Basic Etiquette Of Formal Banquet

Whether you are traveling abroad or on a business trip, 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 and be four or five minutes late, but you must not be late for more than a quarter of an hour. Otherwise, it's not others but yourself. If you go to a wealthy and well-to-do family, the first person you meet when you enter the gate may be a man in charge, who is responsible for hanging your clothes or showing you the way, so you don't need to shake hands with him first, then observe and decide.

　　
Preparation: when you enter the living room, don't worry about finding seats. Westerners usually have to deal with all kinds of situations on this occasion and wait for their hosts to introduce other guests to themselves. You can choose a cup of wine from the waiter's drink and other drinks, and chat with others. When the dining room door opens, the hostess and hostess will bring everyone into the dining room. The hostess and the male guest should walk in the end. But if the male guest is a big man, the hostess and he may be in the front.

　　
Admission: the rules for Western-style dining are very fastidious, and seats are usually arranged. At this time, a gentleman or woman who comes with you will never be seated by your side. Europeans and Americans think that there are many opportunities for acquaintances to chat, so take advantage of this opportunity to make more friends. The male and female owners are seated on the top and bottom of the rectangular table. The hostess is on the right side of the male guest and the hostess on the right is the female guest of honor. Other guests are sitting in pairs. Before going to the table, the man should help the lady on the right to pull up the chair.

 
　　
After everyone is seated, the owner takes a napkin and you follow the napkin. Remember: no matter what happens at the moment (if the host has the habit of praying before dinner), you can't take napkins without your napkin.

　　
Meals: the general menu is three to five dishes. The first three dishes should be cold dishes, soup, fish. The last two dishes are the main course (meat or seafood plus vegetables), dessert or fruit, and finally coffee and snacks. When you eat, don't put all your energy on the enjoyment of the stomach. Talk to the people around you. After the dessert is finished, if the coffee doesn't appear, then you may go to the living room later. In short, when the hostess puts up her napkin on the table, you can put the napkin away from the seat. At this time, courteous men have to stand up to help ladies pull chairs. The ladies who take care of them do not have to have a special idea about the previous courtesy. This is what he should do.

　　
Goodbye: if you don't want to be too eye-catching, you'd better not leave the first one, nor do you want to leave the last one. Whenever you leave, you can go away.