table culture

MealsThe usual meals in the United States are breakfast, lunch and supper. The time for breakfast differs according to people and circumstances. In the case of most middle class families it is generally between 7:30 and 8:30. For breakfast they have fruit juice, then a cereal such as oatmeal or corn flakes with milk. They also eat ham or bacon with' eggs, very commonly poached or scrambled. Toast or rolls are also served and, of course, coffee is essential.Lunch is usually served between 12 and 1:30. Some people find it impossible to go home for this meal, and so they take it in a cafeteria or restaurant. Those who are at home generally have cold meat with boiled or fried potatoes, another vegetable or salad and, at the end, coffee or tea with a dessert such as fresh or cooked fruit, pudding, pie or icecream.Americans do not go in for tea which is served between four and five. But Britishers cannot do without it. While only cake or cookies is served with tea in America, sandwithes, butteredbread or toast, cake or biscuits are served in the United Kingdom.Supper is served in the evening and is the most important meal of the day. Dinner is a more elaborate meal, such as one prepared for Sunday, a birthday or for some special occasion. It may be served either in the afternoon or evening. In most families the membere change their clothes before dinner. Food served for dinner differs depending on the case, but usually an appetizer, soup, fish, meat with vegetables, salad, dessert and coffee is the order.Don'ts at the Table1. Don't tuck the napkin in your vest or put it under your chin like a baby's bid. Spread it on your lap.2. Don't use your handkerchief for wiping your mputh when eating. Use the napkin.3. Don't put the napkin on the table when you must leave during the meal. It should be put on your chair. The napkin should be put back on the table only when the meal is finished. Don't fold it carefully. Just leave it in the natural manner as you have used it.4. Don't bend over your food. Keep the plate close to you and pull up your chair so that you don't have to lean forward. Sit up straight all the time.5. Don't bite a small piece out of a larger piece of food and return the rest to your plate.6. Don't lift your plate or saucer from the table.7. Don't drink with the spoon in your cup.8. Don't stir too soon when you put sugar into your tea or coffee. Allow enough time for the sugar to melt, then stir a few times and place the spoon on the far side of the saucer.9. Don't dip bread, doughnuts, cookies, etc. into tea, milk or any other liquid food.10. Don't make noises with your mouth. Close your mouth when eating. People make mouth noises because they eat without closing their mouths. When you drink yoursoup don't sip it, but swallow it all in one mouthful.11. Don't talk with your mouth full. If someone talks to you, wait until your mouth is empty before answering.12. Don't test tea or coffee to see if it is too hot by taking a spoonful. Never blow food to cool it.13. Don't try to reach for the salt or pepper in front of others. Ask your jieighbor to pass it.14. If you are a man , don' t eat with your hat or cap on in a restaurant. But never put a hat or a cap on the table. It could be hung up or put on a chair beside you.Differences between Chinese and Western Table Manners When the Chinese ask their guests to dinner, even .though there are dozens of excellent dishes on the table, the host is likely to say something like " There are no special dishes tonight. Please do feel at home and help yourselves. " The words of praise for the dishes are left for the guests. But this is entirely different in the West. If you are invited out to eat at the restaurant, you may be told by the host, "These are the best dishes cooked by the best chefs in the city. " If asking a guest to eat at his home, the host may say, "This is the best dish my wife cooks. " This is to show the guest the trouble he has taken.At a western dinner table, the seats are also arranged in a different way. Generally speaking, the host sits at the head of the table with the main guest sitting to his right, the second guest to his left, so on and so forth.When the hospitable Chinese host proposes a toast, if much exerted, he usually says "Bottom up J" and drinks down all the wine at one breath. Then he wants the guests to do the same, thinking in this way the guests will prove to be true friends. In the West, people also give toast. But it is up to the guests how much they drink. It is wise not to force women guests to drink up all the wine. Care should also be taken when you offer o'thers cigarettes. In western countries, the host only leaves the cigarettes on the table and lets the guests make their decision. If you offer your guests one cigarette after another, they will feel embarrassed instead of thanking you for that.Chinese eat with chopsticks while most of the westerners eat with knives and forks. Some westerners may be quite good at using chopsticks, but most of them are not. In setting a table at which westerners are entertained, it is always advisable to place knives and forks alongside the chopsticks.Chinese, at dinner parties, eat from dishes placed in the middle of the table. Westerners are not used to reaching for something over the table. But in China, it is usual to help oneself to the food placed at the center of the table. The foreign guests should be made to understand this difference in table manners.At a Chinese dinner, the host always presses more food onto the guest' s plate as soon as he has emptied it of the. previous helping. That often makes a foreign guest feel very awkward. He has to eat the food even if he doesn' t feel like it, because it is considered bad manners in the west to leave one' s food on the plate. On the contrary, a Chinese sits at, say, an American’ s dinner party, he very often refuses the offer of food or drink though in fact he is still hungry or thirsty. This might be goodmanners in China, but it is definitely not in the West. In the United States, it is impolite to keep asking someone again and again to eat more press something on him. Americans are very direct. If they want something, they will ask for it. If not. they will say, "No. thanks. " Here' s an example: When an American is offered beer by the host, and he doesn ' t like beer, he will probably say, " No, thanks. I just don'' t feel like it. I'11 take some Pepsi if you have it. " That is what an American will do. Americans consider it confusing to avoid telling the true facts, even if avoiding the truth is done only to be polite. Americans are taught that "Honesty is the best, policy. " But in some countries, courtesy might be more important than honesty. That is where misunderstandings occur.饮食英文词汇餐具:coffee pot 咖啡壶coffee cup 咖啡杯paper towel 纸巾napkin 餐巾table cloth 桌布tea-pot 茶壶tea set 茶具tea tray 茶盘caddy 茶罐dish 碟plate 盘saucer 小碟子rice bowl 饭碗chopsticks 筷子soup spoon 汤匙knife 餐刀cup 杯子glass 玻璃杯mug 马克杯picnic lunch 便当fruit plate 水果盘toothpick 牙签中餐:bear’s paw 熊掌breast of deer 鹿脯beche-de-mer; sea cucumber 海参salted jelly fish 海蜇皮kelp, seaweed 海带abalone 鲍鱼shark fin 鱼翅scallops 干贝lobster 龙虾bird’s nest 燕窝roast suckling pig 考乳猪pig’s knuckle 猪脚boiled salted duck 盐水鸭preserved meat 腊肉barbecued pork 叉烧sausage 香肠fried pork flakes 肉松BAR-B-Q 烤肉meat diet 荤菜vegetables 素菜meat broth 肉羹local dish 地方菜Cantonese cuisine 广东菜set meal 客饭curry rice 咖喱饭fried rice 炒饭plain rice 白饭crispy rice 锅巴gruel, soft rice , porridge 粥noodles with gravy 打卤面plain noodle 阳春面casserole 砂锅chafing dish, fire pot 火锅meat bun 肉包子shao-mai 烧麦preserved bean curd 腐乳bean curd 豆腐fermented blank bean 豆豉pickled cucumbers 酱瓜preserved egg 皮蛋salted duck egg 咸鸭蛋dried turnip 萝卜干冷饮:beverages 饮料soya-bean milk 豆浆syrup of plum 酸梅汤tomato juice 番茄汁orange juice 橘子汁coconut milk 椰子汁vegetable juice 蔬菜汁ginger ale 姜汁soft drink 汽水coco-cola (coke) 可口可乐black tea 红茶jasmine tea 茉莉(香片)tea bag 茶包lemon tea 柠檬茶honey 蜂蜜soda water 苏打水artificial color 人工色素ice water 冰水mineral water 矿泉水distilled water 蒸馏水long-life milk 保久奶condensed milk 炼乳; 炼奶cocoa 可可coffee mate 奶精coffee 咖啡iced coffee 冰咖啡white coffee 牛奶咖啡black coffee 纯咖啡essence of chicken 鸡精ice-cream cone 甜筒sundae 圣代; 新地ice-cream 雪糕soft ice-cream 窗淇淋vanilla ice-cream 香草冰淇淋ice candy 冰棒milk-shake 奶昔straw 吸管水果:pineapple 凤梨watermelon 西瓜papaya 木瓜betelnut 槟榔chestnut 栗子coconut 椰子tangerine 橘子mandarin orange 橘sugar-cane 甘蔗muskmelon 香瓜juice peach 水蜜桃pear 梨子peach 桃子carambola 杨桃cherry 樱桃persimmon 柿子apple 苹果mango 芒果fig 无花果water caltrop 菱角almond 杏仁plum 李子honey-dew melon 哈密瓜loquat 枇杷olive 橄榄durian 榴梿strawberry 草莓grape 葡萄lichee 荔枝longan 龙眼banana 香蕉熟菜与调味品:string bean 四季豆pea 豌豆green soy bean 毛豆soybean sprout 黄豆芽mung bean sprout 绿豆芽bean sprout 豆芽cabbage 包心菜; 大白菜broccoli 花椰菜mater convolvulus 空心菜dried lily flower 金针菜mustard leaf 芥菜celery 芹菜tarragon 蒿菜beetroot, beet 甜菜agar-agar 紫菜lettuce 生菜spinach 菠菜leek 韭菜caraway 香菜hair-like seaweed 发菜preserved szechuan pickle 榨菜salted vegetable 雪里红lettuce 莴苣asparagus 芦荟bamboo shoot 竹笋dried bamboo shoot 笋干chives 韭黄turnip 白萝卜carrot 胡萝卜water chestnut 荸荠pachyrhizus 地瓜long crooked squash 菜瓜loofah 丝瓜pumpkin 南瓜bitter gourd 苦瓜cucumber 黄瓜white gourd 冬瓜gherkin 小黄瓜yam 山芋taro 芋头beancurd sheets 百叶champignon 香菇button mushroom 草菇needle mushroom 金针菇agaricus 蘑菇dried mushroom 冬菇tomato 番茄eggplant 茄子potato, spud 马铃薯lotus root 莲藕agaric 木耳white fungus 白木耳ginger 生姜garlic 大蒜garlic bulb 蒜头green onion 葱onion 洋葱scallion, leek 青葱wheat gluten 面筋seasoning 调味品caviar 鱼子酱barbeque sauce 沙茶酱tomato ketchup, tomato sauce番茄酱mustard 芥末salt 盐sugar 糖monosodium glutamate , gourmet powder 味精vinegar 醋sour 酸lard 猪油peanut oil 花生油soy sauce 酱油green pepper 青椒paprika 红椒star anise 八角cinnamon 肉挂curry 咖喱maltose 麦芽糖糖与蜜饯:jerky 牛肉干dried beef slices 牛肉片dried pork slices 猪肉片confection 糖果glace fruit 蜜饯marmalade 果酱dried persimmon 柿饼candied melon 冬瓜糖red jujube 红枣black date 黑枣glace date 蜜枣raisin 葡萄干chewing gum 口香糖nougat 牛乳糖mint 薄荷糖drop 水果糖marshmallow 棉花糖caramel 牛奶糖peanut brittle 花生糖castor sugar 细砂白糖granulated sugar 砂糖sugar candy 冰糖butter biscuit 奶酥rice cake 年糕moon cake 月饼green bean cake 绿豆糕popcorn 爆米花chocolate 巧克力牛排与酒:late snack 宵夜ham and egg 火腿肠buttered toast 奶油土司French toast 法国土司muffin松饼cheese cake 酪饼white bread 白面包brown bread 黑面包French roll 小型法式面包appetizer 开胃菜green salad 蔬菜沙拉onion soup 洋葱汤potage 法国浓汤corn soup 玉米浓汤minestrone 蔬菜面条汤ox tail soup 牛尾汤fried chicken 炸鸡roast chicken 烤鸡steak 牛排T-bone steak 丁骨牛排filet steak 菲力牛排sirloin steak 沙朗牛排club steak 小牛排well done 全熟medium 五分熟rare 三分熟beer 啤酒draft beer 生啤酒stout beer 黑啤酒canned beer 罐装啤酒red wine 红葡萄酒gin 琴酒brandy 白兰地whisky 威士忌vodka 伏特加on the rocks 酒加冰块rum 兰酒champagne 香槟其他小吃:meat 肉beef 牛肉pork 猪肉chicken 鸡肉mutton 羊肉bread 面包steamed bread 馒头rice noodles 米粉fried rice noodles 河粉steamed vermicelli roll 肠粉macaroni 通心粉bean thread 冬粉bean curd with odor 臭豆腐flour-rice noodle 面粉noodles 面条instinct noodles 速食面vegetable 蔬菜crust 面包皮sandwich 三明治toast 土司hamburger 汉堡cake 蛋糕spring roll 春卷pancake 煎饼fried dumpling 煎贴rice glue ball 元宵glue pudding 汤圆millet congee 小米粥cereal 麦片粥steamed dumpling 蒸饺ravioli 馄饨moon cake 月饼green bean cake 绿豆糕popcorn 爆米花chocolate 巧克力marrons glaces 糖炒栗子。