Place easy, general dishes on the table for guests to help themselves to. Steamed or roasted vegetables, rice, salad, and condiments are some of the things you can usually leave in the middle of the table for guests to help themselves to. This isn't strictly necessary, though. If you prefer to keep things simple, you don't have to leave anything more than salt and pepper on the table.Put complicated, delicate and artistic food on the plates in the kitchen. This is known as "plating-up." Don't expect guests to help themselves to food that requires assembly or is difficult to manage. The only way they'll get to see your creativity is if you put it out on the plate for them before you even get to the dinner table. Keep the rim of the plate clear of sauces, spills, anything; it frames the food.Decide on your serving order. Traditionally it was customary to serve women first (eldest to youngest), then the men (same order). You can do this if you want to keep with tradition and the occasion is quite formal. Otherwise, choose one end of the table and move around it in a clockwise fashion, regardless of the genders of your guests.Pass all dishes from the left. Guests and servers should pass dishes from left. The logic behind this is that most people are right-handed and this allows them them to serve themselves from the dish while it is being held by the passer. Nowadays it is less likely that the passer will continue to hold the dish, but will expect you to take it, so if you are left-handed, it won't be a problem. Place the dish down on your side plate to serve from it.
Keep the courses rolling. It isn't a good idea to make guests wait too long between courses. They'll get fidgety, anxious and gossipy about what you're doing.
Amaze guests with your knowledge. Don't hesitate to tell them some interesting and brief details about the time-old recipe you've used and why the wine complements the meal so well. On the other hand, do not ever go into details about how the flesh portion of the meal was hunted/killed. This is bad taste and makes some guests very queasy. Leave it for discussion around the fireplace with a like-minded friend after dinner.
Clear only two plates at a time, from the right. The host or hired help should clear no more than two plates at a time to avoid bumping guests and