Hints:

American

European

Good-bye

thank-you note











If for any reason a guest has to leave the table during a meal, he or she should ask the hostess, "Would you please excuse me for a minute?" When the meal is finished, the guests put their napkins on the table and rise. Guests do not fold their napkins in the original folds unless they are house guests and intend to stay for more than one meal. Following dinner, guests usually stay for two or three hours, but the thoughtful person is careful not to overstay his or her welcome. The host and hostess may urge a guest to stay longer in order to be polite, but most dinner parties break up at about 11 o'clock. As the guests leave, it is the custom to thank the hostess for a very pleasant evening. One may say anything that expresses appreciation. Common expressions are: "Good-bye. It was so nice of you to have me," or "Good-bye. It's been a thoroughly enjoyable evening," or "Thank you. I've had a very nice time." For larger favors than a dinner party, such as an overnight or weekend visit, it is customary to send a thank-you note.
如果有客人在用餐時因為任何原因需要離席，那么他或她應(yīng)該詢問一下女主人：“介意我離開一會嗎？”用餐結(jié)束，客人把餐巾放在桌上并起身?？腿藷o需把餐巾折疊成原來的樣子，除非他們要過夜，或者打算留到下一頓飯。吃過飯客人通常待兩到三小時，但是有心思的人都會注意不要停留過久，以免招人厭煩。男女主人為表示禮貌會要求客人再多待一會，但大多數(shù)聚餐都會在十一點結(jié)束?？腿俗叩臅r候都會習(xí)慣性地感謝女主人帶給他們一個愉快的夜晚。人們會說一些表示感激的話。普遍的表達(dá)是：“再見，您能招待我真是太好了”，“再見，今晚讓我非常享受”，或者“謝謝您，我玩得很愉快”。比請客吃飯更隆重的招待是通宵或周末聚會，這在傳統(tǒng)上是要寄感謝信的。 ——譯文來自: chuiq