幸福回味论文 中西方餐桌礼仪英文版

2020年12月21日发(作者：钟惠妹)
Different Table Manners between China and the West

不同的国家和民族由于地区差异形成了不同的文化。而不同国家的社会生活方式< br>则形成了不同的饮食文化及餐桌礼仪。饮食文化及餐桌礼仪是非语言文化的重要
组成部分。作为一 名外语学习者，了解中西方饮食文化及餐桌礼仪方面的差异及
其渊源是必要且必须的。因为这不仅仅可以 增加对所学语言文化的认识，更加有
助于提高跨文化交际的成功率，以此避免由不合适的行为或方式所形 成的误解。
本文第一部分分别对中西方餐桌礼仪做简要概括。第二部分为本文核心，从餐具，
座次，点餐及用餐氛围四个方面具体介绍中西方餐桌礼仪的差异。第三部分从地
理因素，价值观，及传统 习俗入手，讲述形成中西方餐桌礼仪差异的缘由。以此
三个部分展现餐桌礼仪文化在中西方文化交流中占 据重要地位。
Different countries and nations have different cultures as a result of regional
differences. The social lifestyle of different countries form different diet culture and
table manners, which are an important part of non language culture. As a foreign
language learner, it is necessary to learn the differences between Chinese and Western
food culture and table manners. Because it can not only increase the comprehension
of the language culture, but also help to improve the success rate of intercultural
communication, so as to avoid the misunderstanding caused by inproper behavior or
manner.
The first part of this paper gives a brief summary of Chinese and western table
manners. The second part is the core of this paper, descriping specificly the difference
between chinese and western table manner from four aspects that are tableware, seat
arrangement, serving order and dining atmosphere. The third part from the
geographical factors, values, and traditional customs introduces the reasons that the
differences between Chinese and western table manners from the geographical factors,
values, and traditional customs. The purpose of this paper shows that table manner
plays an important role in the process of communication and colliding between
Chinese and western culture.




Etiquette is the process that show respect for others and constrain ourselves with a
certain and conventional way in interpersonal communication, involving dress,
communication, emotional intelligence and so on. Etiquette is a language, a tool, and
a set of communicational rules between people.
Table manner refers to the common eating polite standard in human society. On the
contrary, some behaviors when eating are regarded as rude or destroying other’s
appitite. In accordence with different culture of different countries, there are different
table manner.
According to the literature, chinese table manner has formed a quite complete system
since Zhou Dynasty. This traditional banquent are still remaining in most parts of
China. As the saying goes, food is the paramount necesssity of the people. In this way
we can see that eating diet plays a significant role in Chinese daily life. Wheareas,
table manner has high statue. While eating with traditional chinese family, we have to
respect their manner, culture and custom. In addition, not to offend the taboo for
Chinese believe that diet is closely related with fate. if you offend the taboo, it will
lead to bad luck. For example, after dinner ,you can’t say I finish the meal, which it
means you are dead and no chance to eat. Instead you should say I am full. Table
manner occupies a important place in the modern chinese life order. They think that
eating is not just to meet the basic phycial need, but also esencial social experience.
Therefore it is particularly important to master some ceremorial knowledge about
Chinese table manner, whether you are a host or a guest.
dinnerware
Western dinnerware are mainly the knife and fork which were widely used by France
in the European continent in the 18th century. Westerners using knife and fork is
consisted with their culture about nomadism and maritime, which shows vividly that
they are competitive and adventurous . before eating, knife and fork are placed in
accordance with the rule : left fork and right knifon both sides of the plate respectivly,
with the blade took inward. At eating, right hand take the knife to cut food without
blade outward, while left hand use the fork to eat food. If not to eat temporarily, one
should place knife and fork in
meal is finished, the fork is raised on the back and the blade is folded inward with the
fork.
Except knives and forks, spoon, napkin, glass are also essential for Western dishes.
Spoons divide two types: soup spoon and sweet spoon. A large spoon is next to the
knife, while small dessert spoon are placed on the top of the dessert dish. When
drinking soup, one should take the spoon with the right hand. After drinking, one
should place it in the opposite side of the plate. The napkin is usually prepared on the
plate before the wine glasses are placed with the order :liqueur glass, red
wine glasses, champagne glasses, beer mugs, and the type of wine is the same as the
type of wine. The wine glass is usually on the top of the right side of the knife.
Chopsticks, which has a long history of 3000 years, is the typical Chinese tableware,
consistent with the traditional
use of chopsticks: first, place chopsticks neatly on the right side of the bowl before
eating. Second, do not use chopsticks to make a sound, lick chopsticks, or not to point
at anyone with particular notice, do not insert the chopsticks in
rice or pasta, because it is very similar to the ancient ritual candles and symbolizes
infelicity. In addition to chopsticks, spoons, plates, cups, napkins, toothpicks are
necessary. The spoon is used for soup or other small morsels. Attentiuon, do not put
soup too full to smear the table cloth or clothing. After using, put the food into the
plate immediately. In general, the big plate is for a variety of dishes, small dishes for
the food dish, to hold the incoming food from the public er not to put
too many things in the disk cover so as not to avoid oil to spill , and put thorns on the
front end of the plate. Napkins are often used in some large hotels. Before dinner, the
waiters will prepare a hot wet towel for the guests. The cup is usually on the left of
the dish, not to pour fully.
Serving order
Appetizers, the first dish, are sometime made of four kinds of cold platet
representative appetizers are the cold jellyfish skin, preserved eggs and so on.
After the cold plate, it is followed by four hot plate that commonly is fried shrimp,
fried chicken and so on. However, hot plates are mostly omitted. While placing the
hot plate, one ought to serve from the left of the opposite seats of guests of honor. The
heads of the whole fish and duck should not be pointed at the chief seat.
The following are the main course, also known as large dishes,will be taken on
table. If the menu is marked
course. The number of courses in the main course is usually four, six, eight and so
even, since the Chinese people think that even is the number of Kyrgyzstan. In the
luxurious banquet, the main course even can be up to ten kinds of species. These
dishes are made of different materials, added acid, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty flavors,
with fried, steamed, boiled, fried, roasted, fried and other cooking methods .Most of
the order of the dishes are matched interactively, for example, combining light taste
with oily and greaty taste. Soup is the end. Dessert, such as pies, cakes, buns, almonds
and so on, is provided after the main course. Last is the fruit, which is good for
digesting.
In western banquent, the appetizer is also the first dish which is specialty. As for the
first dish , it usually match with aperitif. It is with acid and crisp taste and westerners’
favorite snack. The following dish, extremly different from China, is soup which is
classified genelly into five categories: vegetable soup, cold soup, cream soup, pureed
soup,and clear soup. Next is side dish, also called fish dish, including a viatery of
seafood such as shellfish and molluscs for the seafood is full of nutrition and good for
lung and eye. The fourth dish is main course, which also known as poultry or meat
dish. Delicious steak or lamb is the most common main course. It is more tasty when
drizzling fresh foie gras. After greasy meat dish, it is right time for salad, refreshing
vegetable dish, such as tomato, broccoli, onion and so on. The following dish is
dessert which have many different kinds. It can be chocolate cookie, croissant,
mousse cake,macarons. Coffee is the final drinking, which can be added milk and
sugar according to own taste. It also has different kinds such as blue mountain coffee,
latte, macchino, mocha and so on.

Table setting
In the Chinese table manner, at the begining, let guests attend the seats, then please
the elderly seat next to the guests. One should seat from the left side of the chair.
When sitting on the chair, one should not move the chopsticks, or make noise, let
alone walk casually unless having urgency. Host should invites guest to have a seat
and notice that do not let guest sit close to the place that is seryed dishes. If you are
the master, you should point to a chair and say to the guests with a gentle tone:
sit are four fountamental way for sitting arrangement: first,
taking the table of the host sitting as a sign, the guest on its right is honor and the left
is low. Second, first host should sit facing the main door, then guest of honor sit on
the right of the host and deputy chief gust on the left. Third, if the position of the host
is inferior to the guest of honor, the host is able to ask guest to sit where the host
should have seated, then the host sit on the right, host should have a seat that is faced
the main door, and the guest of honor sit on the right of master. As for deputy chief
guest, he should sit on the left.
Western people believe that the right is honor and the left is low. when hostess
announces that the dinner is ready, the host will lead the guests to sit in turn, with the
hostess walking careful master willplace name card on the table in order
to show seats. while, if there is no such arrangement, then the seat arrangement is
generally:men and women sit separatedlly, male host first, gewhose seat is in the
hostess On the right of hostess. the other couples are diagonally seated. Couple
sitting dividually shows the opening and lively nature of the American banquet. They
hope that the banquet can be used to enhance the relationship of each other and
relaxing atmosphere. In the informal party, seat arrangment follows that women is
first. If a gentlman shares a supper with a woman, the man should not let the woman
sit near the passageway and should let the woman sit on his right; the man should let
the woman sit inside. If two men with a woman, men ought to lead the woman sit in
the middle．What is more, men should remove the chairs and let women sit
first．When two man have a dinner，the junior sit outside．
Atmosphere
When chinese people enjoy yummy food they usually talk a lot, which shows the
sincere and hospitality of hostess. Besides, lively table can reflect the guests’joy. The
active atmosphere reflects the warmth of family, and harmony of the nation in a sence.
However, in the western tradition, people think that excessive noise is rude, and only
the quiet and orderly looks noble. There not exist these phenomenon such as
pesuading to drink alcohol and carrying dish for others. This reflects the respect for
the individual in the western culture. people hardly talk with each other but cut and
eat their food with fork quietly. They avoid making noise while eating and drinking.
Even if they have something important to talk, they keep the sound that both of them
can heard.
When chinese invited guests to have dinner, they usually prepare a wild variety of
dishes, which is no less than seven or eight dishes. The more delicious and expensive
the dishes are, the more important guests are. Although the hostness elaborate
perpectly, she would say: I am so sorry that the dish does not cook well, eat more.
Hope you bear with me. Please forgive me, there are not so much food for you all. Or
some modest words similar like this. In addition, the host will ask the guest: Would
you like some more? And maybe the host will ask this later. The guest answer with a
little shame: just a little more. While in western dinner, there are four or five dishes. If
it is at home, the guest had better eat all of the food, so the hostness will be very
happy because of her good cook. Usually, host simply say to guest: heip yourself.
When the host ask: would you like more fried chicken? The guest just answer
according to himself. If he is full enough, he say: no , thanks. If not, he should answer:
yes, I would like some more chickens. After dinner, guest could say it was out of the
world！ So delicious！I licked the plate clean. or I made a pig of myself. In this way
can make hostness happy. By comparing this, we can know that Chinese obey the
principle that is to belittle themselves and to respect others. Western people pay more
attention to keeping their prestige and saving face. For example, western people never
talk adout the disguesting things on table. They will try their best to use implicit and
elegent words to replace toilet. such as:
could go somewhere.

Geography
China is located in the east Asia-Europe continental monsoon climate zone, rain
and heat over the same period, very suitable for growing plant, which forms Chinese
people's plant character. Most western countries are located in temperate maritime
climate zone, which is the perfect place for natural pasture. So western people are
fond of meat. For Europeans, pasture means food, and food means survival, which in
turn leads to their expansion and the formation of aggressive character. There are big
animals such as cattle and sheep in the vast ranch, so their diets are mainly steak and
lamb, and thus have the argument that is Berlin to Los Angeles, steak is a
taste
we all know, chopsticks, fork and knife are the most foundemental difference between
Chinese and western table manner. Chopsticks originate from the place where there is
bamboo. More wood in the north , more bamboo in the south, ancestors use local
materials, cuting bamboo and wood for making chopsticks. anyway, chopsticks play
an indispensable role in Chinese daily life. knife and fork later than the chopsticks
is the representative of Western tableware, which originated in the ancient European
living nomadic habits. Before and after the 15th century, there appeared two- teeth
fork, the emergence of four- teeth fork in the 18th century. They cut down and eat
meat as soon as it cooked. From then on, western people use knife and fork as their
tableware.
The view of value
In China, a state of ceremony, table manner reflects Chinese
collectivist values. During the dinner, seat arrangement can give expression to it
obviously. Chinese people emphasis that to respect the old and cherish the young, to
be filial first. Relativly speaking, in western countries, the value of individualism
occupies a position of importance, which shows individual valve and strength.
Because they emphasis personality development, self-expression in their
philosophical thought. They believe that it is not fate but your own laziness to
contribute to your faiure. During Chinese dinner, seniority would give dish to the
junior so that displays their kindness to children. This is lively and harmonious
atmosphere conforming to chinese traditional value. On the contrary, western people
eat their own food and pick up food they want to have. They refuse others to force
themselve eating food they do not like. Different from chinese traditional food culture,
western diet is more rational, more emphasis on science and health. Regarding
nutrition as the highest standard, they eating food is just like adding a fuel to a
biological machine, with particular emphasis on the nutrition of the food. Whether
the amount of Protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and all kinds of inorganic
elements is reasonable, whether the supply of calories is proper, whether nutrients can
be fully absorbed by the body, which are the westerners’ focus. Western diet that
demonstrate strong pragmatism and utilitarianism will not combine the diet with
spiritual enjoyment together. Chinese diet has always been pursuing the taste as the
primary purpose of eating. A folk saying goes: breeds discontentment, and
whether the food i9os delicious or not depends on taste. Chinese cook create a lot of
cooking methods in ordre to make dish tasteful. Even if the dish name is poetic.
Making food and eating food having special cultural connotation, to a certain extent,
is the embodiment of the art. Although we attach importance to eating for keeping in
good health, our cooking methods result in a lack of many nutrients in the processing
process that is one disadvantage.
culture
The different national ethnic and historical development can lead to different
history. Confucianism and Taoism are the origion of Chinese traditional culture,
which have a long and profound influence on Chinese society. Faith, propriety,
righteousness, wisdom, benevolence are the core of Chinese traditional culture. Mr. Yi
Zhongtian, in the book Culture on Dinner Table said that the core thought of Chinese
culture is group consciousness while the western corn thought is individual
consciousness.
Edward Hall, a famous American anthropologist, propose that time concept of
human has two cultural patterns, Monochronic-time and Polychronic-time. Western
people insisting on M-time follow close to the line of scheduling program, deal with
things with time correspondently. By contrast, eastern people holding P-time are more
flexible on time. In the Chinese banquet, the M- time model makes the guests more
inclined to be late and the host seems to have prepared for the guests who arrive on
time some intresting activities to kill time such as chating, watching TV so that
the guests who come earlier would not feel boring.
In China, especially in ancient times, women are not allowed to participate in
formal banquets which is identical to the Chinese traditional feudal thought Males are
supposed to be worth more than the other sex. In the book of the Chinese, Lin Yutang
even said:
the Chinese people's blood .
subordinate position, Although Chinese women's status been significantly improved,
but when there exist collision between the principle and the first
principle , Chinese choose the former instead of later. On the contrary,
a traditional culture in the west, and an absolutely necessary etiquette in social
activities. Women can enjoy many traditional customs of the knigh: When a woman
enters a restaurant, all the men have to stand up; and in front of the table, the man
take the chair for the lady.
Conclusion
In recent years, with the rapid development of China, the trade and cultural exchanges
between China and Western countries have become more and more frequent.
Comparing the difference of table manner between China and west, we can see that
it is important to improve the international image of our country, strengthen the
cultivation of personal qualities, and promote the further cooperation between China
and the west.