首页 现代国际礼仪:英文版

Chapter Four Table Manners

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Table manners refer to the etiquette used while dining, which may also include the proper use of utensils. Just as an old American saying says, you are what you eat. As for the rules of etiquette, you are not only what you eat, but how you eat. So table manners play an important role in making a favorable impression. They are visible signals of the state of our manners and therefore are essential to career success.

Different cultures follow different rules for table manners. What is polite in one country may not be polite in another. Many table manners developed from practicality. For example, it is generally ill-mannered to put elbows on tables, since doing so brings about a risk of knocking over bowls and cups. Each family or group sets its own standards for how strictly these rules are to be carried out.