Table-Manners-in-China-and-Western-Countries

TableMannersinChinaandWesternCountriesAsthebasisofallotherceremonies,tablemannersaretheessentialprocedureineveryone’sdailylife.Toanyone’seducation,weusuallystartfromtablemanners.ThenTablemannersareveryimportantsinceitisrepeatedmanytimeseveryday.Itmustbedoneproperlywhethereatingalone,withfamily,orwithfriends.Youshouldtrainyourselfinpropertablemanners,whetheraloneorwithyourfamily.Itwillthenbecomeanaturalpartofyourbehavior,andyouwillbeateaseatthetable.Tablemannersineverykindofculturearetotallydifferent.Forexample,Chineseusechopsticks,westernpeopleuseknivesandforks,whileIndianusehandswhatevidentlyreflectthedifferencebetweendifferentcultures.Meanwhile,thesedifferencescanactivelyexpresstheconnotationandcharacteristicofdifferentculture.A.ChinesetablemannersChinesetablemannersoffamilieshavenointrinsicqualityeventherearedifferentregionandposition.Nomatterthreemealsadayorguest’sarrival,alwaysbowlswithchopsticks,foodwithsoup.Thereisnoruleforhowtoputthetableware.Whatpeoplecareaboutmorearenotthegorgeoustablewarebutthesumptuousfood.People’sdiningpositionreflectsthemostobviousetiquetteofChinesetablemanners.Inancientsociety,menaresupreme,andwomenarenotallowedtositwithmenonthesametable.Althoughthisismodernsociety,thiskindofancientetiquettestillremains.TodayinChina,thephenomenonthatmensitonthetablebeforewomencanbefoundeverywhere.Themasterofafamilyusuallysitsonthefirst-classseat.Thefirst-classseatisusuallyneartheinteriorofaroomfacingtothedoor.Oncethereisaguest,themasterwillofferthefirst-classseattotheguestpolitely.Ifitisanordinarymealoffamily,familiesshouldstartaftertheelder.Ifthereisaguest,themasterofferthefoodtotheguestisessentialfromthebeginningtotheend.Andthetraditionofurgingotherstodrinkisalsoaspecialphenomenon.Eventhereisnoofficial“tablemanners’inchina,whilethereis“eatingbehavior”.Oncethereis“eatingbehavior”,theremustbesomeeatingmannersuptostandard.HerearesomecharacteristicsonChineseeating:a.Keepyoureyesonthemeal,especiallyatthebeginningofthemeal.b.Wheneating,keepyourbodiesforward,andfacetoyourfood.c.Itisallowedtospittheboneonthetables.d.Whenchewing,itisallowedtomakesomerhythmicalnoisyofchewing.e.TraditionalChinesemealdoesn’tneedthepublicchopsticks.f.TraditionalChinesemealdoesn’thavethesweetsnacksaftermeal.B.Westerncountries’tablemannersThebiggestdifferenceintablemannersbetweenChineseandwesternisthedetailsoftablemannerscanbeasclearasthespecificationswhatcanexactlygivepeoplecorrectmannerstoreferto.HereareseveraltypicalmannerswhatcanillustratetherigorofWestern-stylefood.a.Thewestern-stylefoodofficialdrinksthesoupposturerequesttoenterinadvancedthesoupwiththeladletooneselffarthatoneside,thentoleavesthedirectionwhichoneselfgoesfarawaytodelimitlightlyabundantly.b.Whendinesintheprocess,ifyouneedtoputdowntheknife,theedgefacesoneselfassumesintheplateas10o’clockshape.Thetoolbitisthehandofaclock,thehiltistheminutehand);thejawbucklesintheedgeofasword,thejawdirection2o’clock.TheknifeandforkassumesbutactuallyVglyph.ButVglyphknifeandforkplacesthetraylowerpart(todependonyourdirection).c.Theknifewithforksparallelplacesintheplate5o'clockpositionswhendinesfinished.Approximatelytheknifeorforksthetotallength1/3handledepartmentdewintrayedgeexterior.Theforkdownwardbuckleontheplate,theknife’sedgefacestoyou.d.Wheneatsthebread,mustteardownthebreadmaybyanentrancescrap.Maynotnipdirectlywiththemouth.Thebuttershouldinbeforeyouputinthemouth.Donotwipebeforehandtheentirebreadthefullbutter.e.TheAmericantablewarearrangementis:Centerisbigplantforthemainmeal,knife(Altogetherthree:thesandbroach,themaintableknife,thefishknife,allknifeedgesfacetoleft)andspooninrightside.