Whether dining with a four-star general, toasting at your friend's wedding, or sitting with family on Christmas Eve, an understanding of dining protocol makes time spent around the table more enjoyable. When you know the rules, there is no awkwardness or uncertainty about how things should be done.
不管是和一位四星將軍用餐、在你朋友的婚禮上敬酒，還是聖誕夜和家人團聚，對用餐禮儀的瞭解能讓在餐桌旁度過的時光更愉快。當你知道規則時，就不會再對一切該怎麼做感到尷尬或不確定。
Having good table manners begins long before you get to the table. Be sure to RSVP within three days of receiving an invitation. Dress to the level you feel appropriate. Try and look sharp! It shows respect to your host, and chances are you'll be making important first impressions.
良好餐桌禮儀遠在你上桌前就開始了。務必在收到邀請的三天內給予答覆。打扮到你覺得恰當的程度。試著看起來俐落有型!這展現出你對主人的尊重，而且你很可能會建立重要的第一印象。
If you are visiting a person's home, consider bringing a small gift such as flowers, a bottle of wine, or dessert. Arrive on time, but no more than five minutes early, as last-minute preparations are always under way on the host's end.
如果你要拜訪一個人的家，考慮帶個小禮物，例如花、一瓶酒或點心。準時抵達，但不要提早超過五分鐘，因為主人家那邊往往還在做最後準備。
Pay attention to your hosts. Being observant and picking up on cues will enable you to avoid 95 percent of the embarrassing situations you could find yourself in. Chew with your mouth closed and do not talk with food in your mouth. Bring your food to your face, not your face to your food. It's a table, not a trough. Never drink from your soup bowl. Say "thank you," "please," and "excuse me." These small words work magic and should be used liberally.
注意主人們。機靈些並留意周遭發生的事能讓你避免百分之九十五可能發生的窘況。嚼東西時嘴巴閉起來，嘴裡有食物時不要說話。把食物拿到面前吃，而不是你的臉靠過去食物那。這是餐桌，不是飼料槽。絕不要直接從湯碗喝湯。說「謝謝」、「請」還有「不好意思」。這些不起眼的字有神奇作用，而且應該被大量使用。
Examples of informal dining are picnics, barbecues, or buffets. And although table manners in these settings are relaxed, there are still a few rules of dining etiquette you should pay attention to. Take an average size serving. It is rude to hog all of one dish only to cause a fellow guest to miss out on the dish entirely. Do not double dip. If you really like the dip and need every part of your chip covered in it, use a spoon and make your own dipping station on your plate.
非正式用餐場合的例子有野餐、烤肉會或自助餐會。儘管這些場合的餐桌禮儀較為輕鬆自在，還是有幾條你應該注意的用餐禮儀規矩。取一般份量的餐點。貪心地拿整道菜卻造成宴會上的客人完全錯過這道料理是很失禮的。不要重覆沾醬。如果你真的很喜歡那醬料，而且非得讓你的薯片全部覆滿醬料的話，那就用湯匙在你的盤子上放你專屬的醬料區。
In a more formal dining situation, whether that be a friend's dinner party or a fancy banquet, you want to be on your best behavior.
在一個較正式的用餐場合，無論那是朋友的晚宴還是個高級的宴會，你都想要表現出最好的自己。
Let's take a look at the dining setup. The general guidelines are this: Everything revolves around the plate—forks to the left, spoons and knives to the right. When it comes to silverware, you start on the outside and work inward. You'll have a napkin, salad fork, dinner fork, dessert fork, dinner plate, dinner knife, teaspoon, soup spoon, butter knife, bread plate, water goblet, red wine glass, and white wine glass. Place your napkin in your lap within one minute of sitting at the table to dine. Do not tuck it into the front of your shirt collar like a bib, or into your pants. Although the napkin can serve to protect your pants from a spill, its main purpose is to enable you to seamlessly remove food from the sides of your mouth. When finished, or excusing yourself from the table, place it neatly to the left of your plate.
我們來看看餐具擺設吧。一般的規則是這樣：每件物品都環繞著餐盤－－叉子在左邊、湯匙和刀子在右邊。那要用到餐具時，你從最外面開始向內使用。你會有條餐巾、一把沙拉叉、餐叉、甜點叉、餐盤、餐刀、茶匙、湯匙、奶油抹刀、麵包碟、水杯、紅酒杯，還有白酒杯。在你上桌用餐的一分鐘內將餐巾放在大腿上。不要把餐巾像圍兜一樣塞到你的領口，或塞到你的褲子裡。雖然餐巾可以用來保護你的褲子不要被濺到，它的主要用途是讓你不著痕跡地將食物從嘴邊抹去。用餐完，或需要離開餐桌時，將餐巾整齊地擺放在盤子左側。
When should you start eating? The simple and safe answer is when others do. If hot food is being served and at least two people are seated, you may begin. If the meal is orderly and everyone is seated, then once three to four people have been served, you may begin.
你應該什麼時候開始吃呢？簡單又保險的答案是當其他人開始時。如果熟食已被端上，且至少有兩人就座，你就可以開動了。如果餐點是依序送上，且所有人都已經坐好，那麼一旦有三到四人的餐點送上後，你就可以開始用餐了。
Reaching, on the other hand, is never allowed. If anything is beyond your normal reach, always ask the person closest to pass the item you need. Always try to take just a little of each dish offered. Even if you only take a couple bites, at least the host will not be offended. Enjoy yourself and have a drink or two! However, do not ruin your host's night by being the guy who after several drinks starts making off-color jokes and then argues loudly with his girlfriend.
另一方面，伸出手拿食物是永遠不被允許的。如果任何東西超出你能拿到的範圍，永遠請距離最近的人將你需要的那樣物品遞給你。每樣送上的食物永遠都要試著各拿一點。就算你只吃幾口，至少主人不會被冒犯。盡情享受並小酌一兩杯!不過，不要毀了主人的夜晚，成為那種幾杯黃湯下肚後就開始說黃色笑話，然後大聲和女友爭論的傢伙。
To signal that you are finished with your meal, place your knife and fork in the 4:20 position. This will tell your server that you are finished. Now that you've dined successfully with civilized human beings, remember to say thank you to your hosts, and you'll be invited to plenty more dinner parties for years to come.
要表示你用餐完畢，將你的刀叉擺在時鐘 4:20 的位置。這會告訴上菜的人你已經吃完了。現在既然你已經成功地和文明人用完餐，記得向主人們道謝，未來幾年你會受邀參加更多宴會。
For more in-depth dining tips, be sure to click the link to our original article. Happy dining, boys!
想知道更多詳細的用餐小秘訣，務必點選連結到我們原本的文章。用餐愉快啊，好傢伙!
