China is a country with a long history of ritual and etiquette, and eating is a highly important feature of its culture.
Chinese food and the way it is prepared is very much influenced by the two major philosophies which affect the entire Chinese culture. These dominant philosophies are Confucianism and Taoism.
Confucius, the man behind Confucianism beliefs, established standards of proper table manners. One such standard is that food must be cut into small bite size pieces before serving. Knives at dinner table are also considered to be a sign of very poor taste by those who embrace Confucianism beliefs. He also emphasized the importance of texture and color, and taught that food must be prepared and eaten with harmony.
Taoism on the other hand focuses on the health benefits of a particular food versus its presentation. Taoists search food that will increase their health and longevity and have healing powers.
During the long development of Chinese eating culture, many practices have evolved that foreigners may find quite different from what they are used to. Today with the popularity of Chinese cooking throughout the world, certain etiquette must be followed.
Over cups of soothing hot tea with my neighbor, good friend, restaurateur Loreta Dy Tian, I learned some basic dos and taboos at a typical Chinese dining table.
.Wait for the host to begin before you start eating or drinking. In Chinese etiquette, the host always begins each dish by serving the guest of honor and one or two other guests nearby.
.Let older people eat first, or if you hear an elder say "let us eat," then you can start.
.Sample at least a bite of every dish. Your host will be looking at you to see your fortitude.
.When removing bones or other parts of the meal from your mouth, use chopsticks and put them on a side plate in front of you, instead of spitting them directly onto the table or floor.
.Always offer food or tea to some-one else before you serve yourself. You would be considered without manners if you serve yourself first.
.Second helpings of foods are fine. However, cleaning your plate can mean the host did not provide enough food to satisfy you.
.Practice using the world's oldest eating utensils, the chopsticks. It is considered rude and a sign of bad luck to lay the chopsticks vertically paral-lel on the top of the bowl or leave them sticking up especially into rice as this will make Chinese people think of fu-nerals were sticks of incense are stuck into the rice that is put onto the altar.
.In the absence of serving spoons, use the wider top end of your chopsticks, not the end that goes into your mouth to take food from serving dishes.
.As to noodles, the Chinese do not bother twirling. When eating noodle soups, hold the chopsticks in one hand and the soup spoon in the other. Take a spoonful of broth and pick up some noodles with chopsticks and put in the spoon, then use the chopsticks to help the noodles into your mouth. If you wish, you can also deliver the noodles straight to your mouth alternating mouthfuls of noodle with slurps of broth.
.Slurping is essential among the Chi-nese for practical reasons. It is a way of introducing cool air into your mouth to cool off the noodles and the broth if it is too hot.
.Keep meal conversations light and general. Talk about the wellbeing of family members and children. As in all cultures, no politics or religion, please.