Dining customs in Europe, France and Austria

Overall, if you remain charming and polite, think of others, and avoid offending or insulting other diners, you will not go wrong. In fact, differences in the way different cultures do things will be the topic of conversation after dinner.

In China, if you eat all the food on your plate, the host will think that the food is not provided enough and the reception is not considerate. However, in the West, our over-pampering mothers always make us eat all the food and say that there are children in Asia who cannot eat anything-of course, this logic has never convinced children when eating cabbage.

At a formal Western dinner party, the host and hostess sit at opposite ends of the table, that is, both ends. The male guest with the highest status and the most important status sits on the right of the hostess, while the female guest with the highest status sits on the right of the male host. Sitting on both sides were guests, whom the host had arranged according to their importance. Men and women will sit next to each other, and if the number of guests is equal, men and women should also sit face to face. This is also the position arrangement that many people want. Nowadays, at private entertainment dinners, the strict procedures give way to the advice of the host and hostess themselves, with those who are most interested or have the most topics to talk about sitting on their right.

In the Middle Ages, in the homes of royal families and lords, the master and his most important guests would sit at the same table and eat, while those who were not important enough would sit at separate tables. The symbolic salt cellar is not so much used to put salt as a symbol of a ritual. This is the highlight of goldsmiths or silversmiths 'craftsmanship, which is always placed on the left hand of a gentleman.

Guests with not too high status sit on the left side of the host, and the salt goes down. "Salt goes further" means that these people are less important or worthy of attention.

It's amazing how many old rules people still use. For example, break the bread first before eating it, and don't bite off a large piece of bread on the bread stick, because it will be given to the poor later. Back in the old days, people always brought their own knives and washed their own table cloth after eating. It's also impolite to say rude things about others or make a mess of everything.

Anyway, back to now, if your guests do something wrong, don't care too much-it would be a mistake to care too much about yourself. Make this embarrassing scene seem accidental, join them and hide the angry artillery itself.

If soups and desserts are cold, you should wait until everyone has served before starting eating. The rule of drinking soup only works when it is hot (you can drink it as soon as your own soup is served).

Before smoking at the table, ask others in the room if they allow it.

wine glass

The most common one in the

is the water cup.

A round cup with short legs is a red wine glass.

The long-legged, slimmer wine glass is the white wine glass.

The small, oddly shaped one is a gin cup.

The long and narrow one is the champagne glass, called the "flute".

Short, round or square glasses are for whiskey and other drinks.

A 1 pint sized glass is for drinking beer.

The round cup that can stand on your nose is for drinking while reading the menu.

The bulbous shape is the brandy glass-to see if it is enough, gently tilt the glass so that the glass can lie on the table, and the liquid should just climb to the mouth of the glass.

Warm the brandy in the palm of your hand. A real sommelier would put his hand on the mouth of the glass, turn it upside down, remove it, and then smell the wine.

Don't use those small, shallow glasses for champagne, they will make you drink more (which is not a good thing). Use a cup of some height, a grooved cup, or to save money, use a white wine glass with a long neck. The neck is important because it keeps your hands far away from the foam, and you need a relatively high lip so that it doesn't splash out. It also gives those bubbles space to float freely in the air, which looks cool.

Austria

In Austria, it is considered unreasonable not to look each other directly in the eye when clinking glasses. If you want to clink glasses with someone during a meal, why can't you look at the person you want to toast? If you look directly into the eyes of the person you are clinking glasses with, you are respecting the person's existence.

There are many varieties of coffee here, especially in the coffee shops in Vienna. Austrian Mocha or Klein Schwarzer are both close to espresso, but the extraction process is slower. There are many types of moka alone:

·

großer Schwarzer-Double Mocha

·

kleiner Brauner or großer Brauner-single or double mocha with milk

·

Verlängerter-Distilled Mocha with Milk·

Melange-Semi-mocha, semi-hot milk, usually with a layer of foam

·

Franziskaner-Melange with whipped cream instead of foam

·

Kapuziner-Klein Schwarzer with a few drops of whipped cream·

Einsänner-großer Schwarzer with whipped cream

France

The French are famous for their many rules in their food. This is a condensed version of the rules passed down from the court of Louis XIV, although at the time these rules and regulations penetrated into every household and restaurant. Here are a few tips to help you pay attention to dining etiquette in France.

If you go to a restaurant, the tableware is placed with the spoon and fork of the fork inward. However, in French homes, this is considered impolite, and they place spoons and forks outward.

Having both hands visible is a way to imply politeness when eating in France. If you can't see one or both hands, people will think you may be playing with some lady or man's leg. Also, if you eat in a restaurant at night, please turn off your mobile phone. The French distinguish work and leisure very clearly. If your phone rings, wait for others to stare at you contemptuously.

If you eat in a French restaurant, the ladies usually sit in seats with their backs against the wall, while the men face the ladies and the wall.

If you also find that French people rarely use trimmings when eating bread, it is acceptable to place endless rolls on the table cloth. They have a very sophisticated gadget called the rammsse miettes crumb harvester), which is for this purpose. The Ramasse miettes is usually a hand-held mini table cloth vacuum cleaner, but can also be used on the blade side. French waiters hate touching leftovers, so they will quickly clear your table without touching anything.

After eating, place both the knife and fork in the middle of the plate. If you want to eat more, put it on both sides, but still put it on a plate.

When eating shellfish, use an empty shell as pliers to clamp the food into each plate, and finally place the shell on the lid of the jar that is delivered.

Olive stones are harmful. Keep it on your own plate and never put them in an ashtray-this is a common abuse committed by non-smokers.

In France, toothpicks are acceptable. Use your free hand to press it to your upper lip and cover your mouth with the other hand so no one can see what you are doing. Put the toothpick on a plate and do not throw it on the floor or in an ashtray. If there are no plates, put them on the table. Don't look at what you just pulled out between your teeth. It's disgusting.

French people rarely drink coffee after 3 or 4 p.m. If you order, don't be surprised that others will look a little weird. There is nothing wrong with this but you must know it.

In southern France, the rules are slightly different: you can use the same knife and fork for the first and last dishes. After eating a dish, place the fork and spoon on the left side of the plate and place the blade between the forks.

Also in the south, if you are stirring a salad and something falls off your plate, there is a superstition that you will be born next year.