Let's start: how and when
At the table, Italians live a social experience. We meet to see each other, talk, stay together, find new friends. Food is a social moment not only a satisfaction of our appetite. According to the aristocratic tradition, the hosts will give the start without any special announcements. This goes back to an old tradition when the hosts were used to taste first the food to make sure it was good before serving it to the guests.
We will not say “Bon appetit”, because it is not considered fair to the guests neither “cheers” when we will toast.
Glasses should not touch each other but only hold up in a natural and elegant way
Before you start eating, you should wait for all guests to be served especially if their number is small (about 10 guests). If you are invited to a dinner with a lot of guests, you should start eating when the food is served, to avoid that hot food, in the meantime, will cool down.
