Dinner Parties

Few things are of such utmost social importance as the dinner parties.

Food has always played an important role in the society of Tosormi. After all, everybody has to eat, right? However, this focus on food got centered around the upper classes during the reign of the Lomian Empire with the lavish parties that were held at the Palace.
No matter the occassion or type of party, there was always plenty of food. Items where imported from the Lomian mainland, to show off what they had for the local important people, and later on those lomians who had never been to the mainland.
Since the Empire left, there is no royalty left to host these parties, but the tradition has stayed. If someone wants to show off their wealth, they invite people for dinner. If there is a special occasion, it's dinner. If you want to get to know someone important, dinner.
Today, these dinner parties are the focal point of the social life of Tosormi. It's here alliances are forged, people are introduced to their future spouses, and enemies made. Through a long series of courses, the more rare and exotic the better, people have a chance to really get to know each other.

Etiquette

The most important thing for a person to learn for these dinner parties are the proper etiquette and course of the evening.
Nothing can destroy your whole reputation and social standing as breaking these unspoken rules (well, not that unspoken, there are handbooks).
Examples

• There is always a break in between courses for people to mingle, it's considered rude not to leave the table during this time (unless you're old)
• After these mingle breaks, you're supposed to sit down at a new place at the table to be able to talk to new people