If you’ re invited to an American friend’s home for dinner，keep in mind1) these general rules for polite behavior．First of all，arrive approximately2) on time (but not early)．Americans expect promptness3)．It’ s OK to be 10 or 15 minutes late but not 45 minutes late．Dinner might be overcooked and ruined by then．When you’ re invited to someone’ s home for a meal，it’ s polite to bring a small gift．Flowers or candy are always appropriate．If you have an attractive item made in your native country，your host and or hostess would certainly enjoy receiving that as a gift．

Some Americans don’ t know about the dietary restrictions of various ethnic and religious groups．What do you do if you’ re served a food that you don’ t like or cannot eat？

Don’ t make a fuss about it．If your host doesn’ t say anything about what you aren’ t eating，then you shouldn’ t，either．Simply eat what you can and hope that no one notices what you left．If you are questioned，you may have to admit that you don’ t eat meat(or whatever)，but you can also say that you’ ve enjoyed the other foods and have had“more than enough”to eat．Don’ t make the cook feel obliged to prepare something else for you．Be sure to compliment the cook on the food that you enjoyed．

Don’ t leave immediately after dinner，but don’ t overstay your welcome，either．When your friends seem to be getting tired and running out of conversation，take their behavior as a cue to leave．The next day，call or write a thank－you note to say how much you enjoyed the evening．

If you invite someone to join you for d inner in a restaurant，phone the restaurant first to find out if you need a reservation in order to avoid a long wait for a table．To make a reservation，just give your name，the number of people in your group，and the time you plan to arrive．When you invite someone to dinner，you should be prepared to pay the bill and reach for it when it arrives．However，if your companion insists on paying his or her share，don’ t get into an argument about it．Some people prefer to pay their own way so that they don’ t feel indebted4)，and those feelings should be respected．In most American restaurants，the waiter or waitress’s tip is not added to the bill．If the service was adequate，it’ s customary to leave a tip equal to about 15% of the bill．In expensive restaurants，leave a bit more．

American table manners are easy to learn by observation．A few characteristics to note：the napkin should not be tucked into the collar or vest but should be placed across the lap；the silverware5) placement is quite different from the European style，but you can’t go wrong if you use the piece of silverware furthest from the plate first and work your way in toward the plate as the meal progresses．Before cutting food，so me Americans switch their knife and fork to the opposite hands，but it isn’ t necessary to do this.