includes knives, forks, spoons, plates, cups, etc.Generally speaking, it is important to use different knives and forks to eat different dishes, and to use different wine glasses to drink different wines, so don’t pretend to understand if you don’t understand, and there is nothing wrong with following the master.The arrangement of western tableware is: put the soup plate on the front, put the fork in the left hand, and put the knife in the right hand.A spoon is placed above the soup plate, and a wine glass is placed above it.Napkins are placed on the soup plate or inserted in the water glass, and the bread and butter plate is placed on the upper left.

The order of serving common western food is: bread, soup, various dishes, pudding, coffee or black tea.In a formal banquet, the content may be more rich.Diners should familiarize themselves with the menu, and don't be full as soon as they come up, and then they will be unable to take care of them.

When spreading out the napkin after taking a seat or putting away the napkin before leaving the seat, the host should be given priority.Napkins can be stacked in two layers and placed on the lap.Spread out completely, tucked in the chest, tucked in the belt, it's not right.If you have something to leave the table temporarily, the napkin should be placed on the chair instead of the table. Putting it on the table means that you don't want to eat anymore.The inside of the napkin can be used to wipe your mouth, so it cannot be used to wipe the table.

Hold the knife in the right hand and press the back of the knife with the index finger; hold the fork in the left hand and press the back of the fork with the index finger.The two arms are slightly inward to avoid hitting the neighbor.This posture is the most beautiful.

After the steak is cut, use a fork to slowly send it to the mouth, leaning forward slightly, keeping the head not too heavy, and opening the mouth again when the beef reaches the mouth.

Hold the knife with the right hand and the fork with the left. After cutting the steak, place the knife on the plate with the right hand and use the fork with the right hand to eat.

1. Hold the knife with the right hand and the fork with the left hand, with the fork tines down, fix the steak with the fork, cut it with the knife, and then send the food into the mouth with the fork.Food should be cut into pieces and eaten one by one, and each piece should not be too large. This is the so-called European way of eating.The American way of eating is: after cutting the food, put down the knife, change the right hand to hold the fork, and use the right hand to send the food into the mouth, even with the fork tines upward, and shovel the food into the mouth. This method is not elegant, because it needs Changing the left and right hands is not encouraged by the general international etiquette scholars. The way to use it is still appropriate to use the European style.A fork picks up small pieces of steak and slowly sends them to the mouth, which is an American way of eating.After the steak is cut, place the knife on the plate at an angle, and use the right hand to hold the fork to eat. After eating, use the fork to use the left hand, and the right hand to cut the steak.Some people think that the American way of eating is to chop the steak in one breath, then put down the knife and eat with the fork in the right hand.This method cannot be imitated, because it is also unsightly to "cut into pieces" the food first.To learn international etiquette, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the European way of eating.

The position in the middle row of the dinner plate is not convenient for cutting. To push the steak, you can use a knife. If necessary, change the position of the knife and fork. In this picture, the left hand holds the knife and the right hand holds the fork to adjust the position of the steak.

The position in the middle row of the dinner plate is not convenient for cutting. To push the steak, you can use a knife. If necessary, change the position of the knife and fork. In this picture, the left hand holds the knife and the right hand holds the fork to adjust the position of the steak.

2 If the food on the plate needs to be moved, it is advisable to use a knife to move it. If necessary, the knife and fork can be relocated, that is, hold the fork with the right hand and the knife with the left hand. Do not turn the plate and change the position of the food stack.

3 The food on the table, except for bread and long strips of lettuce such as celery, which can be eaten by hand, all food should be eaten with a fork.Never eat meat with a knife.

4 If the food can be divided with a fork, it is advisable to cut it with a fork as much as possible, not necessarily with a knife.When eating dinner, the number of knives and forks is equal to the number of dishes served, and they are arranged from outside to inside according to the order of serving, with the knife edge facing inward.When using knives and forks, you should follow the order from the outside to the inside, eating a dish for a set of knives and forks.When leaving temporarily, knives and forks should be placed crosswise or arranged in the shape of a herringbone to show that they have not finished eating.If you put the knife and fork together on the plate, with the knife on the right and the fork on the left, with the fork facing up, it means that you don't want to eat anymore.

The bread should be eaten after serving the soup. A piece can be torn off by hand and spread with cream or jam with a knife.It is inappropriate to eat the whole piece of bread with your hand, eat it with a fork, or dip the bread in the soup and eat it.

Fish should be cut with a knife and eaten with a fork.When eating meat, you should cut off a small piece close to you, and then cut the second piece after eating.When eating chicken, you should cut off a piece first, and then eat with a fork.It is impolite to tear it directly with your hands.If you want to spit out fish bones or bones, you can cover your mouth with your left hand and spit on the fork, then put it on the plate, take it directly with your hands, or spit on the table, all should be avoided.

When eating beans, you can eat them with a fork instead of one by one.You can use a spoon to assist a fork, or just use a fork to eat noodles, but you can't cut the noodles with a knife before eating.You must use a fork to eat snacks, and you can use the fork noodles to shovel up and eat.Never give someone else's snack with your hands.If you need to get snacks for others, you can hold the knife and fork and send them over.

During the meal, it is not advisable to lean against the back of the chair or cling to the table.It is very uncivilized to put your arms on the table.Don't take off your shirt, loosen your tie, or roll your sleeves up and down.Also don't eat too fast, as if gobbling.Don't drink alcohol in one gulp, and it's not appropriate to stand up to pick up food.Do not smoke while eating.If your hands get dirty, don't rub them, and don't suck them with your mouth.

Every act of eating can be described as "silence speaks louder at this time" in foreign-related occasions.As long as we pay more attention on weekdays, we can maintain our good image.For Orientals, it is extremely awkward to eat with a knife and fork, but because of this, you should learn the essentials of various movements as early as possible.When eating a full meal of Western food, the arrangement of the knife and fork is the basic etiquette for eating Western food.

When you have something in your mouth, don't talk.It is impolite to wield a knife in front of others.Especially when eating Western food, there are basic etiquettes from the use of tableware to the way of eating, which should be learned in advance to avoid making a fool of yourself on the spot.When eating, never speak with food in your mouth.

One thing to keep in mind when eating western food is: never put the tableware in disorder, otherwise it will cause misunderstanding.For example, once Mr. Wang went to a western restaurant to eat, "I'm sorry, are you not going to eat?" the waiter said from behind Mr. Wang.But isn't there still half of the steak on Mr. Wang's dinner plate?It turned out that Mr. Wang had put the knife and fork side by side on the dinner plate at this time.For the waiter in the restaurant, if the guest puts the knife and fork side by side on the plate, it is equivalent to telling him "please take this steak away".So Mr. Wang hurriedly put his hand on the plate: "No, no, I still want to eat. I like steak the most." The waiter had to pay attention, and then walked away.

It's really difficult for waiters like this.Because no matter how much the guest likes steak, as long as the knife and fork are placed side by side on the plate, no matter whether there are dishes on the plate, it is tantamount to asking the waiter to take away the plate.When eating Chinese food, it doesn't matter if we eat one dish after another until the last dish is messed up, but it's different when eating Western food.

According to the different meals ordered by the guests (such as meal A, meal B), the waiter will come over again and again to provide different services, so the rules of action for eating western food should be kept in mind in advance.If you are the host, you should ask the guests to order first, and you are the last to order and serve.Allow guests to take their time researching the menu and make suggestions only when requested.If you're a guest, you can order whatever you want, as long as it's not the most expensive item on the menu.Never order a second order for the same food—including drinks, because it is very impolite to spend more money on others without their permission (if this happens, does the host have the right to refuse the rude person? Usually Time as an excuse) Remember, you can still change things after everyone has finished ordering, or cancel previous orders, without being seen as rude.

The food will be served from your right - the server will deliver it from over your shoulder.You just need to lean your body slightly to the left.

When drinking soup, the hand holding the spoon should be pressed above the handle of the spoon, and the other hand should raise the plate holding the soup bowl slightly towards the body.The action of the spoon is from the side close to the body, sinking obliquely into the soup bowl, scooping up the soup from the inside out, and then moving it into the mouth.In the meantime, be careful not to let the soup drip.As for someone who holds the soup bowl with both hands and eats the soup with chirping noises, this practice is very bad.Never make a sound while drinking soup, it is a kind of dining etiquette.

While dining in restaurants, political and religious topics should be avoided.Because people have their own standpoints, talking about some humorous stories to make everyone laugh may be the most in line with mental hygiene.It is also an important dining etiquette to talk about something that everyone can chime in on.

In the way of eating western food, one must learn with a modest but not rude attitude, so as not to lose its etiquette.Now we introduce how to eat fish in western food.

Usually the fish in Western food is mostly cooked and rarely baked, so as long as you know how to use the knife and fork, it will not be very troublesome to eat.

After a plate of fish is served, the right hand holds the knife and the left hand holds the fork.First, cut the small thorns at both ends or sides of the fish block with a knife, push them aside, and arrange them neatly.Then use a knife to gently cut one side of the fish, and then use a fork to pick up the divided fish pieces to eat.When one side is finished, use a fork to pick up the main spine from the left side and place it on the edge of the plate.Then eat the other half in the same way.

(End of this chapter)