Chinese traditional etiquette food etiquette, Chinese food etiquette culture

China is a big country of etiquette, whether in ancient or modern times, food etiquette occupies a very important position in Chinese culture, in the pre-Qin people to "feast on the gift of the four guests", the descendants of the dinner and drinking is often a scene of etiquette drama.

When it comes to food etiquette, many people have this experience, and at a banquet, they will leave a bad impression on others without knowing it. And the occurrence of these situations is often that we do not know enough about the "eating etiquette" of our country. Let's follow Han Yunjun to understand the "food etiquette" of traditional etiquette.

Seating etiquette. The position of the table is very particular, and you can know the person's seniority and importance from the table seat.

The seating order is based on "Shang Zuo Zun Dong" and "Facing the Gate is Respect", and guests are invited to sit first, and then the elders are invited to take their seats, and when they are seated, they enter from the left side of the chair. After taking a seat, do not move your chopsticks, do not get up and walk, and do not make any abnormal noise, if there is something to greet the owner.

Dining etiquette. When a distinguished guest arrives, both the host and the guest are to stand as a sign of respect. The host let the food, to be enthusiastic to use, not to ignore.

As the saying goes, "Eat without speaking, sleep without speaking" means that you should try not to make noise when eating. Sneezing also needs to be done by turning around as a sign of respect.

Cloth dish etiquette. Every time a new dish is served, you need to wait for the elders and guests to act first to show respect for them, if you want to serve the guests or elders with dishes, it is best to use chopsticks, or you can send dishes far away from the guests or elders to them.

Toast etiquette. The establishment of a relatively standardized drinking etiquette in China began as early as the Western Zhou Dynasty. The overall can be summed up in 4 words:

Timing, order, effect, and order require people to follow strict seasons when drinking, be respectful, and in moderation, and not do as they please. The wine is getting thicker and thicker the more you drink, but the knowledge on the wine table is also very deep, for example: the host respects the guest of honor, the guest respects the guest of honor, the guest of honor returns, and the guest respects each other, the key point is that the guest must not toast the guest in a disorderly manner, which is neither polite nor respectful to the host.

Usually, there are no special requirements for the etiquette of family dinners. In order to make the guests feel the attention and friendliness of the host, basically the hostess cooks the food herself, and the male host acts as a waiter; Or the male host cooks, and the hostess acts as a waiter to serve the guests together and make the guests feel at home.

If you want to attend a banquet, then you need to pay attention to the fact that you must first dress yourself up neatly and elegantly, which is a sign of respect for others and for yourself.

They should also be punctual at the time invited by the host. Except for cocktail receptions, guests are generally invited to arrive half an hour in advance for banquets. Arriving a few minutes before the start of the banquet for any reason is not considered rude. But being late is not respectful enough to the host, and it is very rude.

When entering the host's home or banquet hall, the first thing to greet is to greet the host. Meantime. To other guests, whether they recognize them or not, they should smile and nod or shake hands to say hello; Take the initiative to stand up and greet the elderly; Treat the ladies with a dignified and polite manner.

When seated, you should be seated at the mercy of the host or hostess, as some banquet hosts have already arranged. If you have no seat, please note that the seat facing the door is the upper seat, and the seat facing away from the door is the lower seat. Seniors, seniors, and ladies should be allowed to sit first, and then find a suitable seat for themselves.

Sit upright, put your feet under your seat, don't stretch out or shake your legs, don't lean your elbows against the edge of the table, or put your hands on the back of the next seat. Once seated, don't look like no one is around, and don't look like you're looking impatient. You can have a simple conversation with your guests.

When eating, you should dress formally, do not take off your outer clothes, and do not take off your outer clothes halfway. Generally, it is done after the host signals to start. The action of eating should be elegant, and the action of picking vegetables should be light.

And you should put the dish on your own small plate first, and then pick it up with chopsticks and put it in your mouth. When bringing food into your mouth, take small bites, leaning your elbows outwards and not spreading them to the sides so as not to touch your neighbors. Do not make noise during meals, drinks, or soups.

When eating, if you want to use the condiments placed in front of other guests at the same table, say hello to others before taking them; If it's too far, politely ask someone to do it for you. If you have to pick your teeth during a meal, cover it with your left hand or handkerchief, and gently pick your teeth with a toothpick with your right hand.

When drinking, blindly persuading others to drink, pouring alcohol, and yelling at them to drink or drink, especially to those who are not strong enough to drink, are all rude performances.

If the banquet is not over, but you have already eaten a good meal, do not leave the table at will, and wait until the host and the guest of honor get up and leave the table first, and then the other guests can leave the table in turn.

Chinese food culture is created by the Chinese people in long-term production practice, with strong national characteristics, but also formed the essence of Chinese food culture, such as its regional, social level, aesthetics, health preservation, inheritance, communication, etc. In terms of social hierarchy and communication, no matter what stage it is in, generally speaking, in a cannibal society, the interaction between various levels, the radiation effect of the high level is greater than the impact of the low level on the high level. Although the root system of the flower of Chinese food culture absorbs the nutrients of the lower layer, most of its flowers bloom in the upper layer, and then infiltrate the lower layer little by little.

At the same time, Chinese food culture pays attention to both color and flavor, that is, "cooking" and "blending" are combined, which is different from Western cooking without mixing. "Zhou Li, Tianguan Tsukazai" said: "Cutting Heng and frying with food".

"Cut" refers to the knife cutting process, "Heng" cooking, frying is also a cooking method, from the ancient sense, and the tone is connected. "Shuowen Jie Zi" explains that "tune" is "harmony". It can be seen that Chinese food culture emphasizes the best taste and the most complete nutritional value of food through cooking and harmony.

There is also the essence of food culture represented by "harmony". "He" refers to a diversified diet, which is the main way for Chinese people to maintain a balanced diet. The Yellow Emperor's Neijing Su Wen once put forward the dietary principle of "five grains for nourishment, five fruits for help, five animals for meaning, and five vegetables for abundance", which reflects the dietary balance and food diversity in Chinese food culture.

Zhou Li Tianguan recorded: "Anyone who knows the way of eating, cattle should be grass, sheep should be millet, pigs should be grass, dogs should be sorghum, geese should be wheat, and fish should be grass." This mainly discusses the harmony of food and drink, and the combination of meat and vegetables in Chinese food culture is about the root of this.

Food etiquette varies greatly from region to region depending on the nature and purpose of the feast. Among them, "seating order" is the most important part of the whole Chinese food etiquette. From ancient times to the present, due to the evolution of tables, the arrangement of seats has also changed accordingly.

Generally speaking, the seating order is "Shangzuo respects the east" and "faces the gate for respect". The chief of the family banquet is the elder with the highest seniority, and the last person is the lowest.

Usually, the table status is determined by the distance from the main table. Based on the master's table, the right is high, the left is low, the near is high, and the far is low. In terms of seating, the following points are mainly considered:

First of all, it is centered on the host's seat, and if the hostess participates, the host and the hostess are the benchmark, and they are arranged in order, from near to high, from far to low, from right to right and from left.

Secondly, it is usually necessary to place the guest of honor in the most distinguished position, that is, the right hand position of the host, and the wife of the guest of honor in the right hand position of the hostess. Thirdly, the host's accompaniment should cross with the guests as much as possible to facilitate conversation and communication, and avoid sitting together and neglecting the guests.

If there is a foreign guest, the interpreter is usually arranged to the right of the guest of honor. The number of seats at the family feast is relative.