Dietary etiquette refers to the written etiquette in dietary activities, which is formed on the basis of dietary customs. The earliest dietary etiquette is directly related to the ancient ritual of offering sacrifices to the gods. In this regard, it is recorded in the Book of Rites to the effect that the ancestors of primitive society baked millet and pork pieces on burning stones to offer food, dug holes in the ground as wine bottles to offer drinks by hand, and beat the earthen drum with a long mallet made of thatch to show their respect for ghosts and gods. Later, catering etiquette developed from the communication between people and ghosts to the communication between people, in order to coordinate the increasingly complex social relations, and gradually formed the "five pre-Qin rituals" such as auspicious ceremony, fierce ceremony, military ceremony, guest ceremony and good ceremony, which laid the foundation for ancient catering etiquette. Dietary etiquette has gradually played the role of "governing the country, setting the country, making the people and benefiting future generations".
By the Zhou Dynasty, a set of perfect food etiquette system had been formed. History books say that the Duke of Zhou was a "system of rites and music" and formulated a complete set of laws and regulations to consolidate the rule of the Zhou royal family. Among them, a number of specific provisions were made for the banquet of the royal family and princes, including "country wine ceremony", "shooting ceremony", "wedding ceremony", "eating public" and "wedding ceremony". Zhou Li was appreciated by Confucius, who supplemented the connotation of benevolence, righteousness, propriety and righteousness for food etiquette, so that it could reflect the ethical relationship between people. Confucius' students summarized and expounded the teacher's theory, and finally formed three classics: Zhou Li, Etiquette and Book of Rites. Emphasize that people are rude, things are rude, and countries are rude, which makes them restless. Dietary etiquette and other etiquette have become the moral code of conduct in ancient China. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it was emphasized that "eating without talking, sleeping without talking", that is, eating without talking and sleeping without talking; "Although you eat soup sparingly, you must sacrifice, and you must be as neat as you." When you eat brown rice soup, you must sacrifice first to show your respect for convenience; "Don't sit if the seat is wrong" means don't sit if the seat is wrong: "When the villagers drink, the staff will go out and they will go out." Is to eat and drink with the people in this place, until the old people left, they finally left. Thus, China's food etiquette has a long history, which played an important role in ancient society and had an important impact on modern society.
Among the many food etiquette in China, banquet is the most representative. Traditional ancient banquet etiquette is divided into levels, including court, government, guild, folk and so on. And modern banquet etiquette is only divided into host and guest. The general procedure of traditional food etiquette is: the host holds a banquet, and the first thing to do is to invite guests. Scholar-officials should send invitations and explain the reasons. Ordinary people must also send messages and verbal invitations. The earlier you invite, the more pious you are. Three days' invitation, two days' call and one day 'mention. There are manners to go to dinner. Don't go empty-handed Always bring gifts. The host will be unhappy if he goes late, and it is impolite to go too early, so it is better to arrive at the right time. On the day of the banquet, the host should greet the guests outside the door; When guests arrive, they should greet them, take them to the living room and provide them with tea and snacks. Arranging seats for guests and guiding them to their seats, "hero seating" is the most important etiquette in China. The emphasis on seating is very strict, "respect the east" and "respect the door". Generally speaking, there is the first seat on the left and two on the opposite side. There are three under the first block and four under the second block. At a family dinner, the chief is the oldest elder or the highest-ranking guest. According to seniority, the host of a banquet usually sits at the bottom. If it is a round table, the host and guest facing the gate will sit at 246 on the left hand side and 357 on the right hand side in turn until they meet. If the square table has a seat facing the gate, the right side is up, and the right seat facing the gate is the main guest. If it is not facing the gate, the right seat facing east is the chief. Then the chief took 2468 seats on the left hand side and 357 seats on the right hand side. If it is a large banquet, the arrangement between the dining tables is also very particular. Chief is in the middle, with 246 seats on the left and 357 seats on the right. According to the identity, status and intimacy of the host and guest, sit separately. No one can sit without the Chief Executive. Anyone who is demoted to the chief position always pays tribute to everyone present and thanks them for their flattery before taking a seat. Usually, the guest sits first and the host sits last. However, if the elder hosts a dinner for the younger generation, the elder will sit down first, and the younger generation will sit down again.
At the banquet, there are strict rules for the placement of dishes. "Book of Rites Quli" said: "When eating, eat left and be right, eat for the people left, and soup for the people right. Outside the cooking place, in the sauce-dredging place, onion slices are right, and wine paste is right. Those who set customs will be left and right. " Meat with bones should be placed on the left, and large pieces of cut meat should be placed on the right; Rice is placed on the left, soup is placed on the right, carefully cut barbecue is placed in the distance, and sauce and vinegar are placed nearby. Seasonings such as onions are placed next to them, and drinks and soup are placed in the same direction. If you want to display dried meat, breast meat and other foods separately, put them in the left corner and straight on the right.
Serving wine is also very particular. "Book of Rites Shao Yi" has detailed records that when serving food, you should take it with your right hand and your left hand; When serving fish dishes, if you cook fish, face the guests with the fish tail; In winter, the fish belly faces the right side of the guest, and in summer, the fish ridge faces the right side of the guest. Modern serving rules pay attention to cold before hot, and hot dishes should be served from the left side of the seat opposite the host and guest. When serving a single dish or side dish, order first, then dim sum first. Serve plastic dishes such as whole chicken, whole duck and whole fish. Don't put your head and tail in the right position. Pour the wine by the guest on the right, first the guest, then the host; Female guests first, then male guests. Pour eight cents of wine, not too full.
In the process of eating, there are also many manners to pay attention to. "Book of Rites Quli" mentioned that when eating with others, don't just focus on eating yourself; Wash your hands before eating; Don't rub rice balls with your hands; Don't put the leftover rice back in the pot; Don't drink until the water drops in your mouth; Don't wolf down your food and soup and make unnecessary noise; Don't chew bones; Don't pick your teeth in public; Don't put the bitten fish back in the dish bowl; Don't wolf down the soup; Don't mix vegetables and soup in front of the host. In addition, you should also pay attention not to eat immediately after serving, and wait for the host to signal to open the table before eating; If the vegetables and soup are too hot, you can wait until they are cold. Don't blow them with your mouth. Don't rummage about in the plate when picking vegetables. The host gives the guests a table dish, whether they like it or not, they must finish it, which is a respect for the host.