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Hi Helen Yuet Ling,
I found this post interesting, especially as it seems that people are interested in our etiquette and customs.
However, I sort of cringe when you say that among the searches people are doing, they are googling things like “pictures of people eating Chinese food” or “what do the Chinese sit on when they eat” – makes me feel like we are some sort of “exotic” species and not just regular people who have our customs and traditions, which are normal to us. I’m sure the etiquette of using a full silver service, from salad fork to desert spoon should be as baffling to people.
Perhaps, it’s the interest in China and the Olympics or the political situation with Tibet that brings a bigger interest in all things Chinese, or perhaps people are travelling more and have tried more traditional Chinese foods.
Even as I explain to my non-Chinese friends about not eating rice with chopsticks from a plate – not efficient, takes way too long and food will get cold – and demonstrate the correct way to shovel rice with chopsticks from a rice bowl, I find they are reluctant to do this the proper way and still insist on carefully picking at the rice from their plate.
So even if you have Chinese friends who are willing to explain the etiquette, customs and traditions, I wonder how many people will really want to do things the proper Chinese way?
Happy Easter to you and your loved ones.
Susan S. Cheung
As a non-Chinese person, I wonder whether I can respond? I remember (somewhat embarrassedly) asking the Chinese wife of a Mauritian friend what people wear in China. I had no idea, and had some vision of early 20th C Chinese traditions. She enlightened me, and it was the beginning of a wonderful exploration of things Chinese, esp the food!
I learned to eat rice the right way a long time ago – purely for the convenience. Eating off a plate is so jolly hard. However, when I eat Chinese food with friends, I am usually the only one doing this. It just takes time for people to learn, adapt, adopt and grow.
Hi Susan and VegeYum,
Thanks for your comments. I was a bit unsure about posting about this subject, and kept putting it off, while continuing to monitor the terms that were bringing people to World Foodie Guide. In the end I concluded that it’s better that people are curious about Chinese etiquette and customs and want to find out more, regardless of what terms they use to find that information out.
I feel I know little about the customs and traditions of certain cultures, and wonder what search terms I would type into Google in order to find out something specific?! But the great thing about being online is that you can find out anything you want to learn about (if the information is accurate, that is!)
Happy Easter!
Helen Yuet Ling
Oh, i encourage you to keep posting! You know, if one person reads and understands a little more, I think it is worth it. I have learned a lot from your posts, esp the one about etiquette. With such a focus on China this year, there will be a lot of interest. (Of course, I am not Chinese, although my son-in-law is. It will be interesting to hear from others.)
BTW, you should have seen me eating Japanese and Chinese noodles before I learned how to handle them properly. Hilarious!
I agree, you should definitely keep on writing this kind of post. I think people learn the most from sharing of personal experiences. I try and do this through my articles, blogs and other writing, and in my friendships with people from around the world.
I learn so much about different cultures and etiquette and customs through simple one-to-one communication and through emails and blogs. The world is definitely a smaller place, and the more we can dispel myths and misunderstandings the better.
Keep up the great work!
Susan S. Cheung
Thanks guys! VegeYum, I’m sure I’d struggle eating Indian food off a banana leaf with one hand, so your recent post was great. When I was younger, I used to watch my Indian friend do it when her mother cooked for us, while sticking to my fork! I should have learned when I had the chance…
I am one of those people who googled how to eat with a chinese spoon. It’s not as mad as it may sound – do you eat from the side or from the front (opposite the handle) and do you stick the whole thing in your mouth or do you sort of sip from it – like a western soup spoon. I have also googled how to use the plate and bowl setting. Is the food eaten from the bowl only or from the bowl and plate depending on the food? What is the plate for? I love real Chinese food but I find it slightly ridiculous that I should be so bamboozled by the table settings. So far I have found a million articles on how to use chopsticks but no answers to these other questions.
Any tips?
Cressy
Hi Cressy!
I’m glad you’ve left a comment, as it’s good to have a chance to explain things in more detail. I know there are so many articles online on how to use chopsticks, which is why I didn’t bother myself! I find the etiquette side of things much more interesting…
So, how to eat with a Chinese spoon – it’s usually quite a chunky thing, so eat from the side of the spoon, not from the front. As you are eating from the side of it, you will be sort of sipping, but it depends on what is in the spoon. If it’s liquid, then you’ll sip, if it’s a piece of food, then you’ll eat from it, (perhaps with the help of your chopsticks in your other hand). Also, it’s a personal spoon, so don’t use it to serve yourself from the shared dishes.
With the bowl and plate, I’d eat from the bowl (rice, noodles, things from the shared dishes) and use the plate for bones and discarded bits. You can also add some sauce from the little shared condiment dishes onto the side of your plate, so that you can dip into it as much as you like. If you put everything around the edge of the plate, then you can still put the bowl back on the plate. Otherwise the outside base of the bowl gets really sticky.
It’s really hard to eat food off a plate without making a mess, especially rice. If you are ever served rice on a plate (eg a one dish meal of say roast duck with rice), then use the chopsticks and Chinese spoon together, one in each hand, chopsticks to push the food into the spoon, then eating from the spoon.
With a bowl, you can pick it up and bring it closer to your mouth (rather than bending over it while it’s on the table). This minimises splashes and drops of food (it will simply fall a few inches back into the bowl, rather than down onto your plate!) You can also use a gentle shovelling motion with your chopsticks to eat rice.
If you don’t overload the bowl with too much food, then everything will be easier to eat. Rice/noodles usually go into the bowl first, followed by things from the shared dishes on top.
You might also get a heavy (often brassy-coloured) metal spoon with each setting. This is for serving yourself from the shared dishes, not for eating with.
Hope this has been helpful?! Feel free to ask if you have more questions. I’m more than happy to help if I can…
Thanks!
Helen Yuet Ling