The Internet is a wonderful source of information and Wikipedia is one of my most used sites. How else for example, would I know that Will Smith was born in the same year as me, or that Martin Luther King Jr died a month before I was born and that he was younger than I am now when he died.
But it’s also useful for other things, like the page about Chinese table manners:
- Strong alcohol, called baijiu [pronounced "by joe"], is often served throughout the meal; and it is customary for the host[s]/hostess[es] to insist that guests drink to “show friendship.” If the guests prefers not to drink, they may say, “I’m unable to drink, but thank you.” [in Mandarin: "Wo bu neng he jiu, xie xie." {whoa boo nung huh joe}] The host may continue to insist that the guests drink, and the guests may likewise continue to insist upon being “unable” to drink. The host’s insistance is to show generosity. Therefore, refusal by the guests should be made with utmost politeness. Beware: If a guest drinks alcohol with a subordinate at the table, the guest will be expected [if not forced] to drink a glass of the same alcohol with each superior at that table, and possibly at other tables too—if the guest has not passed out yet.
- When the hostess says her food is not good enough, the guest must disagree and tell her it is one of the finest foods they have ever tasted.
- Belching, smacking, and sipping is allowed. Talking with a full mouth, eating with the elbows on the table and tasting from a table guest’s plate is also allowed.
- When eating food that contains bones, it is customary that the bones be spat out onto the table to the right of the dining plate in a neat pile. Spitting onto the floor is almost never acceptable.
- When people wish to clink drinks together in the form of a cheer, it is important to observe that younger members should clink the rim of their glass below the rim of an elder’s to show respect.
These are all very helpful, but I have a few of my own to add:
- It’s perfectly acceptable to rest your foot on the adjacent chair, or even on your own chair.
- When the bill comes, it’s polite to make at least a weak attempt at fighting to pay the bill, although you should allow the host to eventually win the battle and avoid losing face.
- Playing on your PSP / Nintendo DS, reading magazines or sending texts while ignoring your other dinner guests is perfectly acceptable.
- Screaming at the waitress to bring you more beer while she’s busy taking the order of the table next door is completely okay.
- Bringing your own food and drinks to consume in the restaurant is perfectly fine.
- Finishing every last bit of food is NOT fine as it indicates to your host that he was not generous and did not order sufficiently.
So there you go. You can learn a lot from Wikipedia, but you learn twice as much from WoAi’s blog! And if you attempt to say “whoa boo nung huh joe” I guarantee you nobody will have a clue what you’re talking about.






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