中美餐桌礼仪文化对比(2)

be invited by America’s friends. This essay is mainly talk about the differences of

table manners between Chinese and America. It aims to approach to make the

communication more successfully.

II. Differences of table manners

“Social customs differ greatly from one country to another . it is therefore

impossible to give guidelines that are universally applicable. To be honest ,you should

act naturally ,always remaining friendly ,courteous, and dignified.”( Qian,2006).

It is ideology for Chinese to have the collective consciousness when American is individualism. For this reason while American people are invited to join the dinner or party ,they will have their own plan to have what kind meal and drink their own wine ,avoiding to push others people to accept their ideas not on their own will. On the other hand ,Chinese people would think this kind of doing is ridiculous . the reason why they think so is that Chinese culture, individual should have the consciousness. China has important harmonization, and there goes to say that Harmony is most precious. So that Chinese people like to come together and eat together.

2.1Arrangement of seat

2.1.1Arrangement of seat in Chinese way

As for the seat to eat meals in China, Chinese people always choose round tables when they eat together. It has lots of rules for people to eat in China, such as, where to out the round table, which seat is for the important guest and so on.

In the old time, Chinese people use the number of table to stop the kind of banquet. It has two little tables, both on the right and left. As for the larger banquet, will be four or five tables ,with more complicated rules for people to obey. The top table always on the right hand and farthest to portal . What’s more, the distance to the top table is also very important . To be honest ,the seat which is very close to the top seat is consider precedence. For example ,when you take part in wedding ,all the numbers of your family who is the leader of the bride must be arranged the table that which is very close to the top table. And hosts should arrange the guest on this way by relationship .There has a very import thing is that the host sit after all the guest have the seat.

2.1.2Arrangement of seat in American way

American people are more like long table rather than round table while having meal with friends. The host and the hostess are sit at both top of this long table ,and the guest sit at the other seat. Man and woman are should be arranged to seat alternately. The most important guest will have a seat at the toper right side of the

host .American gentleman is very focus on about lady first, they are always hospitable to ladies. But in China, left is honor and the left is secondary ;of course in the front of right and the left is slant. While in American, right is honor and left is secondary.

The right way to take the seat in American is sit by the left hand, elbow can not put onto the table and your hands are not allow to touch feet. It is good for you not to walk around before the meal is finished(unless you really have some thing to do immediately ) .When at diner ,it do you well to sit straightly.

2.1.3The reason of seat arrangement

The main idea of Chinese seat arrangement is that Chinese culture , Chinese culture is a kind of group with consciousness, and the people confirm that individual should obey the group consciousness, so that Chinese people use the round table for friends to get together for meal. The different table manners of China and the United States culture is an important part of national cultural differences of China and the United States. Traditional western culture is a farming culture and Marine culture, and China's farming culture and land culture, two different cultures reflect the differences in lifestyle, including table manners cultural differences is the typical one aspect, each country, each region of the people are consciously or unconsciously revealed in the diet with its profound cultural background. The Chinese comparison pay attention to taste, so tend to be more careful when cook, every detail to do very well. Sometimes a dish may need a long time to prepare food in advance, in order to achieve the desired taste, when doing the cooking for a long time. Thus improve the taste of Chinese food, now more and more foreigners like Chinese food. Chinese dishes in color, flavor or above the top of the other, are delicate, even above the order of the material is very special. 2.2Tablewars

In the United States table habits and China have in common, Is there much of a difference in, For instance, Americans go in on the left side of the table is also from the seat, Also can't literally of dishes on the table, Their elbows can't in the above table. In a formal banquet, The guest to wait for the host put his napkin on his knees, To put his napkin, Due to western men have the custom of the gentleman poise, Men to help women move seats, This and the Chinese culture and etiquette is a little

difference, Because China has experienced the baptism of thousands of years of feudal ideas, So led to a woman in no man of high social status. But as the accelerating exchanges between Chinese and western culture, China is also slowly moving closer to the west. Chinese woman now is becoming more and more respected is not far from the dinner. About the dinner, the two sides also has the very big difference, Chinese meal of the time like to use chopsticks, Drink the soup with a spoon. When dishes, First led by the guest, to eat, Can't make a sound when you eat, You should use a spoon slowly drink soup, Can not directly use bowl to drink. When the dish, May be they are far away, We eat less as far as possible, Eat don't flush when you eat ,It is necessary to the appropriate pay attention to the people around you, Don't gobble big eat, To timely ta …… 此处隐藏：6267字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……