This artlcle focuses on the general aspects of eating in China. Read a detailed article on important table etiquette here.

Background on Dining

Meals are almost always communal. Chinese people see it as an opportunity to get together, socialize, trade stories, and “slowly eat”. Having a good time is always the goal – I don’t think I have ever been at a dinner table where there were bad vibes. Meals are also a popular way to network. I imagine a lot of business deals and contracts have been settled at the dinner table. Overall, it is a personal, lively, and loud experience.

In Mainland China, dishes of food and soups are ordered, placed around the table, and everyone eats from every dish. Sometimes there are serving spoons, but most of the time there will not be. This means that everyone will take food from Dish A, place it in their bowl, eat it, then repeat. If this disgusts you, re-think your trip. All I can say is, “when in Rome…”

Meals are scheduled on a more consistent basis in China. There are three meals a day, 8-9am, 12pm and 6pm (and sometimes the late-night BBQ run). Farmers eat twice a day, 10am and 4pm, so they can tend to the fields and animals. I rarely see Chinese people eat between meals (read, snacking) unless it means eating a pear, apple, etc. Learn to appreciate these meal times. You will undoubtedly feel like you’re eating too much food at first, but you’ll probably lose weight by the end of your trip.

Cleanliness

A restaurant’s level of cleanliness varies in China. Obviously, some are clean, some are not. If you visit a normal restaurant, often times you will see paper wrappings, food, cigarette butts, and other garbage on the ground. But if you only eat at the 5-star places, you’ll miss out on a lot of good food. It is a toss up, and you should do whatever makes you feel comfortable.

I find that the little dives, with the little stools and dirty floors have some of the best food. If you have a guide, always ask for the local specialties and be sure to eat at the best local restaurant at least once, regardless of the appearance. In Yunnan, for example, the rice noodles (“mi xian” or me-shyen) is a great tasting popular dish that is served right on the street.

Eating from Street Vendors

Sometimes it is dirty, sometimes it is clean, and regardless, it usually tastes good. Use good judgement. If you are visiting for a short amount of time (two weeks or less) I would probably pass on eating from street vendors, mainly because your system will not be able fight off the bacteria that have been growing in that meat all day long. If you are in China for a year, I would say go for it. Also, these places usually have the hardcore selection that you won’t see at tourist places — pig brain, intestine, etc.

MSG

MSG, or “wei jing” is used as an ingredient in cooking over China. Say what you will about it, just know that you are going to be eating it. (I have to admit, food does taste better with it.) Good luck trying to ask the cooks not to use it. You could try “Bu yao fan wei jing”, or “Don’t cook with MSG.”

Vegetarian

Though there are many vegetarian dishes to choose from, it is always going to be an uphill battle to not eat meat. And if you are vegan, I can say with confidence you are going to have a hard time eating in China. Don’t expect the grill that they used for your broccoli to be a vegetable-only grill, for example. Also, lard is a main ingredient in most of the vegetable soups.

Invited to Eat at Someone’s House

If you have the honor of being a guest in someone’s home, bring a gift with you (fruit, flowers, wine). After you arrive, you may be offered things like fruit, candy, or cigarettes before you eat. Tell the host thank you, and that you don’t want any (“Wo bu yao le, xie xie!”). Sometimes your host will start peeling a pear or apple and just hand it to you. If this happens, take it and eat it.

Eating Bones

Things are chopped up in China so that you can handle food items with your chopsticks. That means that there will be bone fragments in that chopped up piece of chicken leg that just appeared in your bowl. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but just place the whole thing in your mouth (if it isn’t too big) and work away at it until you get most of the meat off. In most cities, it is accecptable to place the bones on the small plate in front of you. Depending on how nice the restaurant is, you can either put it nicely in the bowl in front of you, or you can spit it out on the floor. When in doubt, watch what others do with their bones and follow suit.

Spicies

Spicy food is not prevalent in the Hong Kong (or Guangdong) region, in Beijing, or Shanghai. Henan, Sichuan, and Yunnan are known to use a lot of hot peppers in their cuisine. If you plan on eating spicy food (especially if you eat hot pot, which is oily and has an extra spicy dipping sauce) you should know that you probably will have to use the restroom shortly thereafter. This is not a sign of food poisoning — it is a sign of your body trying to process all those oils and firey hot peppers.

Also, make sure you ask for Coke, Sprite, or some juice as your insurance policy drink. If you’re not a seasoned veteran, that hot cup of tea on the table will only make matters worse after you accidentally chew into a hot pepper.

Chopsticks

Video: Learn How to Hold Chopsticks and your Bowl in China

Never leave your chopsticks in the bowl (like you would do with a spoon in cereal). If you are not eating, they should be placed on top of the bowl. There used to be some serious etiquette about which way the chopsticks needed to point, but that is pretty dated. Just as long as they are evenly placed together and on top of your bowl, you are all set.

You may drop your chopsticks by accident. Regardless of how long it touched the table (or worse, floor), don’t even pick it up. As one of your servers to bring you a new pair.

If your chopstick skills are a little shakey, Chinese people won’t judge you on it. That means if you drop something as you are bring it back to your bowl, just say “whoops!” and leave it there.

It is okay to rub the chopsticks together to rid them of the fraying wood pieces. Do this only with the cheap ones. At a nice restaurant you don’t need to do this.

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If you are traveling to China, living in China, have friends or family who just moved to China, or are going to the Beijing Olympics in 2008, here you can brush up on your Chinese etiquette (or better yet, send them the link!).

This a comprehensive guide written by an expatriate who has lived in China for over two years, complete with pictures, videos, “Insider Tips” (things you will never see in any book), and translations. Most important, it is current information from someone who learned by living it.

First and Foremost / Key Concepts to Understand Chinese Culture

• Relationships are deeply valued in Chinese culture. Guanxi or ‘relationship’ is an idea that is fundamental throughout society. Having friends, family, and business contacts to help you is very important.
• Face, or mianxi, losing face, saving face, and giving face are important concepts that should be taken into serious consideration at all times. An quick example of losing face would be to lose your temper in public.
• Being polite and courteous, or li. Chinese believe that proper etiquette preserves face.
• Keqi literally means, “guest” and “behavior”. It is most closely linked to being modest and humble. You’ll often times people says, “Bie keqi” (pron. “bee-ah kuh-chee”) which means “You’re so polite”, or “You needn’t be so polite.”

Respect in China

• It is important to show respect to elders (and everyone for that matter.) Although the Chinese do not use “thank you” in the same way or with the same frequency as some Westerners, you should always say “xie xie” (thank you) if someone does something for you (pours you a cup of tea, adds food to your bowl, offers you a pear, etc.) “Xie xie” roughly sounds like “shay shay”. Don’t worry about perfecting the accent, the sentiment is what counts.
• If you have Chinese family members who are older than you, always go out of your way to help and assist them (pulling out chairs, opening car doors, assisting them with steps, etc).
• Chinese people offer respect in a different way than Westerners. For example, a taxi driver is called a “shi fu”, or “master”. It is important to give face and respect to people who are working for you.
• Chinese to not use sarcasm as a form of communication. Sarcasic comments do not translate well and will lead to confusion. Also, Chinese people do not playfully attack each other’s character as some Westerners do. You would never pick on someone in a group, especially if they are your own family. If you have these squabbles back home, do not bring them to China.

“Wow, you’re fat!”

• The Chinese will comment on your appearance directly to your face. When you hear, “Oyo! Ni pang le!” (Wow, you’re fat!), it’s almost the sentiment as “Oh look, now you have a beard!” In other words, it is not meant to hurt anyone’s feelings, but more of an observation. Take it lightly, smile, and nod it off. Next time you see someone who has gained weight, you can return the phrase.

Chinese Asking “How much does it cost?”

• For Americans, it is considered impolite to ask someone’s salary, or ask how much you paid for something. In China, it isn’t. As a matter of fact, it is often times the focal point of the conversation, especially with gifts. “How much does that watch you’re wearing cost? How much do you make a month? How much is your rent? Thanks for this vase, how much was it?” (Then there is always the classic, “One week, you make how much money?”) This all goes back to having face. You can always dodge the question by saying, “Wang ji le!”, (“I forgot”) or “Wo bu zhidao,” (“I don’t know”) if you feel uncomfortable.

Cutting in Line

The Chinese government-operated television network, CCTV, is currently (9/2007) running “etiquette” ads. I guess they are trying to internationalize Chinese etiquette. It is likely that these ads are in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. So, they’re trying! However, on your next trip to China, you may:

• Get cut in line
• Get cut off in traffic
• Get bumped into (with no “excuse me”)
• See (and hear “haawk!”) people spit
• Breathe in hefty doses of second-hand cigarette smoke
• See people slurp or smack their food
• See babies doing their business on the sidewalk (with the loving assistance of their mothers)
• See people driving recklessly
• Hear someone call you “lao wai!”

If someone cuts you, tap them on the shoulder and say, “Bie cha dui,” (Don’t cut). Nine times out of ten they will go to the end of the line with no hard feelings.

Have more to add? Write them in the comments!

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