It is fair to say that the number one pastime in China is
eating. Although your Chinese host will not expect you to know everything about
proper banquet behavior, he will greatly appreciate it when you are displaying
some knowledge of the subject, because it shows that you have respect for
Chinese culture, etiquette and traditions.
Banquets are usually held in restaurants in private rooms
that have been reserved for the purpose. you should arrive on time. Seating
arrangements, which are based on rank, are stricter than in the West. Guests
should never assume that they may sit where they please and should wait for
hosts to guide them to their places. Traditionally, the Chinese regard the right
side as the superior and the left side as the inferior. Therefore on formal
occasions, including meetings and banquets, the host invariably arranges for the
main guests to sit on his right side.
It is the host's responsibility to serve the guests, and at
very formal banquets people do not begin to eat until the principal host served
a portion to the principal guest. Or, the host may simply raise his chopsticks
and announce that eating has begun. After this point, one may serve oneself any
food in any amount, although it is rude to dig around in a dish in search of
choice portions. Remember to go slow on eating. Don't fill yourself up when five
courses are left to go. To stop eating in the middle of a banquet is rude, and
your host may incorrectly think that something has been done to offend you.
Drinking takes an important place in Chinese banquets, and
it is a matter of courtesy for the host to try to get his guests drunk. If you
do not intend to drink alcohol, make it known at the very beginning of the meal
to prevent embarrassment. Even then, the host may good-naturedly try to push you
into drinking. One way to eliminate this pressure is to tell your host that you
are allergic to alcohol. In the course of drinking at banquets, it is not
unusual for some Chinese to become quite drunk, although vomiting or falling
down in public entails loss of face. After a few rounds of heavy drinking, you
may notice your hosts excusing themselves to the bathroom, from whence they
often return a bit lighter and reborn for more toasting!
When the last dish is finished, the banquet has officially
ended. There is little ceremony involved with its conclusion. The host may ask
if you have eaten your fill, which you undoubtedly will have done. Then the
principal host will rise, signaling that the banquet has ended.
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