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An American friend has invited you to visit his family. Youve never been to an Americans home before, and youre not sure what to do. Should you take a gift? How should you dress? What time should you arrive? What should you do when you get there? Glad you asked. When youre the guest, you should just make yourself at home. Thats what hospitality is all about: making people feel at home when theyre not. The question of whether or not to bring a gift often makes guests embarrass. Giving your host a gift is not just a social nicety in some culturesits expected. But in American culture, a guest is not obligated to bring a resent. Of course, some people do bring a small token of appreciation to their host. Appropriate gifts for general occasions might be flowers, candy orif the family has small childrentoys. If you choose not to bring a gift, dont worry. No one will even notice. American hospitality begins at homeespecially when it involves food. Most Americans agree that good home cooking beats restaurant food any day. When invited for a meal. You might ask, Can I bring anything? Unless its a potluck, where everyone brings a dish, the host will probably respond, No, just yourself. For most informal dinners, you should wear comfortable, casual clothes. Plan to arrive on time, or else call to inform your hosts of the delay. During the dinner conversation, its customary to compliment the hostess on the wonderful meal. Of course, the biggest compliment is to eat lots of food! | 
