Chinese Table Manners
By admin on 2014-12-16

In terms of table manners, unlike the West where everyone has their own plate of food, in China the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares them, which forms the main differenc of eating habits. If you are treated by a Chinese host, be prepared for a multitude of food. Chinese take pride in their culture of cuisine and will do their best to show their hospitality.

It is very usual the Chinese host use their chopsticks to put food in your bowl or plate. This is a sign of politeness. The appropriate thing to do would be to eat the whatever-it-is and say how delicious it is. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you can just politely express thanks and leave the food there.

Don't stick your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish, because when somebody dies in China, the shrine to them contains a bowl of sand with two sticks of incense stuck upright in it. So if you stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it looks like the shrine and is equivalent to wishing death upon a person at the table!

Make sure the spout of the teapot is not facing anyone. It is impolite to set the teapot down where the spout is facing towards somebody. The spout should always be directed to where nobody is sitting, usually just outward from the table.

Don't tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. Only beggars tap on their bowls, so this is not polite.

To know about Chinese eating habits will make your stay at a Chinese family easy and relaxed, once invited to the Chinese dinner. Table manners is part of Chinese eating custom. Just as a saying goes”Do as Romans do it”, Do as the Chinese do it makes your stay in China convenient and comfortable.