Chinese Dining Etiquette: Other Meal Formats

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Mark Kemsley. We're talking about the etiquette of eating in China. If you're in a meeting that lasts all day and you want to have a meal in between, it's o.k. to have western food such as sandwiches brought in, but it's better if you can bring in rice boxes. That's a box that would have rice and have a vegetable and meat of a couple of kinds in it. That would make the Chinese people feel much more comfortable. So, if you have to have somebody go out, have one of the Chinese staff or your interpreter or whoever, order some rice boxes to come in for everybody to feel, to feel that they got their fill. If a Chinese person doesn't eat rice, usually they don't, they still feel hungry. And, let's talk for a few minutes about dessert. Dessert is a different concept to Chinese people, than it is to westerners. We often look forward to something very sweet after a meal. The Chinese just don't tend to eat very much that is sweet. A common dessert might be a red bean soup that's somewhat sweet or a tapioca soup that has some sweetness to eat. But, more often than not, rather than eating these for dessert, a Chinese would have a fruit platter. So, if you're having a meal, whether it's in your home or out in a restaurant, it's very nice, it's very polite and considerate after the meal to order a fruit platter. This fruit platter might have watermelon and cantaloupe, and other melons on it, maybe strawberries, anything that's colorful and nice for the Chinese to eat after a meal."