Styles of Table Service

Russian
 The meal is usually composed of three
courses:

• appetizers (which may further be split into

cold appetizers followed by hot appetizers)
• main course
• dessert. (Coffee and tea are served
simultaneously)
There is no soup course.
A HOLIDAY TABLE
 Appetizers
A proper holiday table must be overflowing with all kinds of
appetizers -- salads, galatins, pies, pickled vegetables and
mushrooms, cold cuts, cheeses, caviar, vegetable spreads and
smoked fish

 Main Course
The main course usually consists of a hearty meat or poultry dish
with a side dish of some kind of potatoes or grains.
*Pasta, which historically has been of very poor quality in Russia,
is considered vulgar food and is not usually seen at the
traditional holiday table.
 Dessert
The holiday dessert course consists of a torte and a variety of
fruit preserves (particularly if the majority of guests elect to have
tea, rather than coffee).
**It is generally considered bad taste to consume different
alcohols in the course of a single meal (except for sweet liquors
at the end).**
Dining Etiquette
 If you are invited to a Russian's house:
. Arrive on time or no more than 15 minutes later
than invited.
. Remove your outdoor shoes. You may be given
slippers to wear.
. Dress in clothes you might wear to the office.
Dressing well shows respect for your hosts.
. Expect to be treated with honor and respect.
. Offer to help the hostess with the preparation or
clearing up after a meal is served. This may be
turned down out of politeness. Asking 'are you
sure?' allows the hostess to accept your offer.
 Table manners are generally casual.
. Table manners are Continental -- the fork is held in
the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.
. The oldest or most honored guest is served first.
. Do not begin eating until the host invites you to
start.
. Do not rest your elbows on the table, although your
hands should be visible at all times.
. You will often be urged to take second helpings.
. It is polite to use bread to soak up gravy or sauce.
. Men pour drinks for women seated next to them.
. Leaving a small amount of food on your plate
indicates that your hosts have provided ample
hospitality.
. Do not get up until you are invited to leave the
table. At formal dinners, the guest of honor is the
first to get up from the table.
 English

English table service may be an informal, hospitable

type of service or it may be very formal. The main
characteristic of English service is that all courses are
served at the table by the host or hostess. The service
may be done with or without a maid
1. All the food is served from the table by the host and hostess, who give their
personal attention to the needs of their guests.
2. The host serves the meat and vegetables while the hostess usually serves
the appetizer, the salad, the dessert and the beverage.

3. The waitress is still needed to place the plates for the guests and to pass
the accompaniments of the course. She stands at the left of the one doing
the serving.

4. One course at a time is served. One course is removed before the next
course is brought in.

5. The plates may be placed one at a time or they may be placed in a pile at
the host's left where he may fill them.

6. The host serves the first portion and the waiter takes a plate and places it
before the one serving.

7. After the host has served the hostess and one side of the table, the hostess
may start serving those who have received their plates on her right.

8. Desserts appropriate for this type of service are molded gelatine or ice
cream.
American [Country Style]
American Service is one of the oldest forms of meal
service. Dinner plates and utensils arc set at each
place and all serving dishes are placed on the table.
Serving dishes are passed from hand to hand around
the table until everyone has served himself.
-It is a command service style which most guests
and banquet operations are familiar with.
In this style:
 The meals are plated in the kitchen and served in course in the
dining room.

 Often, the salad and/or dessert will be pre-set, along with ice
water.
 As each course is finished, the waiter will remove the guest’s
plate along with the eating utensils that was used any side
items. With salad course you should remove the dressing and
salad fork. With the entrée you should remove entrée folk,
knife, the breadbasket, the butter and the B & B plate, salt and
pepper shakers.
 By the time dessert is served, there should only be a utensil for
the dessert, a spoon for coffee, coffee cup and ice water.
 Generally, this style requires serving from the left and picking
up from the right (Some operations serve from the right and
pick up from the right).
Table Service
A complete Chinese
dinner service for ten
persons consists of
148 pieces.
This may be either of
porcelain or silver,
the latter being used
only by wealthy
families, while the
porcelain is perhaps
the more serviceable.
• Porcelain produced in Kiangsi Pro­vince is
the best, because of the excellent quality of
the clay available in the vicinity of
PoyangLake where more than a dozen
varieties can be found.

• The porcelain made in Kwangtung Province

in exported through the city of Canton
known as Canton porcelain. This is,
however, a grade inferior in quality to the
Kiangsi product.

• There are two distinct styles of table

crockery in use. The new style is thin,
shallow and round in shape. The
decorations consist generally of Chinese
figures, flowers and birds, or landscapes.
White on both surfaces is the common
type, although the coloured variety is
always obtainable. The old style of
porcelain is thicker, deeper and usually hex­
agonal or octagonal in shape. The outer sur­
face is usually dark blue or imperial yellow,
and covered with antique Chinese designs,
while the inner is generally of light blue
colour.
A table decorated
with beautifully
coloured
porcelain dishes
and a well-
made set of the
above silver
articles pre­sents
a display at
once highly
attractive and
ornamental.
Tea
• Tea might correctly be termed the national
beverage of China as it is so generally drunk by
all classes, and the habit is one of very long
standing.

• It is the Chinese custom even at the present day

to welcome a guest with a cup of tea and this is
observed by the high and low alike. Good tea is of
a clear colour, greenish or red­dish, and has a
slightly astringent flavour.

• The poor quality is very light in colour and bitter in

taste.

• There are an indefinite number of varieties of

China tea, with a wide range of prices. According
to the method of curing, tea is divided into two
main classes, viz:—green and black tea.
Wine
No dinner is complete without
wine, which brings joy and
drives away depression,
and makes the old feel
young and the young still
more youthful. Taken in
moderation, it is
undoubtedly an excellent
stimulant. In the far north
where the climate is cold
and kaoliang abundant,
Kaoliang wine, which is
somewhat stronger than
Russian vodka or English
gin, is commonly drunk
• In Central China a milder drink known
as Shaohsing wine—named after its
producing centre in Chekiang—is
very popular. It is the wine of China. It
has another name Hua Tiao ~tfa W
meaning flower decoration, because
the jars in which the wine is kept
usually bear a floral decoration. When
a girl is born, it is the com­mon
practice for the parents to make
several jars of Shaohsing wine, the
quantity depending upon the size of
their purse, and keep them in a cool
and dark room, until their daughter is
married, so that on her wedding day,
they will have at least some good old
wine with which to entertain their
guests.
Buffet

A Buffet Service is a self

service serving style where
the guests serve themselves.
 A great method for feeding large numbers
of people with minimal help
 Can either be country casual or semi-
formal
 Provides a more relaxed method of dining
and a more varied menu than a full service
meal
 The entertaining buffet presentation of
food can be placed on one or more tables
close but away from the tables where the
guests will be seated during dinner. The
guests will go to the buffet tables and
serve themselves from a variety of menu
items.
 There are hot buffets and cold buffets.
Cold buffets are typically salads and
sandwiches. Also the backyard barbeque
can be a Buffet Service. An entertaining
dessert bar can be used for a afternoon
gathering of friends.
 The Buffet Service can have a staff where the
guests bring their own plate along the buffet line
and are given a portion from a server at one or
more stations.
 An advantage of buffets is that guests have the
ability to inspect food before selecting it and
taking only the quantity needed.
 Since a buffet involves people serving
themselves, it is less elegant than Table Service.
 Buffet Service is used anytime there are large
gatherings, even at many formal wedding
receptions.
Tea Service
 High Tea
 is much less formal than Afternoon Tea. High
Tea is seen almost as a fourth meal, taken after
the work day is through, a couple of hours
before supper. This consists usually of tea and
some sandwiches, and is not a ritual of formality
or pomp.
 High Tea is thought of as more working class
 Afternoon Tea
 is the light snack accompanied by pots of
fresh brewed tea that happens earlier in
the afternoon and is more about the feel
and the elegance than High Tea.
  Afternoon Tea is thought of as something
a bit more refined and higher class.
 Dishes and Silverware
 Since the menu is conventionally light, use
luncheon or salad plates. Place the teacup to the
right of the plate with the handle facing right.
Silverware placement follows standard place
setting rules, with the fork on the left, with a
nicely folded napkin, and the spoon and knife
placed to the right of the plate. Some hosts
place the napkin on the plate or put it in a
napkin ring. Put the water glass on the right
above the knife.
 Other Dishes
 A proper tea service may also include a
sugar bowl and a pitcher used to serve
milk or cream. Some tea services also
include teaspoons and sugar tongs,
although this is not common. A Western
tea set often includes a tray to hold all the
other items in the tea service.
 Tea Tips
 Spread teabags on a platter for easy
selection. Clearly mark loose tea
receptacles. Several pots of hot water
eliminate the need to reach across tables.
Offer a wide range of flavorings like lemon
slices, various sugars, fresh mint leaves
and cream.
 Aesthetic Touches
 Fresh flowers, place cards, candles and
linen tablecloths and napkins add a stylish
touch to the table. Avoid heavily scented
candles and flowers so the aroma of the
tea and food is appreciated.

 Prepare the tea set, serving
dishes and silverware. Wash
them with liquid dish soap
and hand-dry well ahead of
time using a soft towel to
prevent water spots.
 Place a plate on the table.
Fold a cloth napkin into a
rectangle or triangle and place
it in the center of the plate.
 Place the teacup on the
saucer and position it behind
and to the right of the plate,
with the handle pointing
toward the right.
 Place your fork to the left
side of the plate.
 Place a sharp knife on the
right side of the plate, with
the blade facing in toward
the plate. Then place the
butter knife next to the sharp
knife, blade toward the plate.
Finally, place the spoon to
the right of the butter knife.
 Place a small bowl for waste
to the left of the place
setting for used tea bags and
lemons.
 Construct a platter of edible goodies. The
presentation of edibles is done on a tiered tray.
The tiers are usually three high, and come in
courses.
 The first course is usually finger sandwiches. These
can be as simple as buttered white bread with
cucumber, or as elaborate as thin sliced lamb with
chutney on tiny pieces of soda bread.
 The second course is usually breads. Scones are the
popular bread for most English Afternoon Tea parties.
The scones can be plain, or flavored. The flavors range
from the very sweet to the savory.
 The final course is usually the dessert course. This will
consist of delicate pastries like éclairs, small thumbprint
cookies and shortbreads.
 Place your teapot, serving dishes, sugar
bowl and creamer in the center of the
table, where they will be accessible and
can be passed around easily.