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| Social
Observations - Etiquette |
Chinese Etiquette
- Table Manners |
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Table Manners
Food is very central to the Chinese psyche, and meals
are always communal. Chinese people love to eat out
at restaurants whenever possible, or invite friends
round for dinner
Chinese table manners can vary depending upon which
part of China you are in. There are also normal and
formal versions, so for this study I will keep things
simple, and in cases of Regional differences, will use
the Guangzhou Cantonese style
You may find some common practices alarming at first,
but usually by the time you have mastered using chopsticks,
the reasons for the relevant behaviour have also become
apparent. Chinese will also find a few common Western
table manners as being barbaric!
Please also read more about types of Food here,
and types of Restaurants here
A Normal Table Description
First a brief description for those who have never been
to China before
A Chinese table is usually round with a central glass
rotator we call a 'Lazy Susan'. A normal place setting
consists of: Large dish, small dish, main bowl, tea
bowl, glass, chopsticks, toothpick, and a Chinese spoon.
There will also be a pack of tissues, normally charged
at Y 1 extra
Rice is served as a separate bowl, as is soup. In higher
class eateries there will be a rest for your chopsticks,
and sometimes larger chopsticks of a different colour
(Orange), which are only used for serving, never for
eating with
Specialist restaurants may not use a Lazy Susan, but
instead have a gas, electric or solid fuel ring set
in the table centre. Usually these have a very large
cooking bowl with a central separator for different
styles, like spicy and coconut milk. This is usually
for a communal cooking where you cook the food yourself,
although sometimes a very large cooked casserole is
served instead. Some restaurants have variations such
as individual cooking pots for each place setting
Street bars will be lower class, and use square tables
outside which are easy to combine for extra diners.
In case of rain they will cover you all with large pop-up
shelters. Here the basic items are a dish, bowl, tea
bowl, glass, and chopsticks only
Virtually everywhere will have English cutlery, although
it may take them a while to actually find it. Because
of the way Chinese cuisine is presented to table, you
may well find chopsticks are far easier once you get
the hang of them
Table Etiquette
- Placement and Ordering
This is normally quite simple, with just a few rules
for your to remember. You are the Host below, although
there are very few special duties involved at table.
1. The Host should arrive first and sit opposite the
door (Or direction from which guests arrive)
2. It is normal for the Host or his representative to
arrive 30 minutes early. The Host should be at table
at least 15 minutes early. Guests will arrive 10 minutes
early
3. Normally only tea is served, but you may order beer
or soft drinks whilst awaiting the arrival of good friends
only
4. Once everyone is present, as Host you should order
the food. Select dishes that everyone will like, and
not just your personal favourites. After ordering a
few basic dishes, enquire if guests would like to select
from the menu. You can also go and select live produce,
which can be very interesting. Fish are usually chosen
this way
5 . There is no seating plan, but you may consider making
one, as this can help make for a great evening.
6 . Order at least one more main dish than the number
of people present. Ask the girls present to order a
dish of Greens they all like also
7 . Tables for 6 or 8 people tend to work best, as you
can order a good selection of dishes and know there
will be little waste. Tables for 2 or 3 tend to have
restricted choice of dishes, whilst tables for 12 or
more tend to offer each guest only 1 or 2 items from
each dish
8 . Be aware of who are in actuality the most important
people present
9 . Offer selected cuts from dishes to honoured people
by placing them in their bowls
10 . Soup is normally served first
11. Most chinese order bowls of rice halfway through
the meal. A man is judged by how many bowls of rice
he can eat (3 is considered very good)
12. Complimentary fruit is served last
13. Otherwise dishes arrive in the order they are cooked.
Therefore traditional sweet dishes may often arrive
first. To eat a sweet last, order it when the meal is
almost completed
14. The most revered dish is normally fish
15. The Host must pay for the meal. 'Going Dutch' is
unheard of in China, and doing so will cause extreme
offence!. However, lucky money called 'Lai Xi' may be
given publicly in special red envelopes, and is considered
a compliment - do not open it table!
Table Manners - Eating
There are very few of these, even at formal dinners.
Beginning with informal meeting between good friends
and progressing, these are:
1. Never cross your chopsticks - this is very bad luck
and may cause a famine. Always put them to rest lying
side by side
2. Crossing your chopsticks whilst using them to eat
is also very bad, this time showing you have no personal
skills and are like a small child.
3. Always wash your hands before eating
Normal
4 . A standard arrangement is: Large dish, small dish
on top, main bowl containing spoon on top of these
5 . Leave the spoon in the bowl always and use the chopsticks
only if possible. The spoon will act as a sieve
6 . If there is no chopstick rest, then either place
them on a dish or on top of your main bowl when not
in use. In Canton, placing them on the bowl is normal
and preferred. In other parts of China this is considered
common. Do what others are doing
7 . Chinese food is always served complete, and on the
bone. These can be a bones nightmare. Spit out bones
directly onto the table in front of you, or onto one
of your dishes. Shellfish will give you quite a mound,
and if you use the dish, this will be replaced with
a clean one regularly. In this situation, place the
dish separately for this purpose
8 . Never eat anything using your fingers, it is extremely
offensive!
9 . If there is no option, like in MacDonald's for example,
use a tissue to hold the burger with
More formal:
11 . Use the chopstick rest always
12 . Always only use the serving chopsticks for serving,
and always only use the ordinary chopsticks for eating
with
13 . Some dishes, like round glazed mushrooms can be
extremely slippery to deal with. It is ok to use a spoon
for serving these. Request one for the dishes in question,
and use your personal spoon to assist eating them as
required
14 . Large items like pork knuckles, fish heads, or
dumpling can be difficult to pick up because of their
width. Consider altering the way you hold the chopsticks,
so the gap between them is bigger. You can also stab
an item with one of the chopsticks making it very easy
to handle. I would not do this at a very formal meal
however
15. Never ever touch food directly with your fingers!
16. Wash your hands after a meal, and always wash them
after handling money
If in doubt, wait and see what other people
are doing and not doing, then copy them |
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| Related
Pages: Etiquette; Tea,
Beer,
Table Manners |
|
| This
information is as supplied by the Chinese Embassy in
UK, as dated 20th June 2008, and/or other reliable sources.
This particular page also contains my personal, unbiased,
and apolitical observations. Please check this information
yourself as it may alter without notice, and whilst
we try our best to ensure it is correct, please do not
hold us responsible for any errors - this is intended
as a simple guide only |
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