When having a group meal in a Chinese restaurant, the host is given one menu and orders for the entire group. Be advised that “going dutch” doesn’t exist, and the one who invites is the one
who pays.
Tipping is not practiced, and can be insulting if you attempt it.
Be careful on your birthday. My young American friend Todd was having his 19th birthday in China and all our friends said they wanted to take him out for a birthday meal. He was happy there were so many people who wanted to join him for the big birthday dinner and we all feasted sumptuously. We didn’t realize until the bill came that Todd was expected to pay for everyone’s
meal. After our Chinese friends left all the lao wai chipped in and covered the bill.
The banquet host is usually the one who invited everyone to eat. It is important for the host to save face, so he will usually order twice as much food as your group could actually eat. If there are multiple tables, each table will receive the same dishes. To be polite you should sample each dish.
Seating is important at Chinese banquets. Usually the host sits furthest away from the door with his back to the wall sort of like the old Mafia movies. His counterpart, that is the highest-ranking person in your party, sits next to the host, usually to his right. On the host’s left side are the
other managers or officials seated in descending order of rank. It is the same on your side.
Speech-giving is common at banquets with the host first giving a speech that ends with a toast. In a typical speech, the host stands holding a small glass of alcohol, then briefly says something about his company, your company, and the fruitful partnership and friendship. At the end he raises his glass, shouts 干杯! gan bei! literally meaning “dry cup.” This is the Chinese version
of “Cheers!” Soon after, the host’s counterpart on the other side is expected to give a similar speech. Keep it short; keep it positive. This sequence often continues through three managers then the cycle may repeat. In the end you maybe drunk and will have made new friends. This, of course, is the traditional banquet, but fortunately these are decreasing in popularity.
Your host may put food on your dish as a friendly gesture; it is okay for you to do the same. In mainland China, diners usually use their own chopsticks to pull food from the communal dishes in the middle of the table. It signifies trust; my germs and your germs are gonna be great friends. The Taiwanese are appalled by this practice. Germaphobes, perhaps. If you happen to
be sick, get a second pair of chopsticks to use for serving, but don’t announce that you’re sick. Banquets are a festive occasion and you shouldn’t be Debbie Downer.
Also don’t stick your chopsticks in your rice bowl standing upright. It looks like joss sticks at a funeral and is therefore yet another symbol of death.
Meals are often served on a Lazy Susan, and it is usually only spun clockwise giving everyone a chance to sample each dish. Just like pizza etiquette in the U.S., make sure you don’t take more than your share of a particular dish until the dish has made one complete circle around the table.
The Chinese typically have a great sense of humor and they may order one or two dishes just to shock you such as chicken sternums, duck heads, or cicada larva. For some reason cold pig ear salad has become popular these days.
If you really like the food, you must pace yourself, because the banquet may have up to twenty dishes. At the end leave some food on your plate to show the host you’ve had enough.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Food
A typical meal at a restaurant in China consists of meats, vegetables, main foods, soup, and fruit. Meat dishes may include pork, chicken, beef, or lamb, but also a wide variety of seafood. Many
restaurants have aquariums out front showing their fresh fish offerings. Restaurants in coastal cities offer a wide variety of shellfish and fish. In the hinterland cities, river fishes are eaten, but also expect to see frogs, river snakes, turtles, and snails.
Don’t expect giant tender cuts of meat as you’d find in the West. Chinese butchers like to hack the animal to bits, and you’ll be served the meat with plenty of bones, gristle, and fat. Remember, the Chinese have many famines in their history, and they’ve learned not to waste any edible part of the animal. Be careful. Many foreigners have broken teeth or cut their gums on
hidden bones.
Vegetable dishes are typically served after the meats, and tend to outnumber the meat dishes. The “main foods” generally follow the meats and vegetables and are served last as a filler to help those who haven’t had enough to eat yet. Main foods include rice, noodles, or breads, but only one is
typically served. Rice is favored in the south, whereas northerners favor noodles.
Just when you’ve had enough to eat, a giant bowl of soup may be presented on the table. Many meat dishes such as Beijing Duck come with a soup that you’re not charged for. You’ve purchased the whole animal and after the chefs have cut off the best sections for you to eat they make a brothy soup out of the sad duck’s carcass. It’s a bit bland, but can be refreshing on a cold
day like chicken soup.
The arrival of main dishes and soup are two signals the meal is coming to an end. The third and final finish is the arrival of a platter of fruit. The restaurant generally throws in the fruit at no charge; they’ve already made enough money from your group.
Cuisine varies greatly by region. Beijing cuisine is famous for its roast duck and noodles. In the east, Shanghainese foods are famous for being oily and sweet, and for their seafood such as the drunken shrimp. The shrimp are served still alive in a sauce of bai jiu and spices. Keep the lid on or those shrimp will jump out. Southern cuisine, especially around Guangdong is famous for its diversity of creatures on the menu, including dogs. In central China, Sichuan food is famous for its hot spices. I once had crawfish in Sichuan that was so spicy I had to have a sip of beer and wipe away tears between each bite. In western China, Muslim fare is dominated by lamb and nan bread. Those guys are good travelers and you’ll now find Muslim restaurants throughout China, and many street vendors from Xinjiang province sell lamb kebobs from the barbecues welded onto the back of their bicycles.
restaurants have aquariums out front showing their fresh fish offerings. Restaurants in coastal cities offer a wide variety of shellfish and fish. In the hinterland cities, river fishes are eaten, but also expect to see frogs, river snakes, turtles, and snails.
Don’t expect giant tender cuts of meat as you’d find in the West. Chinese butchers like to hack the animal to bits, and you’ll be served the meat with plenty of bones, gristle, and fat. Remember, the Chinese have many famines in their history, and they’ve learned not to waste any edible part of the animal. Be careful. Many foreigners have broken teeth or cut their gums on
hidden bones.
Vegetable dishes are typically served after the meats, and tend to outnumber the meat dishes. The “main foods” generally follow the meats and vegetables and are served last as a filler to help those who haven’t had enough to eat yet. Main foods include rice, noodles, or breads, but only one is
typically served. Rice is favored in the south, whereas northerners favor noodles.
Just when you’ve had enough to eat, a giant bowl of soup may be presented on the table. Many meat dishes such as Beijing Duck come with a soup that you’re not charged for. You’ve purchased the whole animal and after the chefs have cut off the best sections for you to eat they make a brothy soup out of the sad duck’s carcass. It’s a bit bland, but can be refreshing on a cold
day like chicken soup.
The arrival of main dishes and soup are two signals the meal is coming to an end. The third and final finish is the arrival of a platter of fruit. The restaurant generally throws in the fruit at no charge; they’ve already made enough money from your group.
Cuisine varies greatly by region. Beijing cuisine is famous for its roast duck and noodles. In the east, Shanghainese foods are famous for being oily and sweet, and for their seafood such as the drunken shrimp. The shrimp are served still alive in a sauce of bai jiu and spices. Keep the lid on or those shrimp will jump out. Southern cuisine, especially around Guangdong is famous for its diversity of creatures on the menu, including dogs. In central China, Sichuan food is famous for its hot spices. I once had crawfish in Sichuan that was so spicy I had to have a sip of beer and wipe away tears between each bite. In western China, Muslim fare is dominated by lamb and nan bread. Those guys are good travelers and you’ll now find Muslim restaurants throughout China, and many street vendors from Xinjiang province sell lamb kebobs from the barbecues welded onto the back of their bicycles.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Drinking
Don’t drink the water! Seriously.
China’s obsession with drinking tea is partly due to its lack of clean drinking water. Nowhere in the Middle Kingdom does anyone drink water directly from the tap. Boiled water is the standard, and while you’re at it you might as well add some tea leaves.
The Chinese actually add many “treasures” to a cup of tea including dried fruits, flowers, and other herbs. The 八宝茶 ba bao cha, literally “eight treasure” tea, has eight ingredients including tea leaves, sugar crystals, flowers, berries, and various forms of mystery fungus. People from every region boast their tea is the best, but by pure economics, the Pu’er tea must be the best because people pay top dollar for fresh and aged varieties at auction. By taste, the Hangzhou Longjin tea is the national favorite.
Foreign firms such as Coke, Pepsi, and Danone have introduced modern bottling techniques to China, so these days you can find every variety of tea, soft drink, fruit juice, milk and yogurt in bottles, cans, boxes, and pouches on the supermarket shelves. Supposedly the Chinese don’t like 100% juice, so the bottling companies get away with peddling 80% sugar water with 20% juice.
For much of China’s history, the alcoholic beverage of choice was 黄酒 huang jiu, and 白酒 bai jiu, which are yellow and white distilled liquors. Around 100 proof, they are very potent. Older men, especially in the rural areas, prefer these drinks. The taste and smell is very earthy and most foreigners consider these drinks as palatable as licking someone’s armpit on a sweaty day.
Beer is enjoyed all across China with lunch and dinner, but unlike the West where bars boast “Coldest beer in town,” Chinese restaurants and bars might boast “Lukewarmest beer in town.” Seriously, beer is served at room temperature. Tsingtao remains the most popular national brand, but each region has its own local favorite. The alcohol content at 3% is much lower than the 5%
standard found in the West, so despite the large quantities of beer being consumed, you won’t see too many drunks. Go to Japan if you like watching drunken people stumbling down the sidewalk.
Western style red wine is becoming increasingly popular in China, especially among yuppies. Western style liquor is available in China but it is largely a novelty drink. There is much counterfeiting of wine and liquor, so be careful. A genuine bottle of imported wine or liquor should have the normal label and an additional import sticker on it. Also, don’t be duped by quality claims. A well-known French vintner fills its cheap wine bottles and its expensive bottles with the same wine. Most drinkers have palates too unsophisticated to notice the difference.
My friend Diego who runs restaurants in Yunnan realized the Chinese wine-drinking consumer wants to drink expensive wine, so he raised his prices from 200 yuan a bottle to 800 yuan for the same bottle and his sales quadrupled.
Tales of drinking alcohol at Chinese banquets are legendary. These days the older, more traditional men will still invite you to such affairs. They figure if you get drunk together you have advanced your friendship to the next level and now you can be trustworthy business partners.
Drinking in China is also seen as a hobby, like chess or knitting. It is something you can strive to “be good at.”
Not a few companies in China hire their managers in part based on their drinking prowess. Many bosses have been known to hire assistants who can hold their drink, because it is
acceptable to have your assistant drink for you.
You can avoid drinking if you have an excuse such as allergies or religious beliefs. Some people drink part of the glass and dump the rest on the tablecloth to trick the host. Post-banquet table tops are war zones anyway, littered with cigarette butts and chewed-up but uneaten carcasses of fish, chicken, ducks, and shrimp, so most people might not notice your sleight of hand. Others have asked the waiter to fill the glass with water to also trick the host. It is a fine balancing act to avoid offending your host, but also maintaining your own sobriety standards.
China’s obsession with drinking tea is partly due to its lack of clean drinking water. Nowhere in the Middle Kingdom does anyone drink water directly from the tap. Boiled water is the standard, and while you’re at it you might as well add some tea leaves.
The Chinese actually add many “treasures” to a cup of tea including dried fruits, flowers, and other herbs. The 八宝茶 ba bao cha, literally “eight treasure” tea, has eight ingredients including tea leaves, sugar crystals, flowers, berries, and various forms of mystery fungus. People from every region boast their tea is the best, but by pure economics, the Pu’er tea must be the best because people pay top dollar for fresh and aged varieties at auction. By taste, the Hangzhou Longjin tea is the national favorite.
Foreign firms such as Coke, Pepsi, and Danone have introduced modern bottling techniques to China, so these days you can find every variety of tea, soft drink, fruit juice, milk and yogurt in bottles, cans, boxes, and pouches on the supermarket shelves. Supposedly the Chinese don’t like 100% juice, so the bottling companies get away with peddling 80% sugar water with 20% juice.
For much of China’s history, the alcoholic beverage of choice was 黄酒 huang jiu, and 白酒 bai jiu, which are yellow and white distilled liquors. Around 100 proof, they are very potent. Older men, especially in the rural areas, prefer these drinks. The taste and smell is very earthy and most foreigners consider these drinks as palatable as licking someone’s armpit on a sweaty day.
Beer is enjoyed all across China with lunch and dinner, but unlike the West where bars boast “Coldest beer in town,” Chinese restaurants and bars might boast “Lukewarmest beer in town.” Seriously, beer is served at room temperature. Tsingtao remains the most popular national brand, but each region has its own local favorite. The alcohol content at 3% is much lower than the 5%
standard found in the West, so despite the large quantities of beer being consumed, you won’t see too many drunks. Go to Japan if you like watching drunken people stumbling down the sidewalk.
Western style red wine is becoming increasingly popular in China, especially among yuppies. Western style liquor is available in China but it is largely a novelty drink. There is much counterfeiting of wine and liquor, so be careful. A genuine bottle of imported wine or liquor should have the normal label and an additional import sticker on it. Also, don’t be duped by quality claims. A well-known French vintner fills its cheap wine bottles and its expensive bottles with the same wine. Most drinkers have palates too unsophisticated to notice the difference.
My friend Diego who runs restaurants in Yunnan realized the Chinese wine-drinking consumer wants to drink expensive wine, so he raised his prices from 200 yuan a bottle to 800 yuan for the same bottle and his sales quadrupled.
Tales of drinking alcohol at Chinese banquets are legendary. These days the older, more traditional men will still invite you to such affairs. They figure if you get drunk together you have advanced your friendship to the next level and now you can be trustworthy business partners.
Drinking in China is also seen as a hobby, like chess or knitting. It is something you can strive to “be good at.”
Not a few companies in China hire their managers in part based on their drinking prowess. Many bosses have been known to hire assistants who can hold their drink, because it is
acceptable to have your assistant drink for you.
You can avoid drinking if you have an excuse such as allergies or religious beliefs. Some people drink part of the glass and dump the rest on the tablecloth to trick the host. Post-banquet table tops are war zones anyway, littered with cigarette butts and chewed-up but uneaten carcasses of fish, chicken, ducks, and shrimp, so most people might not notice your sleight of hand. Others have asked the waiter to fill the glass with water to also trick the host. It is a fine balancing act to avoid offending your host, but also maintaining your own sobriety standards.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Final Words
An American businessperson nonchalantly dealt out his business card with one hand to a powerful Chinese factory owner and was cut out of the business deal because of this simple faux
pas.[i] Be careful not to ignore business etiquette because it seems traditional, backward, or outdated. You may consider yourself a modern person representing a cutting-edge firm of the future. Your Chinese counterparts may even encourage you to ignore their customs. Be warned: no one is above the rules of the game. [i] Loyalka (2006).
pas.[i] Be careful not to ignore business etiquette because it seems traditional, backward, or outdated. You may consider yourself a modern person representing a cutting-edge firm of the future. Your Chinese counterparts may even encourage you to ignore their customs. Be warned: no one is above the rules of the game. [i] Loyalka (2006).
Monday, January 2, 2012
References
Fong, M. (January 13, 2004). Chinese charm school: Seminars help businessmen conform to Western manners. Wall Street Journal. B1.
Holy Bible. New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Loyalka, M. D. (January 1, 2006, January 1). The art of Chinese relationships. Businessweek
Online. <http://0-web.ebscohost.com.patris.apu.edu/ehost/delivery?sid=9f759a47-149a-49c6-9ead-b65d0889eaf9%40sessionmgr13&vid=5&hid=12>
Penzner, B. (2006). The art of Chinese business etiquette: Ancient traditions form the basis of strategy. AFP Exchange, 26(4), 61–-63.
Rotella, M., Abbot, C., & Gold, S. (2000). Chinese business etiquette and culture. Publishers Weekly, 247(25), 32.
Holy Bible. New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Loyalka, M. D. (January 1, 2006, January 1). The art of Chinese relationships. Businessweek
Online. <http://0-web.ebscohost.com.patris.apu.edu/ehost/delivery?sid=9f759a47-149a-49c6-9ead-b65d0889eaf9%40sessionmgr13&vid=5&hid=12>
Penzner, B. (2006). The art of Chinese business etiquette: Ancient traditions form the basis of strategy. AFP Exchange, 26(4), 61–-63.
Rotella, M., Abbot, C., & Gold, S. (2000). Chinese business etiquette and culture. Publishers Weekly, 247(25), 32.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
About the Author
Stuart Strother holds an earned Ph.D. from the University of Louisville. He is a professor of statistics, economics, international business, and the culture and history of the Far East. Over the past 15 years he has lived, worked, and played in China. He is the author of three books and numerous articles about China. You can trust him!
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