Eating out.

Here are some more helpful things to know .In the U.S., people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. This means a

hostess may not seat a small group until a small table is available, even if a large one is. If you are sitting at a table with people you don't know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without first asking if it will disturb them.

At American restaurants , cafes and coffee shops you are usually served tap water before you order . You may find the bread and butter is free , and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.

Soft drinks are sweet, carbonated drinks like Coke . Hard drinks are alcoholic , like whiskey , vodka , etc. They are served straight or on the rocks . In some restaurants you can bring your own wine . In some states, you can buy liquor at a restaurant to take home .

Every state makes its own laws about the sale of alcohol . In some

states, you have to buy it at a special state-owned store licensed to sell liquor.Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing

times for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars.

Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24hours a day.

Serving in restaurants are often large- too large for many people. If you can't finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a "doggie bag". It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you're taking the food for yourself.

Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have "Sunday dinner". This is an especially big noon meal.

Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15 % is expected, and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In less expensive restaurants, you pay your check at the cash register on your way out. In some, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change. In some restaurants you can pay with a credit card, including the tip.

An englishman’s meals

Four meals a day are served traditionally in Britain: breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner.

In many countries breakfast is a snack rather than a meal but the English breakfast

eaten at about eight o'clock in the morning, is a full meal much bigger than on the

Continent.

Some people begin with a plateful of porridge but more often cornflakes with milk and

sugar. Then comes at least one substantial course, such as bacon and eggs.

Afterwards comes toast with butter and marmalade or jam. The meal is "washed down"

with tea or coffee.

Most British people now have such a full breakfast only on Sunday mornings. On

weekdays it is usually a quick meal: just cornflakes, toasts and tea.

English lunch, which is usually eaten at one o'clock, is based on plain simply-cooked

food. It starts with soup or fruit juice. English people sometimes say that soup fills them

up without leaving sufficient room for the more important course which consists of meat,

poultry or fish accompanied by plenty of vegetables. The English like what they call

"good plain food". They must be able to recognize what they are eating.

Apple-pie is a favourite sweet, and English puddings of which there are very many, are

an excellent ending to a meal. Tea, or the third meal of the day, is taken between four

and five o'clock.

At the weekends afternoon tea is a very sociable time. Friends and visitors are often

present.

Some people like to have so-called "high tea" which is a mixture of tea and supper-

for example meat, cheese and fruit may be added to bread and butter, pastries and tea.

Dinner is the most substantial meal of the day. The usual time is about seven o'clock

and all the members of the family sit down together. The first course might be soup.

Then comes the second course: fish or meat, perhaps the traditional roast beef of old

England. Then the dessert is served: some kind of sweet. But whether a person in fact

gets such a meal depends on his housekeeping budget. Then before going to bed, they

may have a light snack or supper- e. g. a cup of hot milk with a sandwich or biscuit.

The evening meal as we have said already goes under various names: tea, "high tea",

dinner or supper depending upon its size and also the social standing of those eating it.