When arranging seats, the basic practices at home and abroad are different. When arranging seats on foreign-related occasions, international practice should generally be observed.
1. China's traditional practice
When arranging side-by-side seats, China's traditional practice is to "put the left first", that is, to think that the left position is higher than the right position. At present, this method is still widely used in holding meetings and taking official photos in China.
2. international common practice
when arranging seats side by side, the international common practice is "putting right first", that is, the position on the right is higher than that on the left. It has been widely used in foreign-related occasions.
regarding China people's standing, the core of etiquette is people's social behavior norms, which are the social behavior norms, moral standards and various etiquette that China people have become accustomed to and customized. The so-called "courtesy is popular with the people, so it is indisputable"; "Enough food and clothing, courtesy to prosperity", courtesy is the control of personal interests and the scheduling of people's interests. Politeness means humility and concession, and "courtesy" and "concession" are often connected, which is the origin and interpretation of the word "comity".
The earliest ceremony and the most common and important ceremony in China can be said to be the food ceremony. "At the beginning of a husband's ceremony, all kinds of food begin", and food is used to worship God, which shows that "ceremony" is a very grand thing and originated very early. Rites are based on personal cultural knowledge and spiritual cultivation. The best occasion to test a person's accomplishment is a group banquet. Therefore, "A child can eat food and teach his right hand" (Book of Rites, Internal Rules), and the first lesson of family enlightenment ethics is food etiquette. And the basic etiquette and central link of the elaborate food ceremony at China banquet is the seating ceremony at the banquet-"seating". In history, Liu Bang, the emperor gaozu of Han Dynasty, made his fortune because he was "sitting" at the banquet of "heavy guests" ordered by Pei County. At that time, it was still "sitting on the floor" and "sitting on the table", which was the "seat of honor" of the banquet, that is, the "seat end". The "sitting on the table" at this banquet is different from time to time because of the historical evolution of the basic eating utensils, several cases and the shape of dining tables and chairs. Before the Han Dynasty, "Xi Nan was facing north and the west was the top", that is, sitting facing east was the top. The seating of the Hongmen Banquet in Records of the Historian Xiang Yu is a norm: "Xiang Wang and Xiang Bo sit east, while the father sits south, and the father is Fan Zeng. Pei Gong sat in the north and Zhang Liang sat in the west. This is what Gu Yanwu said: "The ancients sat in the east." It refers to the seating ceremony of a banquet in the "room". On the "hall" located in the center of the front of the main building of the palace, which faces south, the south is the most respected, followed by the west and the east again. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the way of living began to change from sitting on a bed to sitting with feet hanging high. All kinds of square and rectangular dining tables were available, and the seating interests also changed. The square table is represented by the "Eight Immortals Table" with a side length of 92.5 cm and a height of 87.5 cm. The table is specially designed for distinguished guests, and can be served by 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 people. In addition to the special table, more than two people, generally for the 1:1 host-guest system. The round table was born at the request of a large number of people and a large number of seats. At first, people who used to use the square table were quite uncomfortable, as Yuan Mei said in his poem "Garden": "I don't know who is the chief, but I only feel that I can add guests when I sit."
The dining table style that was popular in hotels and restaurants after the round table became the mid-Qing Dynasty is also widely used in families today, especially in the catering industry and the canteens of government agencies and enterprises. Its seating position generally depends on the orientation and decoration design style of the restaurant or room, or the orientation of the door, the sunrise, or the center of gravity and prominent position reflected in the design and decoration style of the hall and room. Usually, when the waiter sets the table, the mouth cloth is folded into flowers, birds and other shapes, and the first shape will be very eye-catching and make people know at a glance. For grand banquets, seat cards (seat tags) are often placed in front of each table seat, and the invitations are marked with the table number of the banquet. In this way, it is not easy to make mistakes, either by the master of ceremonies, or by following the map and taking a seat accordingly.
as far as the specific seats of a dining table are concerned, the current norms for Chinese food are: the host sits in the middle of the top, the guest of honor is on the right, the deputy guest of honor is on the left, and the other guests and the banquet guests are arranged in turn from right to left and from top to bottom
, which is an established practice, so its time and space are quite different. However, according to the current concept of our country, the position is superior and the age is subordinate. Of course, this is the general mode that will be followed after the chief seat is determined.
In the arrangement of banquet seats, we should pay attention to the following points: 1. Take the host and hostess as the center, with the position of the left hand as the top and the position close to the host and hostess as the top; 2. Couples should not be adjacent, men and women should be adjacent in turn, and the host and host should be adjacent to the guests in turn; The interpreter can sit on the right side of the guest of honor. On some large occasions, you can also arrange meals behind the host and guest. 4. It is our custom to take the direction facing the serving door as the first priority. ? If it is a round-table banquet, if there are male and female hosts, guests and couples present, the male host should sit in the middle of the table, with the male host and interpreter on his right and the wife and hostess on his left. The second host sits opposite the host. The rest of the host and guest sit alternately.
Western-style banquet: There are many kinds of tableware in western-style banquet, each with its own usage and different placement. There are different ways to eat different foods. If you can't remember clearly for a while, you can first observe how others use tableware and eat. If there are several pairs of knives and forks on both sides of the dish, you should use the outermost one first. After the first course is finished, the waiter will remove the dish together with the knife and fork, and then use a second set of knives and forks. If there are several knives, forks and spoons of different sizes, they have different uses. The correct way to use a knife and fork is to hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right hand. Hold the food (food to be cut into small pieces) with the fork, cut it with the knife, and then lift it into your mouth with the fork. Eat a piece and cut a piece. When the knife and fork are used together, the fork teeth should face down. You can also put down the knife and change the fork to the right hand to fork the food after cutting a small piece. If the knife and fork are not used together, the fork teeth should face up. A knife can be used to put food on a fork, but you can't send food to your mouth with a knife. When using a knife and fork, you can't make noise with the dish and soup plate. When a dish is not finished, the knife and fork should be placed on the edge of the dish in a figure of eight, with the fork teeth facing down. After eating, put the knife and fork together on the plate, and the waiter will know that he can take it off. Note: The blade should never face outward. ? Larger napkins can be folded in two, with their mouths on their knees and not tied around their necks. You can wipe your mouth and hands with a corner of your napkin, but you must never use it to clean the tableware. ? Serve food from the left, and withdraw from the right after eating. But pouring wine starts from the right. If you can't figure this out, you may misuse the drinks and food of your neighbor. At the beginning of the banquet, the hostess picked up the knife and fork to show that all the guests can eat. You can eat as long as you get food in the future, and you don't have to wait. You should be gentle when eating and drinking, and keep your mouth shut when chewing food, and don't make any noise. Don't talk with your mouth full. Spit bones, fishbones, etc. in your hands and then put them on the edge of the plate. You can't spit directly on the plate or tablecloth. It is best to use tableware to remove bones and thorns first, so as not to make the entrance. If you meet a dish you don't like, you shouldn't refuse it. You can ask for a little less and try some, waiting for the waiter to withdraw. Don't stand up to pick up food or feed. When drinking a drink, first wipe off the oil stains on your lips with a corner of your napkin to avoid leaving oil stains on the mouth of the cup. The spoon you use when drinking soup should be the largest one in front of your seat. The small one may be a dessert spoon. When drinking soup, scoop it up and send it to your mouth. Don't sip it aloud. If the soup is too hot, you can scoop a spoonful and blow it to cool before drinking. In case you can't swallow it in your mouth, take a sip of cold water or drink quickly. When scooping soup, the spoon should enter from the close side of the soup plate and scoop it up from the far side. When it cannot be scooped up, you can tilt the plate slightly outward with your left hand. ?
don't move the used plates. Put the glass back every time you finish drinking. If the spilled wine spills on the neighbor, you should say "I'm sorry" and help dry it, or call the waiter to clean it up. If the neighbor is a lady, just hand in a clean napkin or handkerchief and dry it herself. If you find something unclean in the dish, you can quietly call the waiter and let him change it again. Don't disturb the four seats. If you don't want to add more wine, you can refuse it, or you can lightly block the rim of the cup with your finger. If the host entertains guests in a restaurant, please ask the guests to order. Any food ordered by the guests should be explained to the host, not directly to the waiter. The water for washing your fingers is usually in a glass basin, some with a few petals, and some with a pad at the bottom. Don't mistake it for drinking water. ?
When eating loose food such as salad, you can eat it with a fork, with the fork teeth facing up, or you can help push the salad onto the fork with a small piece of bread. All kinds of dried fruits, biscuits, dry snacks, potato chips, lobster chips, etc. can be eaten with your hands. Noodles can be rolled up with a fork, not picked with a fork. Take the bread by hand and put it on your own platter or on the edge of a big plate. Use a butter knife instead of your own knife, take a small piece of butter or jam, put it in your own saucer, break off a small piece of edible bread by hand, spread it with butter or jam, wipe it and eat it. You can't cut the bread with a knife. If the bread is sliced, you can't spread the whole piece of bread with butter and send it to your mouth. You should also break it into small pieces to eat. ?
how to eat fruit: cut pears and apples into four pieces, peel and remove the core, and eat a small piece with your hand. Peel bananas, cut them into small pieces on a plate, and eat them with a fork. You can't hold a peeled banana in your hand and send it to your mouth to bite. Cut the orange into four pieces and peel it to eat. Watermelon and pineapple are generally peeled and cut into pieces and sent to the table, which can be eaten with forks. When eating grapes, spit them in the palm of your hand and put them on the plate. When peeling fruit, the blade faces inward and peels from outside to inside. ?
for tea or coffee, if you need sugar and milk, you can bring it yourself or ask someone to deliver it, but don't stand up to get it. There is a special clip for taking sugar cubes. If there is no clip, you can use your hands. Don't use a spoon. The spoon is used to stir sugar or milk, and then put it in a small dish. When drinking, hold the dish with your left hand, hold the cup handle with your right hand, and pick up the cup to drink. You can't spoon it like soup. ?
never put your elbows on the table. ?
At present, Chinese food is usually divided by waiters. If you take food from the big plate again, you should use public chopsticks instead of your own tableware. After eating, chopsticks should be placed flat on the table and should not be inserted on the food in the bowl or plate. Last but not least, you should not pick your teeth at the dinner table.
western etiquette
1. Sit on the left side of the chair. The most appropriate way to sit is to sit on the left side. When the chair is pulled away, the body will stand up straight at a distance almost touching the table, and the leader will push the chair in, and when the leg bends and touches the chair behind, you can sit down. When sitting, keep your body straight, don't put your elbows on the table, don't tilt your feet, and don't fiddle with the tableware set on the dining table. Open the napkin after ordering. Fold the napkin in half and gently put it on your lap. Napkins can be used to wipe your mouth or hands, not to wipe dishes or face. When you dirty your mouth, be sure to wipe it with a napkin and avoid using your own handkerchief. It's best not to stuff napkins into the neckline. It is polite to wipe the inside of a meal instead of soiling its front. Fingers are also wiped with napkins after washing. If the napkin is badly dirty, please ask the waiter to replace it. When you have to spit out bad food, don't spit it on the plate. It's best to spit it on a napkin and ask for a new tablecloth when others are not paying attention. Appetizer, main course (fish or meat) and dessert are the most appropriate combination. Ordering is not from the appetizer, but from the favorite main course, followed by soup suitable for the main course.
2. When eating, the upper arm and back should lean against the back of the chair, and the abdomen should keep a fist distance from the table. It is best to avoid sitting with your feet crossed. Remember to eat with your head held high, and when you send the food in front of you to your mouth, you should eat it with the food instead of bending down to eat it with your mouth. In the set meal of formal western-style cuisine, knives and forks with different shapes are often used according to the characteristics of different cuisines, and not all of them are displayed at the beginning. When it comes to the complete set, it is easy to remind people of the picture of silverware on the dining table, but now it is mostly the mainstream to order 2-3 single dishes. When eating with knives and forks, the knives and forks and spoons are arranged in the order of use. The first one is placed on the outer side farthest from the main dish, and the second one is placed near the inner side of the main dish. If the main course is served first and then the salad is served, the main course fork should be placed on the outside of the salad fork to take the knife and fork from the outside to the inside, and the fork should be held in the left hand and the knife in the right hand when eating western food; The left index finger is close to the fork handle, and the right index finger is pressed on the back of the knife. The spoon can be taken by holding the pen. When cutting things, hold the fork in your left hand and hold the food, and hold the knife in your right hand to cut it into small pieces and send it to your mouth with a fork. When using a knife, the blade should not be outward. When you put down your knife and fork in a meal, you should put it in a figure of eight and divide it into plates. The blade is facing itself, indicating that you will continue to eat. After each dish, put the knife and fork together on the plate. If you are talking, you can hold a knife and fork without putting it down. When you don't use a knife, you can hold a fork in your right hand, but if you need to make gestures, you should put down your knife and fork, never wave and shake it in the air with your hand, and never wipe your mouth with a napkin in one hand, nor take a glass in one hand and a fork in the other. Remember, never put one end of the knife and fork on the plate and the other end on the table.
3. Don't sip when drinking soup, but shut up and chew when eating. Don't lick your lips or smack your lips. If the soup is overheated, wait until it is slightly cold before eating, and don't blow it with your mouth. When drinking soup, scoop it out from the inside 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 eating the soup, leave the spoon in the soup plate (bowl) and point the spoon at yourself.
4. When eating fish, meat and other dishes with thorns or bones, don't spit directly. Cover your mouth with a napkin and spit gently on the fork and put it into the plate. Leftover chicken, fish bones and dregs are placed on the outer edge of your plate, not on the table, let alone on the ground. If there is a small amount of dishes left in the plate, don't scrape the bottom of the plate with a fork, let alone use your fingers to help you eat, but use a small piece of bread or fork to help you eat. When eating noodles, you should roll them up with a fork and then send them into your mouth.
5. Bread is usually 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.
6. When eating chicken, most Europeans and Americans regard chicken breast as the most expensive. When eating chicken legs, you should first remove the bones forcibly, and don't eat them with your hands. When eating fish, don't turn the fish over. After eating the upper layer, remove the fish bones with a knife and fork, and then eat the meat at the lower layer. When eating meat, cut one piece and eat one piece. The pieces can't be cut too big, or cut all the meat into pieces at once.
7. If you want to add milk or sugar when drinking coffee, stir it evenly with a small spoon and put the spoon on the saucer of coffee. When drinking, you should hold the cup handle in your right hand, put the saucer on your left hand, and drink directly with your mouth, instead of scooping it with a spoon. When eating fruit, don't bite the whole fruit. Cut it into four pieces with a fruit knife, then remove the skin and core with a knife and fork it.
8. Eat meat with bones with a knife and fork. When eating meat with bones, you can eat it with your hands. If you want to eat more elegantly, you'd better use a knife. Fix the whole piece of meat with a fork (you can put the fork up and press the meat with the back of the fork), then insert a knife along the bone and cut the meat. It is best to eat while cutting. When you have to eat it by hand, hand washing water will be attached. When hand washing water is served with meat with bones, it means "please eat with your hands". After eating with your fingers, wash your fingers in a bowl filled with hand washing water. When eating ordinary dishes, if you get your fingers dirty, you can also ask the waiter to bring hand washing water, and pay attention to washing your hands gently.
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