02-19-2019 04:34 AM
@Shirley . it's interesting to know the escalator etiquette around the world, that will be great if we can have a list of them for the whole world.
And it seems the side you chose is not related to the steering side @VitB
02-22-2019 01:51 AM - edited 02-22-2019 02:43 AM
Hi @Brett,
I loved reading the examples that you shared with us.
As for the first and second point, I was totally familiar with this, but as for the third point you really surprised me. I never knew what that fact. I would like to ask you how do you rinse the tableware with the cup of tea? Do you put them inside and let them stay for a while? This is quite interesting.
I would like also to share some of my observations that I have seen in China:
@KarenVChin I am curious what customs do you have in San Francisco that are specific for the region? Do you know something more about my 5th point about the circular table? I don't quite remember the specifics about it.
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02-22-2019 09:30 PM
@TsekoV , you ask a great question regarding Chinese Dining Etiquette (Your Question #5).
For who sits where, who serves whom, and who pays for the bill, here are these two links that best describes how I was brought up:
I can go on about dining etiquette and manners. Hope this gives you better sense.
@ErmesT , when you were living in China did you see or do these things while you were eating with your business hosts?
As for purely American manners, as @Brett mentioned, Americans also always stand to the right on an escalator or people mover (airport) if you want to stand as you go up while the left side is for people who want to walk up the escalators.
Americans queue. Where ever the line starts, that is where you go to stand in line. Jumping, or cutting in line, gets people very upset. They will call out the person to go the end of the line.
Americans are big on saying "Hello or Hi," Excuse Me," "Thank you." Lots of smiling and direct eye contact, but at times no direct eye contact in public situations such as in riding in public transit (bus, subway, train).
Americans like to shake hands or hug when meeting. You can be an acquaintance and at times it seems normal to hug. If I know the person is not from America, I will tell him or her "I am American. We like to hug." before reaching out. Also, it can depend on how long you hug, the gender, and how close the person is to you too.
Cheers,
Karen
02-24-2019 07:32 PM
Thank you for asking @KarenVChin
I only had a couple of "official dinner" and all "the ritual" was amazing, starting from the arrangement of seats at the table, indicated by the very elaborate arrangement of the napkins: the highest was showing the seat of the host. The guest was in front of him, and his napking was shaped in a composition that was a bit lower in height. Nobody eats until the guest starts eating. Usually the guest starts with the most appetizing course (in my case, it was chicken feets).
I also remember a lot of alchool, (moutai - 茅台酒)
My second dinner was more informal, with Karaoke and a lot of fun, but in that case I was the host
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02-27-2019 03:15 AM
@KarenVChin, while reading your comment and the facts you shared with us, I felt as if you brought me back to China for a moment. I think I have experienced almost all of those interesting facts. A fact that really surprises me is the 9th point. I never knew before that people serve the tea so one can clean his/her fingers. I always thought this tea was for drinking... : ) These are the culture differences, aren't they, hehe.
By the way, I remember one more interesting fact about Chinese people. It is connected with your 10th point. I know that in Chinese culture, sometimes in Korean culture too, people love to make sounds while truly enjoying a meal they are having. As you mentioned, it is a normal thing to burp. What I have always found quite interesting is that people love making loud sounds while eating noodles. This is something that for me is kind of different to accept. When eating we try to be as quiet as possible while Chinese, for example, love the opposite.
@ErmesT, Moutai is the alcohol I must have tried at least once, but I never did. I tend to regret this at the moment.
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02-28-2019 12:59 AM
@TsekoV , hehe, slurping - can be either eating noodles or drinking soup. You are bringing back memories of my grandparents. Both were slurpers! LOL Us, grandkids, would laugh and have big smiles while they slurped and burped!
Unfortunately, I am too ABC (American Born Chinese) to do either. Like you, I was raised not to slurp by my ABC mom because Americans don't slurp. As you said, slurping is considered bad table manners.
Also the Japanese slurp their noodles too.
Cheers,
Karen
02-28-2019 01:06 AM
@ErmesT , interesting that chicken feet was served as an appetizer. Did it taste like what we ordered during dim sum last October?
Each of the provinces have different cuisines. Never heard of chicken feet served as an appetizer for a formal dinner or banquet. My family is originally from Guangdong (or Canton), Macau, and now Hong Kong.
Cheers,
Karen
02-28-2019 02:41 AM
This is all so interesting to learn how different cultures use different manners to express what they like or dislike.
Honestly speaking, the one and only fact I still cannot understand why is to see people in China cutting their nails in restaurants. The first time I experienced this I was travelling to another province and decided to enjoy a local dish. While enjoying it, I suddenly heard that familiar sound of cutting nails that we only do at our homes. All other manners I tend to accept and find quite curious.
I have heard, for example, that when drinking alcohol Korean people love to make a specific sound that is a must and by it they express how much they love the drinks. I know that @LilyanaZ lived in Korea for some years. Have you ever heard those local manners?
@ErmesT, eating chicken feet as an appetizer sounds very Asian style dish. I remember I could see that in all shops in China you can buy vacuumed chicken feet as a snack. : ) I have never dared to buy one. A fun thing I remember is one of the times I was coming back to Bulgaria from China, I bought my friends vacuumed smelly tofu. I really loved looking at their faces, hehe.
Here is a photo of me eating scorpions for the first time in my life. Have you ever tried some?
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02-28-2019 04:05 AM - edited 02-28-2019 04:06 AM
@KarenVChin , @TsekoV , I can confirm chicken feet were an appetizer. I was in Xinzheng, a new town in Henan Province, built as an expansion of the ancient Zhengzhou, far away (850 miles) from Hong Kong - Macau.
The chicken feet were very different from the ones we had at dim-sum, but it not surprise me. China is a huge country, with a lot of different variation in term of food preparation, due to different climatic conditions.
About Local Manners, I have been invited as a guest (yes, with a public speech) at May first celebrations in the factory in Changde where I worked for more than one year.
On each table was a large basket with peanuts and oranges. We were keeping on the table the peels, while everyone was trowing the peels on the floor. I wouldn't be able to trow them on the floor, as in my mind the floor have to be clean, while our interpreter was explaining us that "the table" must be clean, not the floor
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03-04-2019 02:42 AM
This post is even more interesting than I expected.
Especially when I found some of the common things that I am doing daily is actually surprising foreigners.
@TsekoV , really didn't expect any foreigners will like smelly tofu and take them home... lol
Besides, cutting nails in public is only happening in China, I don't think it's polite to do so in other Asian countries.
Other than China, anyone can provide more funny facts and manners around the Asia?