Serving order for Chinese banquets

The general order of serving Chinese food is: cold dishes first, then hot stir-fry, main dishes, soup, interspersed with pasta, and finally fruits.

The order of serving dim sum varies from restaurant to restaurant. Some serve it after the soup, some serve the first salty snack ahead of time after the first main course; some serve salty and sweet desserts. Served together, some salty and sweet dishes were served crosswise. The first course is served cold. It is best to serve it a few minutes before the meal starts. After the guests are seated, the waiter will notify the kitchen to prepare the food. When the guests have eaten about 2/3 of the cold dishes, serve the first dish, place the dish in front of the guest of honor, move the uneaten cold dishes to the side of the deputy host, and serve the following stir-fried dishes in the same way.

Etiquette rules:

1. Please notify the guests in advance. It is not appropriate to arrive at the table at 6:00 and only ask the guests to come at 5:50.

2. The host cannot be late; the guest should arrive 5-10 minutes early. This is a very considerate guest. Pay attention to it, and naturally both the guest and the host will be happy.

3. If you sit at a round table, the one facing the door is the main seat, or the one with the back against the wall or the counter; more sophisticated restaurants will use napkins to distinguish them, and you cannot sit casually on the seat with the highest napkin. Oh, unless you're planning a treat.

4. The person on the right hand side of the host is the host and guest, and the person on the left is the less important guest. The person facing the owner by the door is naturally the person who runs errands and greets the guests.