Table manners for Dream of the Red Chamber
The "Left Biography" records: Li, Jingguo, Dingsheji, Order people, and li heirs. In the dream of the Red Chamber, Jia Fu is a rich mansion that "has been in full swing for a hundred years", the home of Zhong Mingding, and the family of poetry. From the original text, it can be seen that the people of Jia Fu preach etiquette everywhere, words and deeds, food, clothing, shelter and behavior, and everywhere reveal the etiquette and rules of the ancient nobility.
[Ancient Dining Etiquette]
Lin Daiyu ate with Jia Mu for the first time, and Cao Gong wrote down the Jia family's eating rules very carefully;
Hospitality etiquette
Lin Daiyu was a guest when she first arrived, and everyone had to wait for her to eat. As soon as everyone saw That Madame Wang had come with Lin Daiyu, they immediately began to make arrangements, not waiting for Madame Wang to eat, but waiting for Lin Daiyu.
The way of hospitality is to take the east as the top and the left as the respect. Jia Mu sat alone on the front bed, four empty chairs on both sides, Dai Yu first entered Jia Mansion, her identity is Jia Mu's granddaughter, is a distinguished guest, so Wang Xifeng, who understands etiquette, directly pulled her to the first seat of the left hand, this position is generally not able to sit, only distinguished guests, elders, and superiors can sit.
・ Catering etiquette
Jia Zhu's wife Li Shi held rice, Wang Xifeng an Zhen, and Lady Wang entered the soup.
Seat etiquette
When Lady Wang was standing, Lin Daiyu was a guest who could sit down, and Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun could not sit down, and they had to stand and wait for Lady Wang to sit down when Jia Mu ordered her to sit down. And Mrs. Wang's sitting position is also very exquisite, to be close to the last position of the door, and Jia Mu obliquely opposite, convenient for the old lady to talk.
Yingchun sat first in the right hand, tanchun on the left second, and Xichun on the right second. It also shows that the ancients respected the left, and His Holiness or the elder sat on the seat, and then ate from left to right.
Birthday etiquette
The birthday etiquette in "Dream of the Red Chamber" is also reflected, and this day in the text is Baoyu's birthday, so he wears a neat crown early in the morning, salutes to heaven and earth, and prostrates to the ancestral hall of the ancestral hall of the ancestral hall. After that, they also need to pay tribute to their grandmothers, fathers, elders, and peers, and their peers also need to pay tribute to Baoyu, and finally to the nursing mother at home.
・ShuYi
In ancient times, the basic gesture of making a swing was to hold a fist with the right hand, form a palm with the left hand, and make a right fist or a bag or cover, so the gesture of making a swing was "Jibai".
In the banquet and drinking activities of feudal society, not only the seating arrangement is very exquisite, "the east is respected" and "the left is up"; And the eyes to welcome the guests to make a move, the guests and hosts frequently toast and persuade dishes, chopsticks should be raised at the same time, after the final "clean face" to serve tea, send toothpicks, etc., the etiquette is very complicated.
Now the times are different, of course, the past set of etiquette system is not applicable, but the mainland is a country of etiquette, people in the banquet activities to reproduce etiquette, courtesy, thousands of years has formed a cultural tradition, which shows the ethical beauty of the Chinese nation, the formation of beauty of some details, still inherited to this day.
West table manners for Downton Abbey
"Downton Abbey" is always said to be the "British version of the Dream of the Red Chamber", the story begins with the various entanglements caused by the inheritance of the family property by the Earl of Grantham, showing the british upper nobility and their servants under the strict hierarchy of the world. And the elegant and exquisite lifestyle in the play is also talked about by everyone.
The way of dressing on different occasions, the placement of tableware, the way of tasting food, the exquisiteness of afternoon tea, whether the placement of the table is aligned with the middle line of the room, and the use of silverware, every point is exquisite.
(1) Dining table arrangement
First of all, for the sake of symmetry, the opposite side should also be placed with forks of the same size and specifications. This was not enough, and the table layout at that time needed to be measured with a ruler.
At that time, every housekeeper had to have one in his hand, measuring the distance between cups and plates, plates and tables, tables and chairs, and so on... The first step is to determine a primary scale and then push the first knife in.
(2) Sit gracefully
Sit up straight when eating, do not touch the chair with your back, and the back of the chair is just an ornament or a chair for the waiter to push and pull during the meal, not used to lean on, and the upright posture is the correct way to open. Elbows cannot be placed on the table. No matter how crunchy and fragile the food is, don't eat it on the plate with your head down. Except when drinking soup, you can gently lower your head.
(3) Dress etiquette
You have to change your clothes for breakfast, you have to change your clothes for your relatives, you have to change your clothes for afternoon tea or garden parties, and you have to wear special clothes even to church.
Clothes for breakfast
Ladies appeared at the table dressed neatly, and did not have to dress too formally at breakfast.
Afternoon tea clothes
During the afternoon tea time, ladies will put on tea party costumes, wear lace gloves and top hats, or hold up umbrellas and enjoy exquisite refreshments and mellow black tea in a laid-back atmosphere.
Dinner dress
Before dinner starts, everyone must change into gorgeous costumes, such as lace, embroidered long skirts, and wear brilliant jewelry.
(4) Conversation etiquette
Suitable conversation
Don't talk about sensitive topics like money, work, politics, or religious beliefs at the table; if it's afternoon tea conversation, it's more of a light meal.
Rotate conversations
When communicating, you can't just communicate with a certain person, so the principle of rotation will generally be followed when communicating, usually under the leadership of the hostess, and turn around and talk to the people around you.
(5) Afternoon tea etiquette
・Techniques of drinking tea
The end cup is also exquisite, usually with the thumb and index finger pinch the cup ear can be, the little thumb remember to withdraw.
When drinking tea, hold the tray to the waist-high position in one hand and drink the cup with the other hand.
Tea with milk or milk with tea
In the era when the whole people in the United Kingdom just emerged to drink tea, the stoneware tea set used by ordinary people has poor heat resistance, in order to prevent it from bursting, milk will be put first and then poured into the boiling hot tea. The nobles drank tea with porcelain silverware at the beginning, and did not worry about the problem of explosion, so they poured tea first, and then added milk.
So, put hot tea first or cold milk first? Do you want to eat and drink yourself, or do you want to satisfy your inner sense of hierarchy? The answer really exists, which is TVB's classic line: You are happy.
・Snack access
Exquisite dim sum is also an indispensable part of English afternoon tea, generally three layers of dim sum plate, the lower layer is a sandwich, the middle layer is a scone cake, the upper layer is dessert, and when tasting, it is eaten from the bottom up, that is, from salty to sweet.
PS: Western food etiquette is a silent expression
Your demeanor is always sending a message to the waiter, leaving halfway and placing the napkin on the chair to indicate that you will continue.
Table manners are not only the way of life of the upper class, but have become their beliefs and beliefs. To this day, British society still follows this tradition.
Although etiquette may not seem to have a direct relationship with life or career, it is still an important way for others to judge where you are coming from.
Copyright notice: [In addition to original works, the articles, pictures, videos and music used on this platform belong to the original right holder, for objective reasons, or there will be improper use, such as, some articles or parts of the article citation content failed to get in touch with the original author in time, or the author's name and original source were incorrectly marked, etc., non-malicious infringement of the relevant rights and interests of the original right holder, please understand the relevant right holder and contact us in a timely manner to deal with it, and jointly maintain a good online creation environment]
END