On the differences between Chinese and Western table manners

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on the differences between Chinese and western table manners 1

This paper compares China table manners with western table manners, aiming at a deeper understanding of table manners, so as to realize cross-cultural communication smoothly.

Keywords table manners; Differences between China and the West

Introduction Etiquette is everywhere in modern society. Dining is not only to meet basic physiological needs, but also an important social experience. However, there are many differences in table manners between China and the West, so I understand the differences to prevent rudeness. According to the order of eating, this paper points out the different dining etiquette between China and the West.

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Today, with such a developed spiritual civilization, foreign exchanges are getting closer and closer. Whether in business negotiations or friends' gatherings, we all realize that it is very important for us to understand the differences between Chinese and western cultures. Among them, Chinese and western table manners are a threshold, which is the premise and touchstone of our communication and cooperation.

first, look at the difference between the advance of invitation and the punctuality of dinner.

generally speaking, whether in China or in the west, people should be invited to dinner or dinner in advance.

if the Chinese party treats guests at a large wedding banquet, it should be held several days in advance, which is a sign of respect for the guests.

Western banquets should also be notified in advance. For example, if you agree to the other party's invitation, you must inform the other party in advance if you have to be late or even cancel the appointment temporarily. Besides, if the banquet time is 7 o'clock, you'd better arrive at 6: 55. It is acceptable to be late for the meeting, but if it exceeds 15 minutes, it will give the other party a bad impression that they don't attach importance to dating. Therefore, we must keep time, which is the first step of our success.

Second, look at the differences in etiquette from the seating arrangement between China and the West.

Ancient China is known as the "land of etiquette". It has been a tradition of China people for thousands of years to pay attention to etiquette, follow etiquette, respect etiquette, and honor the etiquette of China people's banquet seating. "If you don't learn etiquette, you can't stand". The core of etiquette is human social behavior norms, which are the social behavior norms, moral standards and various etiquette that China people have become accustomed to and customized.

China's traditional practice is that when arranging side-by-side seats, China's traditional practice is to "put the left first", that is, to think that the left position is higher than the right position. And first invite the guests to sit on the table, and then sit next to the elderly guests in turn, and enter from the left side of the chair when seated. Don't move chopsticks after sitting, let alone make any noise, and don't get up and walk around. If there is anything, you should say hello to the host.

when the international common practice is to arrange the seats side by side, the international common practice is to "put the right first", that is, to think that the right position is higher than the left position. They will pay attention to: the master and hostess are the center, the position of the left hand is the top, and the position close to the master and hostess is the top; Couples should not be adjacent, men and women should be adjacent in turn, and the host and host should be adjacent to the guests in turn; The interpreter can sit on the right side of the guest of honor. On some large occasions, you can also arrange meals behind the host and guest.

Although the basic seating methods at home and abroad are different when arranging seats. When arranging seats on foreign-related occasions, international practice should generally be observed.

Third, look at the differences from the arrangement of tableware.

We know that there are only cups, chopsticks, bowls, plates and so on in tableware in China. Its placement is relatively simple. The arrangement of tableware is like this: the big plate is closest to the body, facing the tie; A corner of the table cloth is pressed under the big plate, and a corner hangs down the edge of the table; The small plate is stacked on the big plate; Put a towel on the left side of the market; Put a small bowl on the left front side and a small porcelain spoon in the bowl; Place a wine glass on the right front side; Put chopsticks on the right.

Tableware in western food has an outward-inward dining order, so its arrangement is also outward-inward. It is carefully arranged according to the order of serving different dishes. Put a food plate (or soup plate) at the front of the seat, put a fork in your left hand and a knife in your right hand. The spoon is also placed on the right side of the food plate. Above the food plate, there are spoons, forks and coffee spoons for eating sweets, and then the glass is placed slightly to the right. From the right: grape wine glass, champagne wine glass and beer glass (water glass). And napkins are stacked in beer cups (water cups) or on food plates. Put the bread plate on your left hand, and the butter knife on it is placed horizontally in the plate, with the blade side facing yourself. The number of knives and forks for dinner should be equal to the number of dishes. They should be arranged from the outside to the inside in the order of serving, with the edges inward. When eating, they should be arranged from the outside to the middle in order, followed by appetizers, fish and meat. In a more formal dinner party, napkins are made of cloth. In addition, it should be noted that high-end restaurant napkins are often beautifully folded, and some are tied with small ribbons. Be careful not to wipe your nose or face with a napkin.

in this way, the arrangement of tableware in western food is very particular, so we must not be rude when eating. Dine in strict accordance with the arrangement of tableware.

Fourth, look at the differences from the etiquette when eating.

People in China are also very particular about their meals.

First of all, when eating, please invite guests first. If you stand and move chopsticks, you should take less food each time, and eat less food far away from you. Don't make noise when eating, and don't make noise when drinking soup. Take a sip of soup with a spoon.

Secondly, it is not advisable to hold the bowl to your mouth. Drink the soup when it is too hot and cold. Don't blow and drink at the same time. Some people like to chew food, especially crunchy food, to make a clear sound. This kind of practice is not in line with the etiquette requirements, especially when dining with others, we should try our best to prevent this phenomenon. In addition, if you are chewing something in your mouth, remember, don't talk, so as not to spit out rice grains and cause embarrassment.

On the contrary, westerners usually have a plate for each person, so there is no problem of holding food, but they generally don't like to talk while eating, so they try not to talk when eating, and only when eating dessert, they can talk and have a relaxed topic.

It's just that the tableware in general western food is very complicated, and it's a shame if the tableware is wrong. The general use of tableware is as follows: if there are several pairs of knives and forks on both sides of the dish, the outermost ones should be used first. After the first course is finished, the waiter will remove the dish together with the knife and fork, and then use a second set of knives and forks. If there are several knives, forks and spoons of different sizes, they have different uses.

if you keep in mind the three principles of "neatness, cleanliness and quietness", you will have no disadvantages.

here, to sum up a little experience, if you don't know the etiquette of western food very well, the most practical way is for others to do one step, and you should follow suit and watch what others do, so at least there will be no mistakes.

basically, you've learned these things, and it's generally not too rude to eat.

Conclusion Although there are differences in etiquette, there is no difference between high and low. Only when we learn these rules of dining etiquette well can we be more comfortable in interpersonal communication. On the differences of table manners between China and the West

The key to the success of a dinner party depends not only on the quality of the food, but also on the atmosphere of the dinner party. During the dinner party, guests can talk to each other and understand each other, so it is necessary to arrange appropriate seats. Whether it's a formal banquet or a family dinner, it's very important to arrange proper seating. Reasonable seating arrangement should consider gender, age, occupation, the status of guests and the relationship between guests and hosts. Due to the differences in culture and customs, there are also differences in table manners between China and the West.

first, the reasons for the differences between Chinese and western dining tables

The seating of dining tables reflects the cultures and customs of different countries and reflects people's social status and background. Different countries and nations have different cultures, which are influenced by natural environment, religious belief, scientific and economic development, political system and regional customs. These factors are also the main reasons for the difference between Chinese and western seating positions.

China has always attached great importance to etiquette. All kinds of etiquette also reflect the status of social members. In the feudal society of China, women's status was low, and women were not allowed to sit at the table in some big family dinners. However, in western law, the stability of the country and society is maintained, everyone is equal before the law, and the social status of men and women is equal, which is also true in seating. China's society is family-based, advocating filial piety and gratitude to parents, so parents have an absolute core position in China's family, so the elderly or people with high family status are the first to live. Different from China's family, the West advocates the concept of independent family. Under the influence of this family concept, children and parents can discuss problems and exchange opinions on an equal footing. In western dining table seating, the chief guest is not the elderly but the main guest, even if sometimes the main guest is the young. Western table seating can be traced back to medieval court etiquette. At that time, the seats reflected people's class and status as well as their positions in the court.

second, the international customary table seating

although there are differences in table seating in different countries and cultures, there are also customary table seating etiquette in the world. Men can't sit before women, and they can't sit until women and old people are seated. When seated, men should take care of the ladies and the elderly. The closer a guest sits to the host, the higher his social status, the higher his seating position than his relatives and friends, the older than the younger, and the international friends higher than his domestic guests.

Third, the differences of table seating in different occasions between China and the West

Older people or main guests may not always sit in the main seat, and in a specific occasion, who is the core will sit in the main seat. Therefore, different occasions have different seating arrangements. Due to the differences in cultural background and customs, there are also differences in table seating between China and the West on different occasions.

(1) Differences in table seating between the West and China in large-scale family gatherings or formal banquets

In formal banquets, it is best to clearly indicate the name and seating on the invitation card or seat, and be led by one of the inviters when attending the banquet, so that the guests can find a seat smoothly, avoid embarrassment and leave a good impression on the banquet.

western classical dining table seating requirements are extremely strict. Male and female guests should sit with one man and one woman crossed. Couples, including the host and wife, cannot sit together, and brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fathers and daughters cannot sit next to each other. Guests who already know each other cannot be arranged together. Foreign guests should be arranged next to guests who can communicate in their own language. The purpose of this arrangement is to make the guests communicate better and make more new friends. Artists have higher privileges in western dining table seating, and many inviters will arrange them with seats higher than the traditional hierarchical seating. In short, when arranging seats, we should consider the better integration between the guests, and arrange those guests who are very interested in each other and have the same topic together to make the atmosphere of the banquet more pleasant. The specific western traditional dining table seating is: the highest-ranking male guest usually sits on the left of the hostess, the highest-ranking lady sits on the right of the hostess, the second-ranking man sits on the right of the hostess, and the second-ranking lady sits on the left of the hostess. In this way, seating is arranged according to the identity of the guests. Men and women sit apart, and the position of women is usually higher than that of men.

At present, the table seating of formal banquets in China has also undergone some development and evolution. On the one hand, it inherits some traditional etiquette, on the other hand, it also draws lessons from international etiquette culture. China table seating mainly follows four principles: center first, right first, facing each other first, and tables in the same direction. "Center is the top" means that when many tables are placed together, the table in the center occupies the main position, and the main guests should sit at the main table. "Right-oriented" means that the position of the right side on a table is higher than that of the left side. "Face-to-face" means that the seat facing the door is the main seat, and the first guest should sit in this seat. "All tables are in the same direction" means that the theme orientation of each table is the same. The specific seating order of the dining table is: the principal guest faces the door, the hostess sits on its left, and the man sits on its right. When the inviter has a higher status than the principal guest, the person with higher status takes the first place, the host sits on his left and the principal guest sits on his right.

(II) Differences in table seating in small family gatherings or informal dinners

Seating requirements in small family gatherings or informal dinners in the West are not very strict. The main principle is to facilitate guests to communicate better with each other and meet new friends. Men and women usually sit in flowers. The host and wife of a rectangular table usually sit at the end of the table facing the door, and the young people are at the end of the table. If a new couple doesn't want to sit separately, they can ask the host. Children had better arrange another table under the supervision of the elderly.

China's seating order at small family gatherings or informal dinners is that the elderly are in the first place facing the door, and others are sitting on both sides of the elderly in the family unit. The higher the status, the closer they are to the first place, and the young people are generally sitting at the end of the table with their backs to the door. There are also some family dinners where men drink, so men sit on one side and women sit on the other side, which are located on both sides of the first place.

IV. Comparison of table seating between China and the West

The following three points can be drawn from the analysis of table seating differences between China and the West on different occasions:

(1) In western table seating, women have a higher status, and men will wait for women to sit down before they can sit down

Seating is left-oriented, and the first guest should sit on the left of the hostess and take care of her. In China, the seating position of men is higher than that of women.

(2) The chief guest ranks first in the western table seating, even if other guests are older than the chief guest

However, the table seating in China advocates respecting the elderly, and the oldest person or the person with the highest status usually sits first, following the principle of "equal rank, orderly age, rich and poor".

(3) In China, the husband and wife sit next to each other

In western formal banquets, the husband and wife can't sit next to each other, and the men and women sit cross, and the men with high status are on the left of the women.

with the development of the times, modern people advocate simplicity and nature. Some complicated dining table seats also slowly disappear with time, and new seats will be created on some occasions. With the advancement of globalization, in cross-cultural communication, in order to avoid embarrassment and misunderstanding, people usually follow the international convention of table seating. We should understand the differences between Chinese and western table seating and master the internationally accepted table seating, so as to arrange the guests reasonably in the banquet, make the banquet atmosphere more pleasant and the guests can communicate with each other better, and finally achieve the purpose of communication. On the differences of table manners between China and the West. 1. From the use of tableware, chopsticks are used in Chinese food and knives and forks are used in western food, which is the most basic difference between Chinese and western table manners. There are different norms in the use of tableware in China and the West. When eating Chinese food, don't play with chopsticks, and don't use chopsticks to point or gesture at people. Never suck chopsticks or stick them in rice. This is a big taboo. When eating western food, don't tell me what to do if you have a knife and fork in your hand. When talking or talking, it is polite to put the knife and fork on the plate. Do not use your own tableware to pick up food for others. Do not drop the tableware.