Cultural Differences of Table Manners between East and West 中西方餐桌礼仪的文.doc

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1、中西方餐桌礼仪的文化差异CULTURAL DIFFERENCES OF TABLE MANNERS BETWEEN EAST AND WESTAbstract and Key WordsAbstract: Table manners are the rules of etiquette used while eating. Different cultures observe different rules for table manners. This article has some contrastive analysis and research on the cultural dif

2、ferences of table manners between East and West from the point of view on sense of arriving time, seat arrangement, order of serving dishes, tableware, behaviour and communication. It is concluded that with the wide spreading of intercultural communication people in East and West are deeply transfor

3、med，permeated and accepted to one another. They come to respect and tolerate different table manners, thus are even assimilative and syncretize with each other.Key words: table manners; cultural differences; syncretism摘要：餐桌礼仪是用餐时的礼仪规则。不同的文化遵循不同的餐桌礼仪规则。本文从时间观念、座次安排、上菜顺序、餐具、行为和语言几个方面对中西方餐桌礼仪的文化差异做出对比分

4、析，并由此得出结论，随着跨文化交际活动越来越广泛，中西方人经历了深刻的转变，从相互渗透到彼此接受，人们逐渐能够尊重和容忍不同文化的餐桌礼仪，甚至趋于同化和融合。关键词：餐桌礼仪；文化差异；融合CONTENTS1. Introduction12. Literature Review.1 3. Cultural Differences of Table Manners.2 3.1 Sense of Arriving Time3.2 Seat Arrangement 3.3 Order of Serving Dishes3.4 Tableware3.5 Behaviour and Communica

5、tion 4. Main Factors Causing the Differences.6 4.1 Geography 4.2 Tradition 4.3 Custom 5. Trend of Syncretism.76. Conclusion.9Bibliography.9Acknowledgements .10 Cultural Differences of Table Manners between East and West1. Introduction With the rapid development of economy and culture, having meals i

6、s not only for the basic physical satisfaction, but also the important skill in social communication. Striving for civic virtues and having good manners have become increasingly common understanding of the public. In China, which has been a nation of etiquette and particular about food being the fir

7、st necessity of the people since antiquity, table manners has a long history and has naturally become an important part of dining culture. With the deepening of open policy in our country and the strengthening of communication between East and West, people have more and more opportunities to coopera

8、te with foreigners. Naturally, Chinese cannot avoid having dinners with foreigners. A series of table manners including sense of arriving time, seat arrangement, order of serving dishes, tableware, behaviour and communication reflect different culture and life-style in nations or countries. There ar

9、e many differences of table manners between eastern and western countries. To understand these differences can not only avoid committing a breach of etiquette to each other, but also promote the development of humanity culture in both countries and achieve interpersonal harmony in cross-cultural com

10、munication. 2. Literature Review As we all know, different countries have different cultures. Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another (Hofstede, 1991). As a kind of social customs, table manners are influenced by cultur

11、e and vary in different areas. China, known as civilized ancient country, has characteristic table manners with a long history. Western countries also formed their own table manners during the syncretism of nations and modernization. To a certain degree, having good table manners is a symbol of a na

12、tions civilization and an expression of a persons moral cultivation and accomplishment level as well. With the deepen of open policy in our country and the strengthen of communication between East and West, it is necessary for us to improve the consciousness of cross-cultural communication and know

13、the differences of table manners, such as sense of arriving time, seat arrangement, order of serving dishes, tableware, behaviour, communication and so on. The fully understanding of the differences can prevent the failure in politeness and promote personal status on the dinner table. Only if we rea

14、lize cultural connotation of table manners and the differences between East and West, can we talk and behave decently in cross-cultural communication and make social communication harmonious. With an acute eye and an irrepressible wit, Margaret Visser takes a fascinating look at the way we eat our m

15、eals in the book The Rituals of Dinner. From the ancient Greeks to modern yuppies, from cannibalism and the taking of the Eucharist to formal dinners and picnics, she thoroughly defines the eating ritual. She takes the different table manners in different areas and races to show the development of t

16、he world civilization. In the book Culture on Dinner Table, Mr. Yi Zhongtian (2004) says that the core thought of Chinese culture is group consciousness while the western core thought is individual consciousness. Westerners order respective dishes by themselves rather than ask others for what they w

17、ant. On the contrary, Chinese agrees that personal will should obey group common thought. In the book Differences and Syncretize of Etiquette Culture between East and West, Mr. Li Xiaojun explores the syncretism of etiquette culture between East and West on the basis of table manners to achieve the

18、harmonious society. Yu Lin and Zhou You compare the cultural differences between East and West from the point of view on tableware, seat arrangement, dinner atmosphere and language. It aims at warning people to treat exotic culture with an objective, tolerant and respectful attitude while insisting

19、on their own culture, in order to communicate properly and appropriately in cross-cultural communication. 3. Cultural Differences of Table Manners3.1 Sense of Arriving TimeHall has classified two kinds of people according to his observation. One is monochromic time and the other is polychromic time

20、(Edward Hall, 1976:17). People from western countries hold monochromic time assuming time is linear and can be cut, so they pay much more attention to timetables and pre-arrangements. They are slaves to nothing but the clock, and time is treated as if it were something almost precious. While people

21、from eastern countries insist on polychromic time, having no ideas of fixed timetable. Therefore, this difference is more obvious when attending a banquet. Generally speaking, Chinese people which holding polychromic time tend to be later to show up. They often arrive half an hour later than the pre

22、scribed time and the host also seems to have prepares for that. They always arrange some other programs for guests while waiting, such as playing cards, drinking tea or chatting, so that the guests who come earlier would not feel boring. Both the host and guests are used to this phenomenon and they

23、do not regard this as a contempt or impolite behavior to the host. While in western countries, people do things strictly abide by the schedule and all the activities begins according to the predetermined time. People should arrive at the party on time especially the formal banquets. It is considered

24、 as impolite and contempt for the host and other guests if one arrives 10 minutes later. 3.2 Seat ArrangementThe seating arrangement is probably the most important part of Chinese table manners. The seat of honor, reserved for the master of the banquet or the guest with highest status, is the one in

25、 the center facing east or facing the entrance. Those of higher position sit closer to the master of the banquet. The guests of lowest position sit furthest from the seat of honor. If the guest of honor is not seated, other people are not allowed to be seated. And if he hasnt eaten, others should no

26、t begin to eat. When a family holds a banquet, the seat of honor is for the guest with the highest status and the head of the house takes the least prominent seat. If it is a round table, then the one facing the entrance door is the guest of honor. The seats on the left hand are in turn second, four

27、th and sixth, etc, while those on the right hand are in turn third, fifth and seventh, etc, until they join together. In ancient times there was a piece of furniture known as an Eight Immortals table, a big square table with benches for two people on each side. If it is an Eight Immortals table and

28、there is a seat facing the entrance door, then the right seat facing the entrance door is for the guest of honor. If there is no seat facing the entrance door, then the right seat facing the east is the seat of honor. Then the seats on the left side of the seat of honor are the second, fourth, sixth

29、 and eighth and those on the right side are the third, the fifth and the seventh.While in western countries, after the hostess announced dinner ready, male host will lead guests to the table in turn, and the hostess walks behind them. Some attentive host will also place name card on the table to sho

30、w the seat. If there has no arrangement, the general principle for seat arrangement is that men and women sit separately. Men guests of honour take the prior seats which on the right hand of hostess while women guests of honour seat on the right hand of him, and the other couples sit in diagonal res

31、pectively. Men and women sitting separately shows the open and lively of the American banquet. It can promote the familiarity between each other and make the dining topic diversification and dining atmosphere peaceful. The principle for the seat arrangement is that the guest takes the seat first, th

32、e elderly prior to young people, the married prior to unmarried and stranger prior to the acquaintance and families. 3.3 Order of Serving DishesIn China, many dishes have symbolic connotations, representing everything from wealth to a long life and the order of serving dishes shows Chinese character

33、istics. A Chinese meal begins with appetizers which are accompanied by beverage and wine. There are usually four or five of these appetizers, including cold meats, preserved eggs, smoked fish and vegetable relishes, all beautifully arranged either on separate dishes or on one large platter. Hot dish

34、es that were boiled or poached are usually served first, followed by foods that were fried, such as stir-fried chicken and stir-fried shrimp, which are omitted most of the time. Hot food should be served from the left of the opposite seats of guests of honour. When serving the whole duck, chicken an

35、d fish, the head and tail can not be put toward the major seat. After the hot dishes, then comes the main course, rice, which is Chinas staple food. While in a feast or banquet, people always eat little because of the abundant of the food. At last, desserts and fruits are provided to help digestion.

36、 If there are lots of tables on the banquet, every dish should be served simultaneously. These programs can not only make the whole process in harmony and order, but also make host and guests expression and communication well. Therefore, the table manners can make the dinner perfect and make host an

37、d guests both cultivation fully display. In western countries, the first dish is also appetizer which with distinctive flavor. It is always with salty and acid taste and small quantity but high quality. The second dish is soup, which very different from China. The soup can be roughly divided into fo

38、ur categories of clear soup, cream soup, vegetable soup and cold soup. Generally, the third dish is fish dish, also known as side dish, which including many kinds of fish, shellfish and molluscs. As fish is easy to digest, it is served in front of meat dishes. Meat and poultry dishes is the fourth d

39、ish, which also known as the main course. The most representative is beef and steak. Vegetable dishes, called salad in western, can be arranged either after or with the meat dish, so it can be a kind of side dish. The six dish is dessert, which including all the food after the main course in a sense

40、, such as pudding, ice cream, cheese, fruit and so on. The final is beverage that often includes coffee with cream or tea with sugar. 3.4 TablewareOf course, the main difference on the dinner table between East and West is the different tablewares. Chopsticks, which have a long history, are the most

41、 important tableware in China. The tradition of using chopsticks as tableware was introduced to many other countries in the world. The invention of chopsticks reflects the wisdom of Chinese ancient people. A pair of chopsticks, though they look simple, can nip, pick, rip and stir food. When having a

42、 meal, chopsticks should be put tidily on the right of the bowl. When finishing a meal, they should be put vertically on the mid-line of the bowl. Spoon is mainly used to drink soup or take quite small food. Do not get too full when using the spoon to get food, lest overflow make the table and cloth

43、es dirty. Plate is mainly used to fill the food, according the amount and shape of food it served. The plate that slight small should be put on the left of bowl to temporarily put food taken from the public dishes. Food wastes and bone should be put in the front of the small plate with chopsticks in

44、stead of directly spitting into it. Generally speaking, people do not use much tablewares when having meals in China. Chinese people mainly use bowl, chopsticks and spoons. While in serving English meals, they use so much tablewares with different kinds and sizes. For example, there are different ki

45、nds of glasses in English, such as wine glass, cherry glass, brandy glass, beer glass, snifter glass, champion flute and high bowl. The use of tableware also shows different food culture in different countries. The main tablewares in western are knives, forks, spoons, glass and napkin. To start with

46、, the fork is on the left side of the plate and the knife is on the right side. The knife which used to cut food into small pieces should be hold in the right hand. The fork and spoon can be placed either on the left or right hand of the table with the plate in the middle, depending on the persons p

47、reference on using the tableware. In general, the spoon is usually for soup. When using the spoon, start from the one closest to the bowl which closest to you and ladle out soup then sip from the spoon. If no soup is being served then its meant for dessert. If you are right handed, then the knife go

48、es into your right hand, fork in your left hand, and using the knife for cutting and eating with the fork. Some people refer to cut their meat or other items on their place into small pieces all at once and then just use their fork in their right hand and in most instances this is still considered good table manners. 3.5 Behaviour and CommunicationChinese people talked a lot and enjoy the delicious food when on th