Dining Customs in China中国人的餐饮、饮食习惯习俗 英语作文 Dining Customs Dining Customs in China and America
Every country has its own peculiar dining customs. The Chinese feel that the first rule of being a courteous guest is to be modest. When a person is invited to dinner, he will decline first because he is afraid it will give the host and hostess a lot of trouble preparing for it. As the host keeps on inviting him, he'll then accept it. Usually the guest will bring some gifts to the host, such as fruit, flowers and wine. The host will immediately protest his doing so by saying, "You shouldn't have bought the gifts. You are too polite and generous!"
When the guest sits down and starts chatting, the host offers something such as tea, candy, and fruit. The guest always says, "No, no, please don't bother, I am not thirsty", or "I'll help myself to them." www.joozone.com
When the dinner is ready, the guests are invited to sit down first. They sit in the chairs that are facing the south, which are considered to be honored seats. After everybody is seated, the host asks the guests to start eating first because they will not eat before the host says so. The guests often avoid being eager to eat ouit of politeness. They usually don't empty the dishes to show that the host has prepared more food than enough out of their hospitality. On the other hand, the host and the hostess usually prepare a lot of food to feed their guests.
When the dinner is over, guests will offer to help with the cleaning, but of course, the host and hostess will not let them do so. Instead, they will ask the guests to watch TV, drink tea, and sometimes to join a card game or Mahjong game. After some time, the guests will leave, and it is customary for the host to see the guests off. The host tries to see them off to the farthest feasible point while the guests try to discourage them from doing so. The guests will usually invite the host to their home in order to return the favor.
Dining Customs in China and America
Every country has its own peculiar dining customs. Americans feel that the first rule of being a polite guest is to be on time. If a person is invited to dinner at six-thirty, the hostess expects him to be there at six-thirty or not more than a few minutes after. Because she usually does the cooking, she times the meal se that the hot rolls and the coffee and meat will be at their best at the time the guests come. If they are late, the food will not be so good, and the hostess will be disappointed. When the guest cannot come on time, he calls his host or hostess on the telephone, gives the reason, and tells at what time he can come. Depending on the situation, guests sometimes bring a box of candy or some flowers to give to the hostess as a sign of appreciation. As guests continue to arrive, it is usually considered polite for the men in the group to stand when a woman enters the room and continue to stand until she is seated. However, most young people and some groups of older people that stress equality of the sexes no longer observe the custom. A visitor should be sensitive to each situation and follow the lead of the Americans present.When the guests sit down at a dinner table, it is customary for the men to help the ladies by pushing their chairs under them. Some Americans no longer do this, so the visitor must notice what others do and do likewise. Until the meal is under way, if the dinner is in a private home, a guest may avoid embarrassment by leaving the talking to someone else. Some families have a habit of offering a prayer of thanks before they eat. Other families do not. If a prayer is offered, everyone sits quietly with bowed head until the prayer is over. If the family does not follow the custom, there is no pause in the conversation.
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