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Differences' of Chinese and Western Business' Dining

Etiquette

Abstract: This text is aimed at deeper about understanding the

dining etiquette through making a comparison between Chinese
and Western dining etiquette, in order to smoothly achieve the
Crosscultural Communication.

Key Words: Dining Etiquette Tablewares Order Attentions

Introduction: Because of the different nature environment and

working way, the dining etiquette of China and West has many
differences. The dining etiquette of China has a long history with a
good fame. In accordance with literature: at least in the Zhou Dynasty,
the dining etiquette had formed a quite perfect set of system. These
etiquette had played important parts in the ancient times, they still have
impact on modern society. The western dining etiquette originated from
Merovingian, France, in 20 century, Italian Culture spread to France, the
dining etiquette and menu words both changed more elegance and
exquisite, the writings about teaching etiquette have been published one
after another. Nowadays, the dining etiquette has been spreading in
European country. With the western dining etiquette swqrming into
China, Chinese traditional dining etiquette has been shocked
continuously. Protecting Chinese traditional dining etiquette, and
merging together with western etiquette, in favor of communication
between China and Western country.

Main body:
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.Differences of Chinese and Western tableware

1.1The means of using and putting Chinese tableware.

1.1.1 Chopsticks. Chopsticks are the best important tableware of
Chinese dinner. Before the meal, the chopsticks must be
put right the bowl; after the meal, the chopsticks should be
put neat up the bowls middle. Whether there are leftover
food on the chopsticks or nothing, never lick; when talking
with others, you should put down the chopsticks transitory;
you should not stick the chopsticks upright in the bowl.
1.1.2 Ladle. Ladle is mainly used to drink soup, sometimes it can
be used to get the small shape food. When using the ladle
to take food, dont too full, to avoid food over brim staining
the table or your clothes. After using ladle, you should eat
immediately or put the food into your small plate, if the food
is too hot, you can eat when the food is cold, never use
your mouth to puff the hot food, and you shouldnt fill the
ladle in your mouth.
1.1.3 Plate. The plates are used to put food, the shape of plates
are different from according to the number and the shape of
food. The smaller plates are used to put food which be
taken from dishes. When you are using plate, dont take too
much, you shouldnt put all kinds food together, and avoid
changing the foods taste. The slags, bones, stabs should
be put in the front of the plate.
1.1.4 Water cup. The cup is usually used to put beverage as
follows: water, soda water, fruit juice, coke and so on.
Generally, it will be put left-up the plate. Dont use it to put
wine, and dont fall the cup. In addition, dont spit the water
back when you have drunk.
1.1.5 Napkin. Before the meal, some restaurants or masters will
prepare wet towels for the guests to clean hands; after
wiping, the towels will be taken away. Sometimes, before
the dinner finished, you will get another towels to clean
your mouth.
1.1.6 Toothpick. When you are cleaning your teeth, you should
hide your mouth with another hand. After clean your teeth
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dont hold the toothpick in the mouth.

1.2 The means of using and putting Western tableware.

1.2.1The rules of putting and taking tableware. When put
tableware, the tray is in the middle, the fork is in the left
and the knife right, the needle of fork upward, the cutter
point inward, the spoon is put before tray, the main food
is left, the tableware are right, the rest are put by self. The
number of wine bowls should the same as the number of
wines, the putting-way is from left to right, and in proper
order is spirit glass, das Weinglas, champagne glass,
beer glass. In western, napkin is put in the plate, if the
guests haven't sit down, and there is something needed
to put in the plate, the napkin can be put beside the plate.
The getting-way of tableware is from inside to outside,
cutting is French way, it means left hand taking fork, right
hand taking knife, eating with cutting. The American way
also can be used, it means right hand taking knife, the left
hand taking fork, after cutting, using right hand taking
fork to eat. Ordinary, people use right hand to take soup
spoon and cup, using tableware to send food to mouth,
and dont hold the plate up.
The using-way of tableware. The rules of fork and knife:
when using fork and knife, fork is used to cut food, knife
is used to send food to the mouth. When using knife, the
cutter point shouldnt be outside, and the fork and knife
cant be put a part on the plate and the others on the
desk. When eating, the fork and knife need to put for the
time being, they should be put like a eight, be put
separately on the plate, the cutter point should point
yourself, it means you will continue to eat. After eating,
the back of the fork should be upward, the cutter point of
knife put inside together with the fork, flat wise on the
plate, and it means you have finished eating. When
talking with body movement or serving the dishes, the
fork and knife should be put down, dont wave them in the
sky. Finish using fork and knife; they should be put on
the middle of the plate, instead of beside plate or on the
desk. The cutter point points yourself, the fork head
points left, so that when taking them safely.
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1.2 The rules of using spoon: usually, the spoon can divide in tow, one
is soup spoon, its bigger, and be put in the most outside, together
with knife; another is Dessert spoon, its smaller, it should be put
cross the fork and knife which is used to eat sweet. When using
soup spoon to mediate seasoning, the right take soup spoon, left
hand taking fork. After cutting food, send food with sauce to
mouth. After finishing drinking soup, the soup spoon should be put
towards the plate. Be attention, the spoon cant take any principal
food or other food; the used spoon cant be put on the former place.
1.3 The rules of using wineglass: during western dinner, the different
food match different wine, and different wine drink with different
wineglass. Up every guests knifes right, there are three to four
wineglass.

1. The differences of Chinese and Western order of serving dishes

1. The Chinese serving order.
The first dishes are cold dishes, beverage, and wine; then serve the hot
dishes; staple food; finally, serve the sweetmeats and fruits. When the
tables are too much on the banquet, you should serve every table at the
same time. The order of serving the dishes should be traditional, the
cold dishes earlier and the hot dishes later. The hot dishes should be
served by the left opposite the chief guest; when serve the single dish
or snack, you should serve the chief guest first. When serving the
whole dish like: whole fish, whole duck, whole chicken and so on, the
head or the tail cant point the chief guest. The means of serving have a
lot, such as: 1. the big whole dish, everyone help themselves to eat; 2.
the waiter divide the dish to everyone; 3.putting the food in small plate,
then give everyone. On the formal banquet, the eating-way of dishes
looks like showing PowerPoint, once a dish.
2. The western serving order.
The western serving order usually is: bread and butter, cold, soup,
seafood, entree, sweetmeats, coffee and fruits. The cold dish and soup
are eating with bread. The cold dish is also called appetizer, as the first
dish, always had with appetizing- wine. The soup is divided into Stains
soup and vichyssoise. The chief dishes have fish, poke, beef, and
chicken and so on. The sweetmeats have ice cream, pudding and so on.
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2. The etiquette between eating

1) The Chinese: the dish should be taken by the chief guest first; dont
take too much one time; man can serve for the closed woman. If you
want to propose a toast, should do as following rules: the order first,
the super first, the chief guest first. Some matters need attention:
when taking food, dont glance right and left, and pick again and
again in the public plate. When there are too many people sit by the
table, polite and be turn. If you can't touch the dish, can ask other to
help; never leave the seat and take food. During eating, dont
hiccup when having noodle, dont make a sound. If you had a
sneeze or a cough, say something like sorry to make an apology.
2) The western: during eating, dont make a noise like using table-knife
scratch the plate, take little, the chat-time is after meal when eating
dessert. When drink soup, using soup ladle to take start inner to
outer, be quite; when eating bread, first using knife to cut it in tow,
then tear it with your hands to eat. Eat fruits should cut them into
several parts, then pare, and eat with fork. Some matters need
attention: dont use your tableware help others to take food, dont
throw the bone or other thing that you dont eat on the floor or
tablecloth.

Conclusion:
By means of comparing Chinese Business' Dining Etiquette with
westerns , we can find that personal etiquette of dining will cause
others psychological impact to some degree. There is a big difference
between Chinese business etiquette and Western, but we should respect
each other. We should carry forward our excellent cultural tradition, it
will play a part in our civilization development and subsist in foreign
country.

Acknowledgement
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