Differences in table manners between Chinese and Western banquets 1: Seating position. China usually leads the guests to the table after the guests are gathered, with the left as the top, which is regarded as the chief, with two seats for the first, three seats under the first and four seats under the second. In the west, generally speaking, the seat farthest from the door facing the door belongs to the hostess, as opposed to the seat of the host. The seat on the right of the hostess is the first guest seat, usually a gentleman, and the seat on the right of the male host is the second guest seat, usually the wife of the guest of honor. The seat on the left of the hostess is the third guest seat, and the seat on the left of the host is the fourth guest seat.
2: The order of serving. In China, the first course is soup, followed by the staple food, such as dry rice, and then the last course is fruit to promote digestion; In western countries, the order of serving is usually vegetables and soup, fruit, table wine, staple food and finally dessert and coffee.
3. The difference in tableware. In China, tableware is relatively simple, generally only cups, plates, bowls, plates, chopsticks, spoons and so on, while in the west, there are knives and forks, spoons, cups and plates, and knives and forks are subdivided into many kinds. Tea cups and coffee cups are porcelain with saucers, while water cups and wine glasses are mostly glass products.
4. Different ways to stop eating. When you stop eating at a banquet, you can put chopsticks straight on a plate or spoon. If chopsticks are placed horizontally on the plate, it means that they are drunk and full and no longer eat. When taking a short break in the west, the arrangement of knives and forks has different meanings. Putting knives and forks in the center of the plate in the shape of a figure of eight means taking a short break. If the knife and fork protrude out of the plate, it is not safe or beautiful. It is impolite to wave the knife and fork while talking. After eating, put the knife and fork at four o'clock.
In addition to the above four basic differences in hotel table manners, there are of course subtle differences. For example, in terms of clothes, in China, people can dress casually in restaurants, even T-shirts and jeans, and only dress ceremoniously at important banquets. But when going to high-end restaurants in the west, men should wear neat tops and leather shoes; Ladies should wear suits and shoes with heels. If formal clothes are specified, men must wear ties. Don't wear casual clothes to eat in restaurants.
Differences in table manners between Chinese and Western banquets 1. Differences in table atmosphere
Generally speaking, the western dining table is quiet, while the China dining table is moving. Westerners are usually active, but as soon as they sit at the table, they concentrate on quietly cutting their own dishes. People in China are quiet on weekdays. As soon as they sit on the dining table, they will talk endlessly, offering food to each other 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 culture.
2. Table manners
In China's cultural tradition, people are also more particular about attending various formal dinners. However, in the changes and development of modern customs, there are both progress and backwardness. From the perspective of tradition, this overloaded diet not only causes waste, but also harms the human body. Although China people pay attention to dietotherapy and nourishment, and attach importance to keeping healthy and nourishing by diet, our cooking takes the pursuit of delicacy as the first requirement, resulting in the loss and destruction of many nutrients. Therefore, the nutrition problem may be the biggest weakness of China's diet.
3. Western cooking follows norms and science.
Westerners emphasize science and nutrition, so the whole process of cooking is strictly in accordance with scientific norms. The use of recipes is an excellent proof. Westerners always take recipes to buy food and make dishes, but in comparison, it is still a very mechanical thing, which leads to a drawback of western food. When people are in a different place and want to taste local food, no one will definitely choose KFC or McDonald's. In addition, standardized cooking even requires accurate ingredients, accurate addition of spices to grams, and accurate cooking time to seconds. Due to the standardization of western cuisine, it is not creative. What westerners can't understand is that China's cooking not only doesn't pursue precise standardization, but advocates randomness. When China's cookbooks are opened, it is often found that the amount of raw materials prepared and the amount of seasonings added are vague concepts. Moreover, in cooking in China, not only should each major cuisine have its own flavor and characteristics, but even the matching of side dishes with various seasonings in the same cuisine will change according to the chef's personal hobby. It's the same bean curd, cooked for Sichuan guests and Suzhou guests, and the seasonings used are definitely different. In the west, a dish faces different eaters in different regions and seasons, and there is no change.
4. Westerners who advocate freedom emphasize distinction and individuality.
This cultural feature is also clearly reflected in Chinese and western food cultures. Except for a few soup dishes in western cuisine, the raw materials in the main cuisine are irrelevant. Fish is fish and steak is steak. Even if there is collocation, it is carried out in the dish, which reflects inheritance and violates 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 changes and development of traditional culture, which is the best effect of the integration of Chinese and western cultures and the positive transfer between them.
Examples.
Nowadays, many westerners, especially Americans, don't like smoking or drinking, and many people don't like others smoking or drinking in their homes. In today's China, many people both smoke and drink, and there seems to be a social strange phenomenon that no one can socialize without smoking or drinking. Therefore, there is still a bad habit of smoking and getting drunk at the dinner table in China. Although they know it hurts, they still can't ban 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: Order of seats
Both China and the West pay attention to the arrangement of formal banquets. China people traditionally use the square table. Opposite the door, the seats are on both sides. When entertaining guests, the elderly, guests or people with high status sit in the seats, the male and female hosts or accompanying guests sit down, and the rest of the guests sit in the wrong seats in order. Westerners treat guests with long tables, where the male and female hosts sit at both ends, and then arrange seats in the order of male and female guests and ordinary guests. For the 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 comparison of Chinese and western table manners not only reflect the cultural traditions of 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 individual freedom, while China culture advocates modesty, prudence, selfless dedication, moderation and unity and cooperation; Westerners have a strong sense of equality and simple family structure; However, people in China have a strong sense of hierarchy and a complicated family structure, and the traditional happy families are mostly four generations living under one roof. In cross-cultural communication, it is not uncommon for people to misunderstand information and even hurt each other due to cultural barriers. Sometimes well-meaning words will embarrass the other party, 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 an issue that cannot be ignored. In the process of comparative study, their advantages and disadvantages are obvious. This kind of research is conducive to the positive transfer of culture, so as to take its essence and discard its dross, thus promoting the development of national language and humanistic culture.