From "sitting dressed" to "using knives and forks", what are British table manners like?

When you think of Britain, the first thing that comes to mind is definitely gentlemen and ladies. It is also world-famous in terms of food. The British diet is very simple and the recipes are very simple. Therefore, the international consensus is that Britain has no food culture and cannot be compared with French cuisine and Italian cuisine. But when it comes to table manners, the British are certainly world-famous.

Nowadays, more and more people are able to study, work, and even immigrate abroad. For those who are new to the UK, it is very necessary to master polite and practical table manners. However, British table manners are relatively complicated and many British people are not able to figure them out. Today I will introduce the British one-stop table manners so that everyone can show themselves as a gentleman and a lady.

Meal preparation

1. Make reservations. People in European and American countries attach great importance to their time. Even if you want to ask a good friend for dinner, you have to call in advance to make a reservation with your friend. If you don’t make a reservation, Very rude. You must also make a reservation before going to the restaurant. When calling in advance to make a reservation, you must clarify the number of people, time, and requirements for the table, such as whether you smoke or have a wide view, etc.

It is the most basic courtesy to arrive before the appointment time. If there is an emergency and you need to cancel the appointment, you must apologize. This is very different from ours in China. Our table manners do not include reservations. Many times it may be an impromptu decision.

2. Dress appropriately. It is very impolite to wear inappropriate clothes in a high-end Western restaurant, and it is also impolite to the people dining with you.

Generally speaking, men are neatly dressed. If they are wearing a suit, they must wear a tie; women usually wear evening gowns or suits and heeled shoes. Women’s makeup can be slightly thicker, because in Western restaurants The lights are relatively dim.

3. Sit down. From the moment you enter a Western restaurant, every action of a man starts with "ladies first", from opening the door for a woman, pulling out a stool for a woman, to ordering food. If you don't know what you want to eat, you don't have to rush to order after you sit down. If you have any questions, you can ask the waiter. They are very happy to answer, even if they don't know, they will ask the maitre d' and chef and then give a reply.

After sitting down, do not move the tableware on the table at will. Fold the napkin on the plate into a rectangle or triangle and place it on your thighs, with the open side facing you. Don't forget that napkins have only two functions:

Firstly, put them on your thighs to prevent stains from staining your clothes;

Secondly, after finishing the meal, use the inward side to wipe the corners of your mouth.

Don’t use napkins to wipe the table, and don’t use them to sneeze. This is very ungraceful. It is best not to leave the table during the meal, but if you must leave, just leave the napkin on your seat. This is also a signal to the butler that I have not finished eating yet and am just leaving temporarily.

A variety of meticulous etiquette makes people feel comfortable without being too alienated. Even we, known as a country of etiquette, have become eclipsed at this time.

Start the meal

This is very different from the meal in my country. In China, all the dishes are served together and everyone uses chopsticks to eat together. But in the UK, the order in which meals are served is also particular. In very formal occasions, a meal consists of 7 courses, but in most Western restaurants, it is usually three courses. Let's talk about the serving order of the three courses, the dishes and the matching red wine.

Meals are usually served before the main course, and are divided into cold appetizers and hot appetizers.

Cold appetizers are high-end dishes among appetizers, including foie gras, black mushrooms, caviar, etc.; hot appetizers include smoked salmon or snails with vanilla butter. The original meaning of appetizers is to arouse people's appetite. Most of them are small quantities but high quality foods that stimulate the taste buds.

Foie Gras

The second is the main course.

Meat and poultry are both main dishes. The most well-known meat is steak, which is paired with sauce; poultry includes chicken, duck, and goose, and chicken is the most commonly used. This is different from China, no matter what kind of meat is eaten, there are no bones.

After the main meal is served, there is also wine to match.

We should all know that "red wine goes with red meat, and white wine goes with white meat." Red wine has different contents of tannins. Tannins will give people a tight taste, and when paired with greasy wine Red meat, the bitterness of tannins is also alleviated. This is why Westerners often drink red wine after eating red meat.

Dinner and wine

White wine is sweeter than red wine, and aquatic products generally have a stronger fishy smell. When these two flavors meet, a chemical reaction will occur, making the fishy smell disappear. . This is similar to how chefs use lemon slices with white meat. At the same time, the acidity in the white wine will become softer. The less exciting white wine will taste very comfortable when paired with the light white meat.

There are also many types of desserts after meals, so you can choose according to your personal taste.

In China, everyone’s taste must be considered when dining together, but it is different in the West. Although there are many dining etiquettes, you can still decide what to eat on your plate based on your own taste.

Use of tableware

There are three types of tableware on the table: knives, forks and spoons.

When using a knife, remember: the knife is used to cut food. Do not use the knife to pick up food and put it into your mouth. Hold the knife in your right hand, and make sure the blade does not point outwards. There are usually three knives on the table: a small serrated knife for cutting meat; a medium-sized knife for cutting vegetables; and a small, delicate knife with a sharp tip. It is a round knife used for spreading jam or butter.

The fork is held in the left hand to lift food into the mouth. Keep the fork opening downward and use the back of the fork to serve food, even when eating peas, so be sure to pay attention to the quantity. It is very rude to pick up too much food and the food accidentally falls from the fork. of. When putting the fork into your mouth, bite the food with your teeth only and do not touch the fork. Do not make any noise. When you put down the cutlery, do not make any noise by colliding with the plate.

There are also many kinds of spoons: smaller ones are used for coffee and desserts after meals; flat spoons are used to spread butter or divide cakes; larger ones are used to drink soup or hold broken pieces food.

Another great function of tableware is to tell others whether you have finished eating. If you have not finished eating yet and need to leave the table temporarily, place the knife and fork crosswise on the edge of the plate; after eating, place the knife and fork parallel to one side of the plate.

When using a knife and fork, do not put your elbows on the table and keep your hands at a certain distance from the table. This is a more authentic posture.

Another little tip: no matter what tableware you use, don't make a sound by colliding with the plate. If you make a sound accidentally, you must apologize; when eating, don't make a sound.

When you want to drink, don’t use your whole palm to hold the cup, because when the waiter takes out the wine, the temperature of the wine has been kept at the time when it tastes best. Use your whole palm to touch the cup. , body temperature will affect the taste of wine. Just hold the corner of the glass with your thumb, index finger and middle finger. If you need to clink glasses, you only need to clink glasses with the first glass. There is no need to clink glasses with subsequent glasses.

There is only one thing on the elegant dining table that you can hold with your hands, and that is bread. Don't touch all the bread in the basket. Once you select the bread you want, you can take it away with your hands. This is the same concept as when we in China are not allowed to eat when picking up food.

When eating bread, keep an elegant posture. Don't put the whole bread into your mouth. It's very rude to gobble it up. Tear it into small pieces with your hands, and then touch the butter with a butter knife. This is It's ready to eat.

Don’t chatter while eating, but don’t be silent either. Talk to others appropriately to make the atmosphere at the table more comfortable.

Finally, there is another very important step - mobile phone. Please put your mobile phone in your bag when eating. Do not put your mobile phone on the table, and do not look at your mobile phone. This is very impolite.

The British are famous for their politeness, and of course they can be seen everywhere at the dinner table. Say "thank you" to the usher, say "thank you" to the waiter after ordering, say "thank you" to the waiter after the meal is served, and even say "thank you" when paying and tipping.

Such thoughtful etiquette is extremely inappropriate for us. Even though we are called a country of interests, there is a big gap between us in terms of etiquette.

In a Western restaurant, no one will chat loudly, and no one will call the waiter arrogantly. Everyone is bathed in comfortable music, enjoying the food under the comfortable and gentle light, and the waiter will Pay attention to the customer's intentions at all times, and immediately come forward to ask if you find anything unusual.

So if your napkin is dirty or you need some service, you just need to raise your hand slightly and the waiter will serve you immediately.

I remember a friend said that when you go to a Western restaurant to eat, what you eat is not the food, but the atmosphere.

In a restaurant with elegant piano music playing, the light reflected on the marble is soft, the food is delicious, the companions sitting opposite are well-dressed and dining elegantly, and everyone speaks at a volume that each other can hear. , maintaining a comfortable dining atmosphere with each other.

Although British dining etiquette is relatively cumbersome, it is a very important part of British culture, and every gesture shows the British gentlemanly style. On the other hand, China, although it is known as a country of etiquette, has not done well in many aspects.

Noisy restaurants, rudeness and impoliteness, going one's own way, etc., are all highlighted. Especially after the import of Western culture, we began to come into contact with foreign cultural etiquette. Instead, we ridiculed our own cultural etiquette and did not think deeply about changing it.

As Mr. Bo Yang said, many times, we only care about the face seen by outsiders, but forget the inner content. The result looks bright and beautiful on the surface, but turns out to be a rotten apple. Therefore, we must understand ourselves objectively, take the best of foreign culture and discard the dross.

At the "Informal Talks", the British representative said something that deeply touched me: Eating is not a casual thing, it must be ritualistic. Even though the UK does not have a food culture, for them, a sense of ritual is essential in life.