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What’s diet culture

The Second Page

        Table Manners
        The main difference between Chinese and Western eating habits is that unlike the West, where everyone has their own plate of food, in China the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares. If you are being treated by a Chinese host, be prepared for a ton of food. Chinese are very proud of their culture of food and will do their best to give you a taste of many different types of cuisine.
        A typical meal starts with some cold dishes, like boiled peanuts and smashed cucumber with garlic. These are followed by the main courses, hot meat and vegetable dishes. Finally soup is brought out, which is followed by the starchy "staple" food, which is usually rice or noodles or sometimes dumplings. Many Chinese eat rice (or noodles or whatever) last, but if you like to have your rice together with other dishes, you should say so early on.
        One thing to be aware of is that when eating with a Chinese host, you may find that the person is using 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 yummy it is. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you can just say a polite thank you and leave the food there, and maybe cover it up with a little rice when they are not looking. There is a certain amount of leniency involved when dealing with Westerners, so you won't be chastised.
        Eating No-no's
        Traditionally speaking, there are many taboos at Chinese tables, but these days not many people pay attention to them. However, there are a few things to keep in mind, especially if you are a guest at a private home.
        1. Don't stick your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl.
        Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when somebody dies, the shrine to them contains a bowl of sand or rice with two sticks of incense stuck upright in it. So if you stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it looks like this shrine and is equivalent to wishing death upon person at the table!
        2. 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.
        3. Don't tap on your bowl with your chopsticks.
        Beggars tap on their bowls, so this is not polite. Also, in a restaurant, if the food is coming too slow people will tap their bowls. If you are in someone's home, it is like insulting the cook.

Eat Local

        1. Drinkingg
        Gan Bei! (Cheers!)
        Alcohol is a big part of eating in China. Especially when dining with Chinese hosts, you can expect the beer to flow freely and many to be Gan-ed. (GanBei literally means "Touch with ") Besides beer, the official Chinese alcoholic beverage is Baijiu,( also means Kaoliang spirits ) high-proof Chinese liquor made from assorted grains. There are varying degrees of bai jiu, and some are quite good. The North of China, favorites are called Er Guo Tou, Maotai and Wuliangye, which are whopping 56% alcohol. Er Guo Tou costs a modest 4 or 5 Yuan per ping (bottle). Maotai and Wuliangye More expensive, which go far about 300-400 Yuan per bottle. In comparison, If you are not a drinker, or don't feel up to the challenge, just say "wo bu hui he jiu" (I don't drink). It is generally acceptable to use Beer to substitute.
        2.The Stuff of the Meal
        The center of the Chinese meal is Mifan(Rice). In the South and among urban families in North of China, the Mifan may be rice or rice products, as is the wheat eaten in the majority areas of North in the form of cooked whole grains, noodles, or bread.
        3.Place Settings and Serving Etiquette
        An individual place setting for an everyday meal includes a bowl of fan, a pair of chopsticks, a flat-bottomed soup spoon, and a saucer. Instead of a napkin, a hot towel is often provided at the end of the meal for the diner to wipe his hands and mouth. The meat and vegetable dishes are laid out all at once in the center of the table, and the diners eat directly from the communal plates using their chopsticks. Soup is also eaten from the common bowl. Rather than for serving oneself a separate portion, the saucer is used for bones and shells or as a place to rest a bite taken from a communal plate when it is too large to eat all at once. It is perfectly acceptable to reach across the table to take a morsel from a far-away dish. To facilitate access to all the dishes, Chinese dining tables are more likely to be square or round, rather than elongated like their western counterparts.
        4.Accompaniments
        Neither beverages nor dessert are commonly served with a meal. People drink tea nearly all day, but at meals soup is usually the only liquid provided. At special events there may be wine or liquor. Sweet foods are usually reserved for special events, where they are served between courses, or for small meals at Tea houses.
        5.A Chinese Banquet
        Banquets are held to celebrate the New Year, the Moon Festival, weddings, and other special occasions. Each event is associated with particular treats -- filled moon cakes for the Moon Festival or New Year's pudding, for example -- but there are also many common characteristics and ceremonies involved. A banquet acquires much of its festive character through 2 elements: the release from some everyday eating customs (usually those that impose restraint) and the exaggeration of others. At a banquet, for example, rice doesn't need to be treated as the center of the meal, but the respectful interaction between guest and host, a commonplace, must be performed with extra gusto.

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