Western Dining Etiquette Dos & Don'ts
Local Hongkongers are accustomed to using communal chopsticks when dining out, a practice rooted in Chinese dining etiquette for both hygiene and courtesy. In contrast to Chinese dining, Western dining involves more nuances, whether it's a buffet, fine dining, or a cocktail party. If diners and servers understand the proper table manners, it enhances one's refinement and professionalism. The essence of Western dining etiquette lies in doing only one thing at a time – staying focused during meals without multitasking, as any attempt to do so may lead to awkward situations.
Buffet style
Dos for Diners:
1.Roll up your sleeves before taking food
Apart from preventing clothes from touching and potentially contaminating the food, it also gives a professional impression and shows an understanding of table manners.
2.Take care of the elderly and children accompanying you
Buffets often serve hot dishes and have sharp utensils around, so it's important to supervise children and the elderly to ensure they use them safely. Enjoying a buffet is also an opportunity for children to learn social interaction, sharing food, and table manners.
3.Take only an appropriate amount of food each time
Foods are usually refilled a couple of times at the buffet, so there's no need to take a large amount at once to avoid giving the impression of greediness.
Don'ts for Diners:
1. Do not cut in line
Ask politely if you can go ahead when in a rush. If there are special reasons, such as being in a hurry or having low blood pressure or blood sugar and needing to eat first, it is necessary to politely ask the diners in front if you can take food first.
2. Don’t eat in the buffet line
If you want to taste the food, you should take a small amount first and return to your seat. Take more if desired after tasting it.
3. Do not put food back on the serving plate
Once food has been placed on your plate, never put it back as it can easily cause cross-contamination with bacteria.
Sit-down style
Dos for Diners:
1. Using utensil from outside in
In a restaurant, utensils are arranged based on the order of dishes served. Following the "from outside in" sequence ensures correct usage of utensils.
2. Leaving the table mid-meal
If you need to leave the table during the meal, inform your tablemates. When leaving, neatly fold the napkin and place it next to the left side of your plate, with the soiled side folded inward.
3. Gentle toasting when drinking
In Fine Dining settings, it's generally not to clink glasses with fellow diners. Simply lift your glass gently instead.
4. Ladling soup outward
When having soup, ladle from the center of the bowl outward, filling only half or two-thirds of the spoon. When there's a small amount of soup left in the bowl, gently lift the bowl, pouring the remaining soup from inside to outside, minimizing any collision noise.
Don'ts for Diners:
1. Food on fork or spoon
It's impolite to take a bite or finish food on the fork or spoon in increments. The proper etiquette is to finish the entire bite in one go.
2. Meat cutting
Pre-cutting the entire piece of meat before eating is considered impolite. The respectful approach is to cut it just before taking each bite.
3. Soup taking etiquette
When having soup, avoid holding the spoon in your mouth or licking the soup off the spoon, and refrain from making noise while having soup.
4. Elbows on the table
Keep your elbows off the table to avoid giving the impression of impatience or dissatisfaction with the food.
5. Used utensils on the table
Place used knives and forks on the plate for easy collection by the server. Spoons should not be left in the soup bowl; instead, rest them on the plate under the soup bowl.
6. Blowing on hot food
It’s not considered proper to blow on hot food or beverages with your mouth to cool them down.
7. Using toothpicks at the table
It is highly impolite in Western dining etiquette to use toothpicks at the table for dental hygiene.
8. Dropping napkins or utensils
If a napkin or utensils drop, don't pick them up yourself and let the server assist. Also, avoid vigorously wiping your mouth with the napkin; the proper way is to have a gentle dab with a corner of the napkin.