Travelling is a way to expose ourselves to people with different cultural backgrounds. Having traveled to countries such as Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia, I experienced various foreign cultural practices and traditions which some of the practices are very different from my native culture. There is an unforgettable cultural conflict experience in China that I would like to share with you.
Even though Chinese culture and traditions vary between different provinces in China, there is a common phenomenon that happens during every meal. When it is time for lunch or dinner, the amount of dishes that local tour guide or local friend ordered is always beyond what my family and I can consume. Plates after plates of dishes were served. Therefore, there was a lot of unfinished food on the dining table.
At first, we thought that perhaps it was the first time the tour guide estimate how much food we can eat and the estimation was too much. So, we informed him to order less food for the upcoming meals. However, the same incident happened again during the next meal.
Since young, my parents educate us to appreciate the food we have and never create food wastage. Hence, it is rather uneasy for us to see so much food to go to waste. We thought the tour guide was not willing to make changes to the food order and we were quite upset because of this.
Recently, I talked to a friend from China regarding this issue. She said that it is a norm for local Chinese to provide their guests with great amount of food. It is a show of respect and to make sure their guests have enough food. If there is no food left on the table, it shows the host is not generous to the guests. After the conversation, I have a better understanding of the dining etiquette of the Chinese. However, I am still unable to appreciate this dining culture because it contradicts with my family culture in Malaysia. We should provide a variety of dishes for our guest in appropriate amount but not too much that will lead to food wastage. What is your opinion regarding this dining culture of the Chinese?
I feel that it is important to understand the cultural values, beliefs and norms of a nation. Misunderstandings about foreign culture, such as those I encountered in China, could be the lack of personal experience in the country. By interacting with people from other cultures, we can better understand their specific concepts in perception, thinking, feeling and acting, thus bridging the differences between us. Ultimately, this can help us achieve better intercultural communication.
