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.
Hi Wan ting,
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing this intercultural difference! I did not know that the Chinese serves large proportion is to show their generosity, but I mistaken that it is because the ingredients are abundant and cheap. I experience the large proportion when I went to Taiwan too, but mostly observed that their large proportion are usually focus on the vegetables. However, I agree with you that it is really a waste of food, generosity can be definitely shown in another way, by serving quality food and in appropriate quantity.
Hey Wan Ting,
ReplyDeleteI wonder how much food was actually served for your family. Growing boys/men will really appreciate those gestures, but I understand what you mean by you and your family feeling uncomfortable about the food wastage.
My parents have taught me the importance of not wasting food as well. Hence, I attempt to finish all the food on the table, even long after all my siblings have finished and left the dining table. Only when I am really unable to finish the food will I stop.
I guess for us Chinese, face value is very important. Hence, the hosts would serve up a lot of food to make it look grand and have that wow factor. Some things will probably never change, and as long as the mindsets of people do not change, such traditions and practices are here to stay.
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ReplyDeleteHey Wan Ting,
ReplyDeleteThat was really an interesting observation, and I had a similar experience when I was visiting a supposedly "green" Chinese university in Shanghai. The portions of food was tremendously huge and I must say most of the guests, even the guys, found it difficult to cope with the large amounts of food.
During the meal, I had a brief conversation with the Shanghainese translator about the emphasis on "mian zi" (reputation/face value) and "guan xi" (connections) in a Chinese community. These are viewed as critical success factors in Shanghai, and we had an interesting discussion on how these two characteristics are inter-related: one's reputation will affect the the connections he/she has, and his/her connections help to extend his/her reputation.
I guess when host presents more than enough food for guests, it is mostly about establishing good rapport with the guests, maintaining connections and good reputations. In return, the hosts also hope to be treated the same when he/she visits the guests' homes in the future.
My family does the same every Chinese New Year, but instead of throwing away the leftovers, my siblings and I are always the ones to deal with the leftovers! argh
Personally, I feel that it also another way to show abundance and prosperity as well. At a time when China is trying to building up its international reputation with mega events like Olympic Games and the World Expo, I will expect such magnanimity, especially to outsiders and foreigners, to continue even at the grassroots level, just like in the tour groups that you have been in!
Thanks for sharing! :)