外语系 纺织商务英语 Textile Business English

Module Four Banquet Activities

Task 3 Entertaining guests

1. To be familiar with the different culture about entertaining guests in different countries. 2. To master the expressions of entertaining guests 3. To know some menus of different dishes Learning Objectives

Lead-in—Group discussion 1. How can you entertain guests well? 2. What should we pay attention to in entertaining a foreign guest? What different cultures do you know in entaining guests?

Useful expressions and patterns  1. Good evening. This is a lovely place. It’s very kind of you to invite me.  2. I hope you like Chinese food.  3. I tried once. It’s very tasty.  4. Have you tried hot pot? It is very hot.  5. I’ve heard of it. Good thing is that I’m an adventurous eater.

Useful expressions and patterns  6. Please help yourself.  7. You are quite expert with chopsticks.  8. It’s the first thing I’ve learned in china.  9. How do you like hot pot?  10. It’s a bit strong but I still like it.

Listening Dialogue 1 Notes to the dialogue  1 ingredients: 成分  2 minced: 碾碎的  3 eggplant: 茄子，也称 aubergine.  4 braised: 炖熟的, 焖熟的, 用文火炖到全熟的

Listening Listen to dialogue 1 and complete the following answers: 1.The main ingredient is. 2.The dish first fried.

Dialogue 2 Notes to the dialogue  1 starter: 开胃菜  2 avocado ： [ 植 ] 鳄梨, 鳄梨树  3 spicy ：加香料的, 出产香料的, 辛辣的, 有风 味的 Listening

Listen to dialogue 2 and answer the following questions: 1.What does the woman recommend the man to have a starter? 2.What would the man like for his main course? 3.How about the fish with Indian spices?

Reading and Analyzing A list of customs

Reading and Analyzing Look at the list of customs below. Which of them are practiced in your culture? 1. If people invite us to dinner we do not usually need to return the invitation. 2. After we have been entertained at somebody’s home, we usually send the host(s) a note of thanks. 3. We avoid talking about business at the dinner table. 4. We often discuss at the dinner table. 5. When we entertain business partners we usually do this in a restaurant, not at home.

Reading and Analyzing Look at the list of customs below. Which of them are practiced in your culture? 6. Businesswomen do not usually accept invitations to dinner. 7. If a businessman has dinner with his partners, his wife does not usually come. 8. It is acceptable for businesswomen to invite male business partners to dinner. 9. It is important to meet your business partners socially. 10. Business people often play sports together.

Reading and Analyzing A Menu

Reading and Analyzing Below is a menu from a western-style restaurant. Are there any differences between this and the typical menu of a Chinese restaurant? Discuss this in small groups.

A Menu Ambassador Hotel Today’s Menu Starters Vegetable soup.75p Shrimps with mayonnaise ￡ 1.50 Smoked ham with green salad ￡ 2.00 Main Courses Roast lamb ￡ 8.00 Steak with mushrooms ￡ 7.50 Fish and chips ￡ 4.75 Chicken salad ￡ 4.50 Cheese salad ￡ 4.00

A Menu Ambassador Hotel Today’s Menu All main courses are served with a selection of fresh vegetables and a choice of fried or boiled potatoes or rice Desserts A selection of cakes from the trolley ￡ 2.00 Cheese and crackers ￡ 2.00 Pancakes with orange sauce ￡ 1.90 Home made ice cream: various flavors ￡ 1.75 Coffee or Tea ￡ 1.50 Please note that there is a 10% service charge

Reading and Analyzing Chinese and Western Dining Differences

Reading and Analyzing Brainstorming Question Did you have any dining experience in a western restaurant? If yes, how do you think about it? If no, how can you image it?

Reading and Analyzing Chinese and Western Dining Differences Li Yang:“I didn’t like Americans very much. I found them to be selfish. On my first day in New York, I met with my business partners. They had arranged our meeting time for 11:00, so I thought that at some point we would break for lunch. Since we were invited by them, I thought I would be taken out to eat. But as we went on with the meeting, there as never any mention of lunch. We stopped for several hours, and I was really hungry, but they never stopped for lunch. Even worse, they sat there the whole time eating sandwiches, fruit, potato chips, and so on. They did offer me some, but I refused and was waiting for the real lunch.”

Peter Jackson: “The first six or seven dishes seemed to fill the table with plates spread every corner of it. I thought this big first wave of food was the total number of dishes to be served, and I ate greedily, but the Chinese friends around me were different. They ate a bit of each dish and then continued to talk. ‘They must not be very hungry’ I thought, and continued to enjoy the food. To my surprise, more dishes were soon served. There were three soups, five side dishes, and delicacies of many kinds. That’s why my Chinese fiends ate a bit of each dish.”

Jane Jones: “The Chinese eat everything with four legs except the chair they are sitting on. They eat anything that moves, and indeed any part of that moving thing. I was shocked to see chicken’s feet, blood soup, and pig’s ears on offer in restaurants. What Americans consider ‘disgusting’ is considered a delicacy in China. One thing is that most Westerners would never eat dog. Dogs are kept only as pets and are loved as much as children. When a Westerner sees dogs on the menu, he or she will cry. ”

Discussions Work with your partners to answer these questions. 1 It is said that Westerners eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a beggar for lunch, and eat like a commoner for dinner. Do you understand the sentence? If you understand it, do you agree with the idea? 2 What are the Chinese customs? What do you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Which meal is the best? Which meal is the most important one to you? 3 What are the other differences between Chinese and Western dinners? 4 Why doesn’t Li Yang like American?

Reading and Analyzing Dining Etiquette

Reading and Analyzing Many people are unsure of what the etiquette is for having guests over as well as what the etiquette should be for when they go to someone's home. That being said, here are a few helpful hints. If you are invited to someone's house for a small gathering like a dinner, never go empty-handed. Ask the person who is hosting the event what you should bring. If they don't suggest something, then use your common sense to bring something that would be appropriate for most people such as a beverage (I.e. bottle of wine, etc.) If you bring a food such as a store-bought dessert or some other tasty food, make sure you bring it in a disposable container or something that can be left with the host.

It is not proper etiquette to bring a food item and then take it back. Only take the food item with you if the host insists upon it. Otherwise, plan on leaving it with them. After all, they are the ones who went to the trouble to host the special event at their homes. Taking it back would be like offering someone a gift and then taking it back. Don't do it. If you are hosting an evening with friends, try to think of fun things to do. The usual place of entertainment is in the living room. This is an area usually designated by couches. A lot of homes nowadays have a television in the living room.

If this is the case, it is inappropriate to have the television on while entertaining guests unless you are having people over to watch a specific event such as a football game, etc. In most other cases, however, the television can be turned down or off. Make your guests comfortable when they come in. If it's their first time at your home, give them a brief tour letting them know where things are such as the bathroom and/or kitchen or a spare bedroom (in case they need to change, lie down or make a phone call, etc.). Whatever you do, make it clear that you wish them to feel at home in your home. It will help them relax and enjoy themselves.

New words and expressions 1.etiquette 礼节, 规矩 2.common sense 常识 3.disposable container 一次性容器 4.designate 指明 表明

Discussion Discuss the following questions. 1 ． What title can you give to this passage? 2 ． Please give some helpful hints when you pay a visit someone’s home. 3 ． What is the customs like in your country? 4 ． Where would you like to host your guests, at the restaurant or at home? Why?

Assignment Discussion: Dinner Dates What is the best way to entertain somebody, at home or at a restaurant? Work in pairs or small groups. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Reference For more topic-related information, Pease refer to the following websites: tm relaxation/entertaining-guests.html