Chinese Table Etiquette Content

Seating

Ordering

Chinese Table Etiquette (using chopsticks)

Packing leftovers Section 1 Seating Seating

The seat of honor The person of greatest importance takes the seat furthest from the door at the head of the table;

If you are a guest and are unsure where to sit, wait, and your host will direct you;

If you are the host, you take the seat closest to the path

• H1: host 1 H2：host 2 Guest: G • H1: Ms Hudson, nice to see you. • G: Nice to see you, Mr. Yu. Thank you for your invitation. • H1: This way please. • H2: Hello, Ms Hudson. Glad to see you again. • G: It’s a great pleasure to meet you, Ms Wan. • H1: have a seat. • G: Thank you. • (H1 shows the seat and direct G to sit down. ) Section 2 Ordering H1: host 1 H2: host 2 G: guest W: waiter W: Would you like to see the menu? H1: Thank you. W: Are you ready to order now? H1: Sorry, we haven’t decided yet. Could you please give us a little longer? W: No problem. H1: (Pass the menu to Ms Hudson and Ms Wan.) Ms Hudson, you are our guest and you can order anything you like. Here’s the menu. G: That’s very kind of you. Chinese cuisines are attractive. H2: I can’t agree more. is my favorite. G: Ms Wan, it sounds that you are a foodie. Would you introduce more about it ? H2: It’s a my pleasure. There are eight famous cuisines, , Sichuan Cuisine, Guangdong Cuisine, , , , , and Cuisine. Take Sichuan Cuisine for example, there are four types of courses: cold dishes, hot dishes, soups and main food and snacks. Sichuan Cuisine is distinctively spicy and tingly. G: I like spicy food. It sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to have a try. H1: host 1 H2: host 2 G: guest W: waiter

H1: Ms Hudson, is there anything you don’t eat? G: No. I am not a vegetarian and I am eager to try the dishes. H2: Are you allergic to anything? G: Yes. I am allergic to eggs. H1: We can order two cold dishes, two hot dishes, one soup and rice as the main food. H2: How about one cold dish? Four dishes for three persons. It’s called for a stop to wasting of food and for promotion of thrift. G: I think so. • . There are eight famous Chinese Cuisines, Shandong Cuisine, • Sichuan Cuisine, Guangdong Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine, Jiangsu Cuisine, Zhejiang Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine, and Anhui Cuisine. • Four types of courses: cold dishes, hot dishes, soups and main food and snacks President Xi has called for a stop to wasting of food and for promotion of thrift. "Clear Your Plate" Campaign

• proposes that diners eat up their food in plates and encourages them to take leftovers home in order to avoid food wasting • A number of restaurants in have joined the "clear your plate" campaign against wasting food by offering smaller dishes, half-portioned dishes, or assorted dishes. Section 3 Using Chopsticks H1: host 1 H2: host 2 G: guest W: waiter H1: Would you like to use chopsticks or a knife and fork? G: I am really interested in using chopsticks, but it seems so hard for me. H2: Well, let me show you how to use it. Firstly, put the first chopstick in your palm, using ring finger to hold it like this. Then, hold the second chopstick between your thumb, forefinger and middle finger. Now you can move the top stick up and down to grip food. G: Wow, I think I can use them. G: Are there any taboos in using chopsticks? I don’t want to be rude when dining. H1: Yes, there are several things you might know. Don’t put the chopsticks upright the bowl, since it resembles the incense sticks for the dead. Don’t turn over the dishes to take your favorite food with chopsticks. Don’t use chopsticks to beat any utensils to make any noise. H2: And because of the corona virus, we’d better use a pair of common chopsticks for fetching food on the plates. Chopsticks were pronounced “Zhu(箸)” in ancient China, while it is known today as “Kuaizi.” Chopsticks are composed of two pieces of sticks with the same shape, size and material, created with integrity, tenacity and honesty. The two chopsticks have no mechanical linkage, but they can coordinate well with one another through the operation of fingers, which is the materialization of what China considers character. While there are many basic chopstick etiquette rules and common procedures for politeness, learning to use chopsticks properly is one of the most important. Choose the Right Chopsticks If possible, use wood or bamboo chopsticks. Plastic chopsticks are more slippery and harder to hold. Grab One Chopstick put the first chopstick in your palm, using ring finger to hold it. Place the Second Chopstick Hold the second chopstick between your thumb, forefinger and middle finger. Pick Up Food Move the top stick up and down to grip food. When using chopsticks, there are several things to remember. Don’t put the chopsticks upright the bowl, since it resembles the incense sticks for the dead. Don’t turn over the dishes to take your favorite food with chopsticks. Because of the corona virus, it is more common these days that people use a pair of common chopsticks for fetching the food on the plates. Section 4 Packing Leftovers H1: host 1 H2: host 2 G: guest W: waiter H1：Did you enjoy your meal? G: Yes, it’s very delicious. Thank you for your hospitality. H2: It’s our pleasure. H1: Waiter? W: Yes sir. H1.: We’d like to check the bill and please bring us a doggy-bag. President Xi Jinping proposed "Clean Plate 2.0" campaign in2020. Also, this is not the first time that Xi has emphasized thriftiness and highlighted the importance of reducing food wastage and losses. In fact, food waste has been significantly reduced in the last seven years since President Xi gave a similar call in 2013 to reduce food waste. This is especially true for events such as official receptions using public money. And many Chinese people have developed the habit of packing and taking home leftovers, if any, when dining out. Homework

Please do a research about Western dining etiquette and prepare a report.