table manners

Table Manners at a Dinner Party

People who go to a formal western dinner party for the first time may be surprised by the table manners in western culture. Knowing them will help you make a good impression.

Having good table manners means knowing, for example, how to use knifes and forks, when to drink the toast and how to behave at the table. Beside your napkin, you will find a small red bowls with three glasses, one for white wine, one for red wine and one for water. There are two pairs of knifes and forks in the table, forks in the left and knives on the right of the plate. When you see two spoons, the big one is for the soup and the small one for the dessert. The knife and fork that are close to your plate are a little bit bigger than the one beside them. When you sit down at the table, you can take your napkin, and fold it and put it on your lag. In China, you sometimes get a hot damp cloth to clean your face and hands, which however is not the custom in western countries. Dinner start with a small dish, which is often called a starter.

Some people pray before they start eating and other people may keep silence for a moment. Then you could say “Enjoy your meal”to each other, and everybody starts eating. For the starter, which you use for the smaller pair, you keep the knife in the right hand and the fork in the left. After the start, you will get a bowl of soup, but only one bowl of the soup and never ask for the second serving. The next dish is the main

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