Get-together etiquettes

I think we did well today. We were invited to a birthday party of friends, which would start at three in the afternoon. Along with the invitation came the remark: "for coffee and cake". Here in Germany this means: "There's no food, so the party ends at six."

Get together etiquettes are different in every country. So, there are differences between Germany and the Netherlands as well. And in the past three years, I got myself into several uncomfortable situations: showing up at a bbq party when almost all food had been eaten already, throwing a party without organising much food during which most guests were starving, visiting friends in the evening after dinner finding the friends' dinner table filled with food, paying for a round of drinks and finding out that instead of rewarding eyes disturbed faces were looking into my direction, etc.

But with some help of Shiqi and some feedback of my German friends, I think I have found out the most important etiquettes for a successful get-together:

-Be punctual when invited at a particular time, especially if the get-together involves eating ... and don't be surprised if the guests to your party show up five minutes early, so be at home on time.
-An appointment at around three in the afternoon means: coffee and cake. No food (although the amount of cake you'll eat is most likely more than enough to get you through the rest of the day). You will most likely be invited to sit down at a fully prepared dinner table.
-An appointment in the evening always includes food, unless explicitly stated that only drinks are served.
-Even though Germany has the reputation of a coffee drinking nation, a cup of coffee after dinner is not often drunk.
-Germans usually pay separately when going out with a group. So be careful with paying for a round of drinks ... your example might not be followed by your fellow drinkers.
-A brunch appointment in the weekend is very popular in Germany. And as Germans usually get up very early, brunch can be as early as ten in the morning ... don't oversleep.
-For some reason, Germans often drink only water, when invited at someone's home. I still haven't figured out whether there is some etiquette I missed, explaining this, for a Dutch, odd behaviour.
-When invited to someone's home, bringing a small gift for the hosts will be appreciated ... like anywhere else in the world, actually.
-I should actually write a separate post on greetings and saying goodbye. In general I can say that friends (men and women)usually greet each other and say goodbye with a short hug. For the Dutch readers: three kisses on the cheeks is not done. Just shake hands, if you feel uncomfortable about the hugging.

I hope, I have adopted the most important rules of behaviour, and that I will not be regarded as a bad mannered Dutch, by my German friends. No doubt, there are still some etiquettes that I am not aware of. So, an update to this post can be expected.