These are scrupulously observed by the pan-European characters in the story, a Bildungsroman and dark comedy of manners in which even the dining tables are classified by social status.
Families drag dining tables onto the porch for supper in the open air, and afterward, people sat outside in their yards or in stoops until late, catching any whisper of a breeze under the stars.
I don't have any room in my house for a tree to put gifts under, so instead, I would just clean and clear a space in the shape of a circle on the dining table for gifts.
" We have developed technologies to bring Chinese cuisine to the 'space dining table', allowing astronauts to enjoy 'home-cooked flavors', " said Li Yinghui, a researcher at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center.
Servants swarm around the guests; onlookers throw flowers into the air. At the centre of the dining table sits Jesus, his head encircled by a halo of golden light.
He had a Tiffany lamp, an antique dining table, and a laser disc video attached to a Sony Trinitron, but foam cushions on the floor rather than sofas and chairs.
The dining table is set with beautifully embellished silver platters and ornate vessels, and this is the context in which our cup would have been passed around among the guests.