Dining etiquette: Is there a particular order for eating your food?

Question

Ex: Meat first, pastry second, etc...

If so, what is it?

Answer 1

Do you mean from the same plate?  If so, there is no set order.  Some people take a forkful of one thing, then a forkful of another; others combine a bit of more than one item on the same forkful.  If you eat all the meat first, then all the pastry etc you will be considered rather odd.

Answer 2

Starter=soup, bread, some small dish

Main dish=meat.

Dessert

Coffee or tea

Answer 3

are you going to a formal gathering??

typically in the order the food is presented. Watch others for cues as to what is the proper order.

typically bread/butter

Salad and or soup

Main course

dessert

Answer 4

Appetizer

Entree

Dessert

Answer 5

Well usually it is...

Cocktails/hors d'oeuvres

Appetizers

Soup

Salad

Main Course (which you can it in whatever order you want on the plate, but etiquette says not to cut more than 3 pieces of meat at a time)

Then desert

Maybe a desert wine or coffee.

~In formal dining you may have multiple courses with small portions on each plate. However, they will bring it ut to you in order and not bring the next entree until everyone at the table is finished with the previous one.

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

Not unless you're eating at a snob fest.

Answer 7

Generally the courses are presented in the order in which they are intended to be eaten. (French continental service)

If you mean a single (main course) plate in English or north American service, The meat should be at 5-7 o'clock on the plate.

If your vegetable course is present on the same plate, it should be 12-4 o'clock and the carbohydrate or secondary portion should be from 8-11 o'clock.

Stating wherever you wish, etiquette dictates that you eat around the clock about one bite at a time, attempting to gauge it so that all portions are completed practically simultaneously. Americans generally disregard this, even in formal dining.

In Chinese formal, you always leave the last bite on the plate or it tells the chef that he was stingy with the portions. (Just in case you eat in honk Kong or Beijing anytime soon)