The Order of Ordering in a Western Restaurant
Western menus are arranged very differently from Chinese menus. Taking a banquet as an example, a Chinese banquet includes nearly 10 cold dishes, plus 6-8 hot dishes, followed by desserts, sweets, and fruit, making it seem very abundant. In contrast, although a Western meal may seem to have 6 or 7 courses, which appears cumbersome, each course generally consists of only one item. Below, we will briefly introduce the order of courses, hoping it will be helpful when you dine at a Western restaurant.
1. Appetizer
The first course in a Western meal is the appetizer, also known as a starter. Appetizers are generally divided into cold and hot varieties. Common types include caviar, foie gras, smoked salmon, cocktail shrimp, vol-au-vents, and escargots. As they are meant to stimulate the appetite, appetizers typically have distinctive flavors, are mainly salty and sour, and are served in smaller portions but with higher quality.
2. Soup
Unlike Chinese cuisine, the second course in a Western meal is soup. Western soups can be roughly divided into four categories: clear soups, cream soups, vegetable soups, and cold soups. Varieties include oxtail consommé, various cream soups, seafood chowder, American clam chowder, Italian minestrone, Russian borscht, and French onion soup. There are fewer types of cold soups, such as German cold soup and Russian okroshka.
3. Fish Course
Fish dishes are typically the third course in a Western meal, also known as the fish course. This includes various freshwater and saltwater fish, as well as shellfish and mollusks. Usually, seafood dishes, along with egg dishes, bread dishes, and puff pastry dishes, are all considered part of the fish course. Because the meat of fish is tender and easy to digest, it is served before meat dishes and is distinguished from the main meat course. When eating fish in Western cuisine, special sauces are used, such as Tartar sauce, Hollandaise sauce, Hotel sauce, Béchamel sauce, Cardinal sauce, American sauce, and Maitre d'Hôtel sauce.
4. Main Course
Meat and poultry dishes are the fourth course in a Western meal, also known as the main course. The ingredients for meat dishes come from various parts of beef, lamb, pork, and veal, with beef or steak being the most representative. Steaks can be categorized by cut, such as sirloin steak (also called New York strip), fillet steak, T-bone steak, and minute steak. Common cooking methods include roasting, pan-frying, and grilling. Common sauces served with meat include Spanish sauce, Demi-glace, mushroom sauce, and Béarnaise sauce.
Poultry dishes are made from chicken, duck, and goose. Game meats like rabbit and venison are also often included in this category. Chicken has the most varieties, including pheasant, turkey, and partridge, and can be boiled, fried, roasted, or braised. Common sauces include brown sauce, curry sauce, and cream sauce.
5. Vegetable Dishes
Vegetable dishes can be served after the main course or at the same time as the main course, so they can be considered a separate course or a side dish. In Western cuisine, vegetable dishes are called salads. A salad served with the main course is typically a green salad, made with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, asparagus, etc. Common salad dressings include vinaigrette, French dressing, Thousand Island dressing, and cheese dressing.
In addition to vegetable salads, there are also salads made with fish, meat, or eggs. These salads are usually not dressed and can be served as an appetizer.
Some vegetables are served cooked, such as broccoli, boiled spinach, and french fries. Cooked vegetables are typically placed on the same plate as the main meat dish and are called side dishes.
6. Dessert
The dessert in a Western meal is eaten after the main course and can be considered the sixth course. In a broader sense, it includes all food served after the main course, such as puddings, pancakes, ice cream, cheese, and fruit.
7. Coffee, Tea
The final course in a Western meal is a beverage, either coffee or tea. Coffee is usually served with sugar and light cream. Tea is typically served with a slice of lemon and sugar.