There are two common approaches to determining how to begin.At smaller events, it is common to wait to take a bite until everyone at the table has received a serving and the hostess has begun eating. Sometimes a hostess may urge her guests to eat immediately upon receiving the food. This is especially true at larger events,swhereswaiting for everyone would allow it to get cold. In this case, wait until one or two of the other guests are ready to begin as well, so that you are not the only person at the table who is eating.

　　Posture坐姿

　　Proper posture at the table is very important. Sit up straight, with your arms held near your body. You should neither lean on the back of the chair nor bend forward to place the elbows on the table.

　　Eating Soup喝汤

　　Dip the spoonsintosthe soup, moving it away from the body, until it is about two-thirds full, then sip the liquid from the side of the spoon.

　　Finger Bowls洗指碗

　　At formal events, it will be either before or after the dessert course. Often there is a slice of lemon floating in the water. All you need to know is that you should delicately dip your fingertips in the water, dry them off with your napkin, and set the bowl to the side of your plate.

　　Offering Food提供食物

　　Take note, when you are the host of a party, urging someone to "have another helping" can be seen as an unpleasant insinuation (暗示)that the guest has eaten too much.

　　"Please Pass the Salt."“请把盐递给我。”

　　The proper response to this request is to pick up both the salt and the pepper and to place them on the table within reach of the person next to you, who will do the same, and so on, until they reach the person who asked for them.

　　Removing Inedible Items from the Mouth把不能吃的从嘴里拿出

　　The general rule for removing food from your mouth is that it should go out the same way it went in.