Review of the article “Chinese Table Manners: You Are How You Eat” by Eugene Cooper
It goes without saying that in today’s globalized world intercultural communication plays a significant role and requires a good knowledge of the culture within which communication happens, and it is not only because it is interesting, it has practical importance.
One of the cultures that is worth paying attention to is the Chinese culture, as it differs from other cultures, especially European ones in many ways. Table etiquette can play a crucial role in doing business with a Chinese businessman. The Chinese table etiquette has become the main topic of the article “Chinese Table Manners: You Are How You Eat” by Eugene Cooper, who starts his story with a good example demonstrating how cultural ethnocentrism may have spoiled negotiations during the business lunch (Cooper, 1986).
The article “Chinese Table Manners: You Are How You Eat” by Eugene Cooper consists of the introduction part pointing out the practical importance of knowledge on Chinese table manners followed by to main parts “Basic Structure and Paraphernalia” and “Inflections of General Principles” with detailed description of rules and their applications to different contexts. The conclusion summarizes the information and repeats the main idea.
Basically, the article highlights the fact that tables manners like any other everyday events are laden with cultural meaning. In the very beginning of the article Cooper (1986) illustrates how important it is to know the peculiarities of another culture so as to make a good impression and look respectful, but not rude in the eyes of a foreign host. It should be pointed out that he underlines the practical importance with the reference to Confucius who even two thousand ago gave the following advice: "When entering a country inquire of its customs. When crossing the border, inquire of its prohibitions". There's one more thing that makes the article sound more credible from the very beginning. It is personal examples and the fact that the author has been married to a Chinese woman and made his research in Hong Kong (Cooper, 1986).
After a good introduction part, Cooper (1986) moves to "Basic Structures and Paraphernalia", where he explains clearly the hierarchy of the Chinese food and understanding of a Chinese meal. Therefore, a Chinese meal usually contains 'fan', or in other words, grain or rice. Thus, a morning food event usually is not thought of as a meal as it goes without 'fan'. In total, the Chinese have two meals per day, i.e. with rice or grain (Cooper, 1986).
In this part Cooper (1986) pays attention to the Chinese table and how it is laid, and how people eat from a general plate and their personal bowl, which is very valuable, especially for those who wants to get a good impression and establish a good rapport with a potential Chinese business partner. The point is that one should take with his or her chopsticks the food from the common plate and put into their own bowl and raise a bowl to the mouth and push the food into the mouth with chopsticks. A Chinese host or a businessman partner who has invited a foreigner to have a meal may think he or she is dissatisfied with the food or uninterested if he or she leaves the bowl to stay on the table simply picking the food with the chopsticks. In this section one can pick a very important information about eating rice from a flat plate and how to accept the bowl with rice, when to start a dish and how to ask for another portion and how to short respect not eating to much rice and not leaving some rice in bowl (Cooper, 1986).
Talking about the basics of Chinese table manners, Cooper (1986) marks the idea that table etiquette in Chine is a pure mutual respect and full of cultural meaning. It very important in Chine to share what is placed in common and one will be thought of as a well-mannered person if he or she doesn’t show to his or her co-diners what are their favorite dishes. There’s one more thing about common dishes that is very important: one should take the food from the common dish in such a way so as everyone else can have a portion and only after a new dish will appear one can take the rest of the food from the common dish, but again without inclining the common plate towards oneself and scratching the food into one’s bowl, which will be definitely considered as bad manners. Long tooth picking and spitting are impolite also in the Chinese culture (Cooper, 1986).
After the detailed description of do’s and don’ts in the part “Basic Structure and Paraphernalia” Cooper (1986) moves to the second part “Inflections of General Principles”. This part illustrates how the general rules described above are inflected in this or that context depending on the occasion: from formal ones including feasts in restaurants to more intimate involving eating out with family, breakfasts at ‘din saam’ houses, lunches with workmates at food stalls, etc (Cooper, 1986).
For example, one of such inflections can be a morning food event that generally is not considered to be a meal, mainly because it goes without rice. However, sometimes, it can be named a meal, when the rice is left from yesterday’s evening meal to be eaten for breakfast. In fact, in this case, it doesn't imply the entire family seated at the table, one just grab the rice from the kitchen on the way out to work. Another variant for a breakfast according to Cooper (1986) may be eating out at a daipaidong, where one shares a table with a stranger and rules here are applied in most general terms in this situation, as the main purpose of this meal is to put some food in one’s stomach to suppress hunger till lunch. More formal character has a food event that is called ‘dim saam', or ‘drinking tea'. On weekends, for example, it may involve consumption of rice noodle, buns, and dumplings. When a person shares a table with a stranger he or she eats from and pays for his or her own plate. However, when ‘dim saam' involves the entire family, then general rules are applied and the food is taken from the common plate in such proportions so as enough food is left for other diners. It is interesting that ‘dim saam’ may trail off into lunch both on formal and informal occasions (Cooper, 1986).
In the context of the inflections of the general principles, Cooper (1986) also describes the midday food event, which is considered to be a meal and implies consumption of rice or rice noodles, etc. There are several options for eating out during the lunch time. First of all, it is a food stall, serving both rice and rice noodles, and, secondly, larger ‘dim saam' restaurants.
There's one more thing which is worth paying attention too: paying the bill. No matter, whether is is a common dish or an individual dish has been ordered, it is very unusual to divide the check among all diners. It quite normal for those who have equal status to grab the check and pay for their fellow's dinner, however, it gets impolite when the status difference is too great. Actually, as Cooper (1986) says, paying once check illustrates the superiority of one's status over their fellow's diner. But, as taking a meal is a social event, paying the check may have other connotations than the above mentioned one (Cooper, 1986).
Afterward, Cooper (1986) moves to the evening meal that usually takes place at home where the general rules are applied in a less formal way. However, in some work-class families, a man eats first with a woman and children joining later or even without formal sitting down.
As for official events and formal banquets, the primacy of the fan and the secondary character of ‘t'sai dishes' are reserved. Before the rice is served, diners are expected to have already had a good share of cold appetizers. One more important thing that Cooper (1986) draw's the reader's attention to is eating fish. It seems that there should be nothing about it, however, one should keep in mind that he or she cannot turn the fish and after eating the upper part of fish and putting away the bones, once can eat the meat underneath. The point is that a fish symbolizes a boat which will capsize sympathetically if a fish is turned over. Another type of eating out in the evening is ‘siu yeh', which is snacks. In this case, everyone has their own bowl (Cooper, 1986).
After a very detailed information about the Chinese table manners, Cooper (1986) concludes that it should not be a problem for a foreigner to impress a Chinese since they have very low expectations. However, knowing some basic rules, behavioral expectations and symbolic food expectations may help one, first of all, to establish a good rapport and achieve one's goals (Cooper, 1986).
In fact, this article can serve as clear guidelines on how to behave in China during a meal and how to make a good impression and establish a good rapport. The information is detailed and sound credible since it contains personal examples and research background.
However, to illustrates the significance of cultural background it would be useful to add to the article some examples of communication failure based on Chinese table etiquette, especially if such failures have influences business negotiations (Cooper, 1986).
Furthermore, simply knowing basics of the Chinese table etiquette is not enough for successful business communication since there are other aspects to pay attention to like introducing oneself, giving and accepting business cards, gifts, etc (Cooper, 1986).
References
Cooper, E. (1986). Chinese Table Manner: You Are How You Eat. In Food and Agriculture (pp. 107–113)
