Differences between Chinese and Western table manners. Differences in table atmosphere
Generally speaking, the dining table in the west is quiet, while the dining table in China is mobile. Westerners are usually active, but as soon as they sit at the table, they concentrate on cutting their own dishes quietly. People in China are usually quiet. As soon as they sit at the dinner table, they will talk endlessly, helping each other with food and persuading them to drink. The noise on the dining table in China and the quietness on the dining table in the west reflect the fundamental differences between Chinese and western food cultures.
2. Table manners
In China's cultural tradition, people are more particular about attending various formal dinners. However, in the change and development of modern customs, there are both progress and backwardness. From the traditional point of view, this overloaded diet not only causes waste, but also is harmful to human body. Although people in China pay attention to dietotherapy and nutrition, but our cooking takes the pursuit of delicacy as the first requirement, which leads to the loss and destruction of many nutrients. Therefore, nutrition may be the biggest weakness of China's diet.
3. Western cooking follows norms and science.
Westerners emphasize science and nutrition, so the whole cooking process is carried out in strict accordance with scientific norms. The use of recipes is an excellent proof. Westerners always take recipes to buy food and cook, but in comparison, it is still a very mechanical thing, which leads to a disadvantage of western food. When people are in a foreign land and want to taste local food, no one will definitely choose KFC or McDonald's. In addition, standardized cooking even requires accurate ingredients, accurate spice addition to grams and accurate cooking time to seconds. Due to the standardization of western food, there is no creativity. What westerners can't understand is that China's cooking not only does not pursue accurate standardization, but advocates randomness. When you open China's cookbooks, you will often find that the amount of raw materials prepared and the amount of seasonings added are vague concepts. Moreover, in China cooking, not only the major cuisines should have their own flavors and characteristics, but also the collocation of side dishes and various seasonings of a cuisine will change according to the chef's personal hobbies. It's also tofu brain. It's made for Sichuan guests and Suzhou guests, and the seasoning used is definitely different. In the west, a dish faces different consumers in different regions and seasons, and there is no change.
4. Westerners who advocate freedom emphasize differences and individuality.
This cultural feature is also clearly reflected in Chinese and western food culture. Except for a few soup dishes in western food, the ingredients in the main course are irrelevant. Fish is fish, steak is steak. Even if there is a collocation, it is carried out in the dish, which embodies the inheritance and violates the traditional cultural customs. For example, the clothes when eating are much more casual than in the past, such as tunic suit, jacket or suit, which also reflects the change and development of traditional culture and is the best effect of the integration and positive transmission between Chinese and western cultures.
Examples.
Nowadays, many westerners, especially Americans, don't like smoking and drinking, and many people don't like others smoking and drinking in their own homes. In today's China, many people both smoke and drink, which seems to be a strange social phenomenon. No one can socialize without smoking or drinking. Therefore, China still has a bad habit of smoking and drinking at the dinner table. Although they know it hurts, they can't stop it. Presumably this is the incompleteness and incompleteness of cultural migration and development. It is necessary for us to constantly promote the development of humanistic culture and improve the humanistic quality of the nation on the basis of a correct understanding and understanding of cultural phenomena.
Step 3: Seating order
Both China and the West pay attention to the arrangement of formal banquets. People in China traditionally use square tables. Opposite the door, the seats are on both sides. When entertaining guests, the elderly, guests or people with high status are seated, the male and female hosts or accompanying guests are seated, and the rest of the guests are seated in the wrong order. Westerners treat guests with long tables, with male and female hosts sitting at both ends, and then arrange seats in the order of male and female guests and ordinary guests. For table rules, westerners eat with knives and forks, while China people use chopsticks. Of course, the use of knives, forks and chopsticks has its own rules. The differences between Chinese and western food cultures and the contrast between Chinese and western table manners not only reflect the cultural traditions in different places, but also reflect different national psychology, values and moral standards, social relations, social etiquette and social customs, that is, western culture advocates personal honor, self-centeredness, innovative spirit and personal freedom, while China culture advocates modesty, prudence, selfless dedication, moderation and unity and cooperation; Westerners have a strong sense of equality and a simple family structure; However, China people have a strong sense of hierarchy and complex family structure, and most of the traditional happy families are four generations living under one roof. In cross-cultural communication, it is not uncommon for people to misunderstand information or even hurt each other because of cultural barriers. Sometimes kind words will embarrass each other, and polite manners will be misunderstood as absurd and vulgar. Therefore, studying the differences between different cultures and the correct cross-cultural communication behavior has become a problem that cannot be ignored. Their advantages and disadvantages are obvious in the process of comparative study. This kind of research is conducive to the positive transmission of culture, so as to take its essence and discard its dross, thus promoting the development of national language and humanistic culture.
People in China are generally very particular about eating, and they are also very particular about eating. With more and more attention paid to workplace etiquette, eating at the business table is also more particular.
Dining Etiquette of Chinese Banquet At the beginning of Chinese banquet, the first wet towel brought by the waiter is to wipe hands. Don't use it to wipe your face.
When lobster, chicken and fruit are served, a small lemon with lemon slices or rose petals floating is not a drink, but is used to wash hands. When washing your hands, you can wet your fingers in turn, rinse them gently, and then dry them with a small towel.
Pay attention to manners when eating. Don't persuade foreign guests repeatedly, but introduce the characteristics of Chinese food to each other. It's up to him to decide whether to eat or not. Some people like to persuade others and even help others. Foreign guests do not have this habit. If you are polite again and again, maybe people will resent it. I said I wouldn't eat. What do you want me to do? By analogy, when attending a banquet hosted by foreign guests, don't expect the host to give you food repeatedly. If you wait for someone to serve you food, you have to be hungry.
Don't start eating immediately after the guests are seated. Instead, guests should wait for the host to say hello, and then raise their glasses to signal the start. Guests can't walk in front of their hosts.
To be civilized, don't move chopsticks until it's your turn. Don't grab it in front of your neighbors. It's not advisable to take too many dishes at once. Chewing slowly is not only conducive to digestion, but also a etiquette requirement at the table. Never put a big piece in your mouth and wolf it down, it will give people the impression of greed.
Don't be picky about food, don't just stare at your favorite food, or pile your favorite dishes on the plate in a hurry.
The action of eating should be elegant. Don't touch your neighbor while eating. Don't put the plate on the table. Don't spill the soup Don't make unnecessary noises, such as when eating soup? Gollum? Eat vegetables in your mouth? Boom boom. This is vulgar.