In the old days, guests used to come to your house unannounced, at any time of the day or even late at night. You did not complain much, because in those days there were few facilities available to be busy: there were no mobile phones and only a privileged few boasted of having landlines; there were no social networks or instant messaging applications; he had limited entertainment options, for example there were no 24 hour TV channels and therefore a very rare live broadcast of events or sports, a lonely movie theater in his locality and the ubiquitous radio really didn’t bother him a lot while I could listen from anywhere in the house, doing anything, and that you also did the same in your shifts as your guests. Thus, he did not feel annoyed or annoyed even when the guests suddenly landed for lunch or dinner.
As modernization began to take hold of us and the options opened up in abundance, you became busy all the time and decided that prior bullying before coming is part of the etiquette, and if those rules were violated, you got angry, embarrassed. or even get angry. Now, let’s not look at the activities that keep you busy today. In this scenario, we will discuss our topic, primarily in the context of India, which is believed to have high hospitality values. And, of course, we will exclude from our analysis all those rude people who treat guests with deference based solely on their grounds. We will also not consider the phenomenon of guests, whose numbers are declining at a very rapid rate anyway thanks to modernization and business.
Depending on the nature of the visits there are various types of guests who can visit you, but whoever the guest is and whatever type they are, the basic approach is that you should be cordial with all of them, smiling at them even if they are irritated and you should always offer them a seat and a glass of water; for the remainder of your hospitality, you are free to decide and, in fact, have a manual handy.
Many people visit you daily for errands, inquiries or to give an opinion or personal message. Technically, they cannot qualify as guests because they are not close to you or relate to you in any other way. So you can entertain them on the terrace if you have one or in the chairs closest to the front door, and if the visit takes a considerable amount of time, you can offer them a cup of tea, not necessarily biscuits.
Then classmates from your school or kids going to college visit your home often to chat or just keep company. Here, guests normally enter the study room where their children live. Now, the lady of your house should never call her son to come in to eat food that is only for him; Everyone should be offered the same food and you must understand that these children always come hungry. Your office colleagues or your boss or teachers or tutors or doctors are always highly esteemed and you receive them in the best possible way, often calling some of them for tea and snacks at the dining room table.
For guests who are not that close or that far, but who come regularly like your neighbors, you can welcome them in the living room by offering tea and snacks. However, they are not qualified to be invited to sit at the dining room table, unless they are accompanied by ladies who are friends with the ladies of their house, perhaps according to their manual. For some distant guests who you know are coming simply to pass the time, you can welcome them on the terrace and see them off with a cup of tea at the most.
Your special guests are always the dearest friends and the closest relative who you don’t even mind coming unannounced. You make them sit in the main room and give them a welcome cup of tea first. Meanwhile, some of the guests can move around the house to meet their children and the ladies who go to the kitchen to meet their wife. Then everyone is invited to sit at the dining room table to enjoy sandwiches or home-cooked meals, with tea or coffee.
Rare exception to such a manual could be some very old friends or distant relatives who suddenly appear in heat and meet up: some strangers who come unannounced on a reference or on a special job, and depending on the nature of your interaction, some of them. could qualify to sit at the dining room table.
Suppose you are staying at your relative’s house, things may go a bit astray when guests visit you and introduce you to some of them, because naturally you are not very aware of the guest treatment manual adopted by that guest. family boss. For example, you can take a case of mine. A guest, perhaps not so close or not so distant, visited my uncle’s house where I was staying for two nights. The head of the family seated him on the veranda, and some time later called me to introduce myself, since the guest was well versed in my professional field. The discussion was going very well when I had to go to my assigned bedroom to take an important call. As I came out and crossed the kitchen, my uncle’s daughter handed me a steaming cup of tea. I went to the veranda taking a sip of tea while I was eager to continue the discussion. My uncle looked at me in horror and embarrassment. He said,
“Ah …! How cute! You have your tea!”
It was my turn to be embarrassed when I glanced at the guest who was fortunately busy with his speech or perhaps pretending not to notice anything.
I stormed inside and stopped my niece for not entertaining the guest first. She smiled awkwardly and returned to the kitchen. Then it hit me: yes, this particular guest is not qualified for a cup of tea. However, I felt pretty bad and insisted on serving him and my uncle tea.
Guests are an integral part of our lives and we cannot do without them. Very often, we wait for you; very often, we are very happy to welcome you. In a way, we are all guests of this planet earth. Careful with this!
