Table Manners Between China and America PDF

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Table Manners Between China and America...

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Table Manners between China and America Manners reflect one’s personality. Table manners are art that reveals one’s culture. There are many table manners around the world. It is also necessary to learn more table manners because of the rapid process of globalization. Using utensils, eating gestures, and serving food are different between China and America. Frist, using the utensils is different between China and America. In the United States, people would like to put their plate on the table when they are eating. On the contract, people in China would hold the bowl close to their mouth when they are eating, which is a polite action. When setting the bowl for the guest, it is impolite in setting them parallel, which represents the bad luck. People in America only use the spoon to eat dessert or drink soup, and they usually use the fork and knife to eat entrees, but in China people prefer to eat with chopsticks and spoons. In addition. It is rude if chopsticks are stuck straight up in the bowl; because it makes the bowl similar to the tomb and Chinese people do not like it. Second, the gesture when eating is different from China to America. People in America will think that it is rude to make the sound made from chewing. But In China, if you are eating with a loud sound, it will not be criticized, at the same time, the host will think that you must love the food, and which will satisfied the host. In America, when having a party, it is liberal to leave before others leave, but in China, people should not leave before all the people have already finished their meal. Because leaving the table early might be considered you do not respect other people. Third, the table manner of serving food is different from America to China. People always serve food for themselves in America although their relationship is really close. Chinese people like to serve guests food many times, and each time they might make the guest’s bowl full of food in order to let the guests eat more and show their respect to the guests. On the other hand, if the host serves a drink, you can reject it in America, but in China, you have to drink when the host gives you some beverages, although you might not really want to drink. Because you have to respect the host in table. In addition, if you want to cooperative with the host, the host might want to cooperative with you because of your genuineness. Overall, the table manner are different between China and America. And it is also an essential knowledge to help you to understand other country’s culture. Furthermore, as long as you master this knowledge, some awkward situations can be prevented.

Chinese and American Table Manners For people around the world today, eating is life. But you cannot eat in whatever ways you like, for you might bother someone else on the eating table. That’s why there are table manners: a type of etiquette used when eating. Different cultures have different standards for table manners. And next, we are going to compare the Chinese table manner and the American one. First, let us begin with their similarities. Chinese people put communal chopsticks on the shared plates of food, while the American uses forks and spoons as communal utensils on the dishes like the salad bowl. Another thing in common is that they both forbid the playing with utensils. You cannot wave them or bang them like drumsticks, or use them to move the plates. Your two hands are asked to be in use. Hold your bowls in the Chinese culture or grab the fork and knife with your hands in the American customs. Do not let any of your hands does nothing but lay it on the table. If you want to place your hand on the table, put it aside your plate. But these rules would be a demand too harsh in casual situations like eating at home. There are too many differences between Chinese and American table manners. Before presenting the differences, we would like to introduce some of Chinese special manners. We should decide what to pick up before reaching for the food with chopsticks. Do not hover around or poke looking for special ingredients. After you have picked up an item, do not put it back on the dish. In addition, it is traditionally polite for the youngest members of the table to address each and everyone of the elder members of the table before a meal starts and literally tell them to “eat rice”, which means “go ahead and start the meal”. This is a sign of respect to the elderly as they play important roles in Chinese traditional society. The differences existed between Chinese and American table manners are much more than similarities. First of all, American consider speaking loudly with mouth opened, seeing the food that you are chewing in the mouth as improper and rude. But in Chinese culture, we often see people speaking loudly with each other when eating; it is totally acceptable. Furthermore, it even looks awkward for the Chinese when family and friends sit together at a dinning table without any conversation; this silent situation may be reagarded as speechless and will make the party feels embarrassed. Secondly, the dinning utensils used by the American, usually forks, can be held by both right and left hands. However, Chinese people consider holding chopsticks with left hand as impolite. Therefore, even if you are a left-handed person, you still have to use your right hand. One possible explanation for this restriction is that if there are someone using right hand and the other using left hand, their chopsticks may collide with one another; this is a sign of conflict and should be prevented. Thirdly, there is a very strict cultural taboo in Chinese table manner: never stab chopsticks into a bowl of rice and let them stand upwards. A stick standing upwards symbolizes the incense sticks

offered to dead people. Thus, it is very offensive for Chinese people to conduct such an act. In contrast, American culture has no idea of incense sticks and so it is acceptable to stab dinning utensils on food. A fourth difference between Chinese and American table manner is regarding whether one should finish his or her food or not. For the Americans, it is acceptable in most cases to not finish all of the food. Yet Chinese people have a saying that if you leave your food unfinished, you will marry a person with a pockmarked face in the future. Although a lot of people often neglect this warning, it is a virtue that is encouraged widely and educated to young children. Finally, Americans serve their food by passing dishes around and each person takes his or her own portion. As for the Chinese, dishes are put on the centre of the table and are picked up by the people surrounding them. Table manner is an art that reveals one’s culture. There is an old Chinese saying: eating is the priority of people. This reflects how important it is to eat properly in the right manner. Enjoy the exotic food and also try out the foreign table manner at the same time; you will find eating more than a routine act for survival! Comparative Research on Chinese and Western Table Manners Abstract As Chinese reform and opening accelerates dramatically, transnational communication also increases quickly. We must be willing to change in order to become an effective intercultural communicator. We must be willing to communicate; have empathy toward foreign and alien cultures; develop a universalistic, realistic approach to the universe; and be tolerant of views that differ from our own. Intercultural communication offers the arena for this interpersonal contact. Our abilities are improved according to international communication. Today transnational communication is so frequent that table manners become more and more important. They make not only the whole dining process more harmonious but also status of hostess and customers more obvious and their communication more convenient. Chinese and Western table manners have many differences in such aspects as tableware, table setting, seating arrangement, behaving at the table and so on. According to comparative research of these differences in this paper, it can help us analyze cultural differences between Chinese and western from value concept, moral criterion, social relation, history and custom. In this paper, the author is aiming at researching comparatively on Chinese and western table manners and finding out the reasons. The purpose is to prove the importance of improving our intercultural communication ability by means of doing the research on the different table manners and culture between China and the west.

Different Table Manners in China and the West Different Table Manners in China and the West Food is so fundamental to our life so that all the other aspects of our living are influenced by and built on it. Healthy daily meals ensures physical fitness for us to work and play. The diet has become part of the culture. As culture various from country to country, so do table manners. It is helpful for us to learn table manners in different countries, because there are more and more international exchanges in the globalized world and banquet is an important part in such communication. Diet plays an important role in both China and Western countries, but table manners vary from country to country. In China, banquet ceremony has become an indispensible part of people’s lives. When a child is born, parents will invite friends and relatives to host a cerebration, Later on, when the child is one month old and one hundred days old, similar celebrations will be held. During the process of growing up, parents will hold a birthday party for their children every year. Even when one passes away, funeral dinners will be offered by descendants to the deceased. On occasions such as settlement of an issue and promotion, Chinese people will invite friends to dinner for celebration and exchange. In short, banquet performs many social functions for Chinese people. Unlike Chinese, people in western countries do not attach much importance to social functions of diet. They think that diet ensures normal function of human body. They care more about the benefits of food than its socialization roles. Table manners are closely associated with the characteristics of Chinese and western banquets. There are some similarities in table manners of China and the West. These rules show the consensus between Chinese and Westerners on the proper way of eating. For example, it is impolite for diners to smoke at table. Smoking is harmful to people’s health and considered rude at banquet, unless permitted. It is advisable for people to sit straight up at the table to make a good impression on others. Dinners should not talk with each other when their mouth is full. It is polite Although there are some similarities in table manners, more obvious differences exist between Chinese and Western table manners. Chinese people pay much attention to the content and arrangement of dinner. They usually provide ten or more main courses at a formal banquet. The more pompous the dishes are prepared, the more the host’s hospitality and the higher the host’s status. In western countries, a banquet consists of no more than six dishes, and it is similar to common dinner. In the U.S., friends may contribute to a dinner. They take their dishes to share with each other amidst joyful exchange of ideas. What really counts is the relaxed and cheerful atmosphere at dinner. Clearly, western banquet symbolizes freedom and relaxation. In china , any banquet ,no matter for what purpose , is held in the same way .That is , people sit around a round table eating, drinking and chatting. This creates an atmosphere of unity, happiness and politeness. Delicious dishes are put in the center of the people and naturally become the media by which people exchange their feelings and emotions. They toast to each other and drink to their heart’s content. It is a symbol of great union among Chinese people. In the west, people have their dinner in a completely different way. They never eat food which is put in the same plate or bowl .Each of them has his/her own share of the food placed in his/her own plate .This displays

individualism in Western culture. Westerners encourage individual freedom and independence. Though they also sit around a table, each of them has his/her own set of tableware and own share of dish. In this way they do not interfere each other. It seems somewhat cheerless and cold, though it is healthy and clean. The individual has more say on the dish they choose. For example, when you go to a western restaurant and ask for a share of steak, the cook may probably ask you questions like: would you like roasted steak or fried steak., how long do you want your steak cooked etc.The cook will prepare the steak strictly according to your request. Besides, seasons are usually put on the table for guests to choose. Before dinner, seat should be arranged by some rules. The seating order is different between China and the West. In China, senior people or people of higher social status are often assigned the seat of honor, for it is customary to arrange seat according to social rank and seniority. In feudal society, Chinese women had not a single right and were not respected at all. They were, of course, not allowed to attend a banquet. But this situation has changed a lot, as women have been paid due respect now. Today, Chinese women do go to a banquet, they, however, often, play a minor role at table, especially when going along with their husbands. Unlike Chinese, Westerners follow different rules. They adopt the code of of “ladies first” in both seat arrangement and during the dinner. When the banquet starts and dishes served, the chief female guest is the first one to be served, and then other female guests. The hostess will be the last. After that, it is the turn for male guests. When the dinner comes to an end, others cannot leave until the hostess stands up and leaves her seat while gentlemen should move chairs for ladies to leave. In addition to seating order, the order of dish served is also differen in China and the West. In China, ordered dishes are usually served all at once. The order, however, still exists. Cold dishes will come first with drink and wine, followed by hot dishes. The staple food comes then and the desserts and fruits are served in the end. If there are many tables of guests in a banquet, the same dish should be served for each table at once. In a formal Western cuisine, the first dish is usually an appetizing one, such as salad. The first plays as a kind of prelude. The second dish is soup. When Chinese people have dinner in a foreign banquet, they should never think that the soup means the end of the banquet. During dinner, Chinese people like to persuade others to drink and use their own chopsticks to put food in the plate or bowl of guests to show politeness and hospitality. In China, it has long been held that people should not eat alone, without considering others when many people dine together. A person should not possess one kind of dish totally and he should not jolt his hot dishes in order to make it cool quickly either, for it is not decent and polite. In the West, people do not act as enthusiastically and courteously as the Chinese when they have a banquet. Westerners pay more attention to personal independence. If it is a formal dinner by government officials, huge amount of food will be ordered that is impossible to finish. A typical meal begins with a set of at least four cold dishes, like boiled peanuts and sliced cooked beef, to be followed by the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes. Finally soup is served, followed by staple food, rice, noodles or dumplings. Chinese people tend to over-order food, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed. Generally speaking, there are many taboos in Chinese table manners. Over time, some have been abandoned while others still remain. To name a few as follows: First, do not stick your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. Instead, place them on your dish. The reason behind it is that when

someone dies, the shrine set up for the deceased includes a bowl of rice with two sticks of incense stuck upright in it. If you put your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl, it looks like something in the shrine and therefore inauspicious. Second, make sure that the teapot spout is not facing anyone. It is impolite to place the teapot where its spout is facing somebody. The spout should be directed to the place not occupied by anyone. Thirdly, do not tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. It is inappropriate because beggars often tap on their begging bowls. It is impolite also because people may tap on their bowls and saucers when the food comes slowly. If you are in someone’s home, the tapping is insulting to the host. In China, if you invite people to dinner, the person who invites others would pay for the meal. But people in western countries usually think that it is not your responsibility to make payment though you invite them. They may prefer to go Dutch. They will not be happy if you pay for them. Chinese hosts and hostesses would like to put dishes into guests’ plate to show their hospitality. In formal dinners, there are always ‘public’ chopsticks and spoons for this purpose, but some hosts may use their own chopsticks. This is a sign of friendship and politeness. But westerners may think it unhealthy to do so because their chopsticks have been used by themselves. It is western practice to give tips to waiters or waitresses after they have finished meals in a restaurant. If you refuse to give tips, they will be unhappy because tips are a major source of their income. On dinner tables, the most obvious difference is the choice of their table wares. Chinese people use chopsticks to pick rice and dishes, whereas western people cut food with forks. The thin and long chopsticks cannot be used to cut food, so we usually use our teeth to cut food. We hold the food, meat or vegetable, with chopsticks, deliver them to mouths, bite off part of it and keep the rest on the chopsticks. That is the usual and acceptable way we Chinese eat. But these habits may be deemed rude in western countries. Among the tableware, knives and forks are two kinds of table wares with very long history in the west. With knife in one hand and the fork in the other, Westerners cut and put food into the mouth with the fork. This has become a daily habit of people when they are eating. What Chinese people care about is the delicacy of food .They emphasize the idea of using some cooking skills to unite and harmonize the tastes of foods which have different natural properties, Chinese people value the similarity of different things. According to their traditional idea, they tend to seek the relationship between two different objects, and make them adapt to each other. So they value the unity of different tastes and they always try to put food of different natural properties into one. And food of different nature will achieve unification. Since the westerners believe in separation of the universe and human in their cultural spirit, they emphasize the form and structure and value hygiene and nutrition. They believe in separation of the universe and human world. Diet of balanced nutrient is the most important concern for them. But Chinese people consider it important to make the proper match of food out of a variety of raw materials. Cooking of different raw materials achieves a unified good taste and nice flavor. Chinese way of cooking is not only to meet the physical needs but also to satisfy the psychological and aesthetic needs. For example, the taste of crab lobster and sea fish is completely different. Westerners will not mix the tastes of them to prepare a dish. Therefore, understanding of Chinese dishes from a cultural perspective can help Westerners appreciate Chinese meals and accept Chinese table manners. Having good table manners show respect and decency to others with whom you eat together. Chinese and western table manners have their own characteristics deeply rooted in their respective culture. Chinese table manners is the product of an agricultural society, reflecting

collectivism and unity. In contrast, western table manners is the outcome of industrialized civilization, valuing individual...