Chinese Eating Habit

[Taguro]

Well whoever tried to correct me on the amount of years that chinese nationals have been using chopsticks you will rightly notice a "s" beside 1000. So it would be thousands of years. I personally think that if chinese people want to go to england and eat in Chinatown well good for them, its the same thing me not eating chinese food here in China, I m not being disrespected and neither am I disrespecting them. On the hygine issue, its good to be ever so inhyginic to an extend to keep our imune system strong. Personally I prefer to eat chinese food with chopsticks but I do know that if somebody was at the table and asked for knife and fork, most restaurants will provide it. End of discussion.

[tigakub]

You foreigners, coming to our country and criticising our way of life. You think that's polite?!?

Taguro: "evolve?!?" You think Chinese people need to "evolve?" Do you know how insulting that is? Why don't you go and "evolve" yourself out of HK?

I'd suggest that you learn proper Chinese etiquette before criticizing such a deep-rooted and long-standing cultural phenomenon. From what you're describing you're just not hanging out with the right people. In home or casual dining, you pick the piece of food on your side of the dish closest to you. You don't dig to the bottom to find the piece you want. You don't push stuff aside to get to the piece you want. You don't pick food from the side of the plate opposite you. If someone is reaching to take something, you wait until he or she is done before you take yours. You don't wage "chopstick war." In formal Chinese dining each person gets a personal serving spoon so there is no issue with touching "communal" food with your chopsticks.

And some other bad manners that I observe uninformed foreigners committing: Don't pick up rice from the rice bowl. I know this is acceptable in Japanese and Korean culture, but NOT in Chinese culture. The proper and respectful way to eat rice in Chinese dining is to put the edge of the rice bowl to your lower lip and "shovel" little mouthfuls of it into your mouth with your chopsticks. Picking up rice with your chopsticks implies that the food is not good and is very impolite. Do NOT collect a bunch of food on your plate. Only take what you can fit in your mouth at one time. To do otherwise is greedy. Learn to use chopsticks, because you only embarrass yourselves by requesting knives and forks. Such utensils were traditionally considered weapons and only uncivilized barbarians would bring weapons to the dining table.

And all of you who complain about hygiene in Asian cooking -- you think other cultures don't have their culinary horror stories? If you go to a hole in the wall expecting 5-star service, you're delusional, whatever culture's food you're trying.

And too many utensils on the table?!? What?!? What about in Western dining? You have to have separate utensils and plates for each course! Hors d'oeuvres, soup, salad, main course, desert, blah, blah, blah. So many weapons on the table. So inefficient and barbarous.

Consider yourselves educated.

[Vrindavan]

>> From what you're describing you're just not hanging out with the right people.

Not easy to expect all 12 people sitting in a table are right people.

Because of food sharing on a plate, only one person is enough to make all people in the same table not happy.

As i said before, it is very common to see people who forget to use serving chopsticks, or the serving chopsticks are touching their eating plate/bowl.

In comparison, i still prefer everyone get his/her own plate of food to eat. Simple.

Why we have to let other people's bad table manner affecting our eating pleasure ?

[Hachez]

Hachez, Most Hare Krishna Temples have forks and spoons if you ask for it...

yes yes, they do. and i think its because they are so widely available and to avoid teasing from my friends i could never master the technique to eat with my hand. im always fasinated about the indian culture

[Taguro]

You foreigners, coming to our country and criticising our way of life. You think that's polite?!?

Rather a man be corrected of his ways than commit the same error for eternity. People critizise whites in england, blacks in africa and Chinese people in Canada, we do because we care.

Taguro: "evolve?!?" You think Chinese people need to "evolve?" Do you know how insulting that is? Why don't you go and "evolve" yourself out of HK?

Some evolve faster than others, without evolution we wouldnt be using the pc, without evolution we would still be eating raw meat and hunting with spears. Oh I insuted you... my "bad". Indeed I have been selected to evolve to another country so thank you for your moral support.

I'd suggest that you learn proper Chinese etiquette before criticizing such a deep-rooted and long-standing cultural phenomenon. From what you're describing you're just not hanging out with the right people.

Proper, a proper chinese person would have manners, you do not. Calmness is what proper chinese do, and they delicatly push the unknowledgeble person into a more educated position.

Consider yourselelf educated.

Indeed, consider yourself that and take some manner lessons now that you are at it.

On a relevant side track, Indian food is one of the tastiest in my opinion so much depth to it. I blame all the curry houses in the UK to have made me an addict to Phal pizza.

[Mat]

This thread is a joke. Come on guys, u do not like to eat "chinese style"..then just don't...
nobody forces you....I personally think it is fun and not dirtier than any other way of eating, but if you do not like it, u just don't do it !

[KnowItAll]

Ok.. enough now. Move on folks ... nothing more to discuss.