Chapter 30: Chinese Food

Chinese food etiquette,

Chinese food has a long history. In a country that pays attention to etiquette and pays attention to the people's food, food etiquette has naturally become an important part of food culture.

With the continuous exchange of Chinese and Western food cultures, Chinese food is becoming more and more popular among foreigners.

The banquet etiquette of Chinese food is said to have begun in the Zhou Dynasty, and after thousands of years of evolution, of course, there will be no days like "Meng Guang took over the Liang Hong case", but it has finally formed a set of eating and dining etiquette that is generally accepted by everyone today, which is the inheritance and development of the ancient food etiquette system. Chinese dining etiquette varies according to the nature and purpose of the banquet, and varies greatly from region to region.

There are six main types of tableware in Chinese food: cups, plates, bowls, plates, chopsticks, and spoons. At formal banquets, the water glass is placed on the top left of the plate and the wine glass is placed on the top right. Chopsticks and spoons can be placed on a special seat or in a paper case. Communal chopsticks and spoons are best placed on a dedicated seat.

The order in which Chinese food is served is generally as follows: cold cuts first, then hot dishes, and finally sweets and fruits. Before eating, the first wet towel served by the waiter to each person is to wipe hands, and it is best not to use it to wipe your face. Before serving dishes such as shrimp, crab and chicken, the waiter will bring a small bowl of water with twisted lemon slices or rose petals, which is not a drink, but for washing hands. When washing your hands, you can take turns moistening your fingers, gently rinse, and then dry them with a small towel.

Rules of etiquette

1. Guests should be notified early, and guests should be seated at 6:00 and called guests at 5:50, which is not appropriate.

2. The host should not be late, the guest should be late for 5-10 minutes, this is a very considerate guest, pay attention to the mastery, naturally the guests and the host are happy.

3. If you sit at a round table, facing the door is the main seat, or with your back against the wall and the counter;

4. The host is on the right hand side of the host and the guest on the left hand, and the guest on the left hand side is the second most important guest.

5. As a guest, you can not directly shout and point to the orderer, you should sit obediently and wait for the host's house to order; if the guest does have serious taboos or hobbies, you should gently tell the host, and the host will naturally make the decision for him to meet the small or big requirements of the guests.

6. The host's family, do not order or less dishes that need to be grasped or held by hand, such as crabs, lobster legs, pork ribs, etc. Three of these dishes in one meal will be cured. What other etiquette to talk about!

7. Don't force or object to others drinking a small amount of alcohol, no wine is not a feast!

8. Foreigners like to boast of their craftsmanship, Chinese people can not boast about their own dishes, the host carefully observes the cold dishes, each cup has a drink, when immediately raise a glass, welcome to start or so on, turn the disc or signal the host and guest on the right hand side to move the first chopsticks. Don't let the host and guest hold off for too long, everyone is hungry, just wait for you to eat! Don't forget to praise it.

9. After each dish comes up, although the waiter and the host will still turn to the host and guest, but there is no need to be too strict, if it is just in front of me, and no one turns the disc, I will also clip a small chopsticks to taste!

10. The host should often turn the disc to take care of most of the guests; the accompanying guests should supplement the greeting service; the guests' hands can eat the whole meal without touching the disc, then the guests and hosts are happy.

11. If there is no waiter to divide the dishes or chopsticks and spoons, you should look at the dishes first, and you must not use your own chopsticks to pick and choose from the plate, or even stir! Not everyone doesn't mind the saliva on your chopsticks like a lover! Usually you look at the part that is closest to you.

12. It is best to let the food on the chopsticks transition in its own plate before sending it to the mouth. It can make the appearance of eating less eager.

13. When chewing food in the mouth, the important thing to remember is to close your lips tightly so as not to speak, objects to fall, juice to overflow, and to avoid making an unappetizing sound of "chirping".

14. Whether it is during or before or after a meal, you should keep your back straight and try to sit back in a chair instead of *. During the meal, basically both hands are above the table.

15. A host who has a good appetite and a guest who is losing weight is not suitable for such a meal.

chopsticks

Chinese chopsticks are very particular, "chopsticks" are also known as chopsticks, tendons, as far back as the Shang Dynasty there were chopsticks made of ivory. In "Historical Records: The Family of Song Weizi", it is recorded that "the beginning of the Song Dynasty is an elephant chopstick". Making a spoon from ivory is a sign of wealth. The materials used to make chopsticks are also different, such as gold chopsticks, silver chopsticks, ivory chopsticks, bone chopsticks, bamboo chopsticks, and plastic chopsticks. The chopsticks in Hunan are the longest, some are about two feet long; Japanese chopsticks are short and pointed, which is due to eating flaky foods such as fish fillets.

In the long-term practice of raw brackets, people have also formed some etiquette taboos about the use of chopsticks:

1. Don't knock on chopsticks: That is, when waiting for a meal, you can't sit on the edge of the meal, hold a chopstick in one hand and hit it at will, or use chopsticks to hit the bowl or teacup.

2. Don't throw chopsticks: When handing out chopsticks before a meal, straighten out the chopsticks one by one, and then gently place them in front of everyone's table; When the distance is long, you can ask someone to hand it over, and you can't throw it on the table.

Three taboo forks and chopsticks: chopsticks can not be placed horizontally and vertically, and one cannot be a big head and a small head. Chopsticks should be placed next to the bowl, not resting on the bowl.

Four taboos to insert chopsticks: When you need to leave temporarily in the middle of the meal for some reason, you should gently rest the chopsticks on the table or the edge of the plate, and cannot be inserted in the rice bowl.

Five taboos to wave chopsticks: when picking up vegetables, do not wave chopsticks in the plate, up and down, when encountering others also come to pick up vegetables, to deliberately avoid, beware of "chopsticks fighting".

Six taboos dancing chopsticks: When talking, don't use chopsticks as knives, dance around the table, and don't poke chopsticks in front of others when you invite others to use dishes, which is rude.

Chinese Meal Hospitality Program

seat

Chinese

In China, there is also a lot of attention to how to sit and choose a seat. Experts say (Beijing folk customs expert Wang Zuoji): Generally speaking, the seat is "Shangzuo respects the east" and "faces the gate for respect". The chief of the family banquet is the elder with the highest seniority, and the last person is the lowest. If it is a round table, the one facing the gate is the upper seat, and the person who eats most at the time should be invited to sit here. Because he can see every dish at first glance, and he can observe the whole table. The left-hand seat is the second only seat to the upper seat, and the right-hand seat is second to the left-hand seat, and the other seats are not too elaborate, but the payer usually sits on the left side of the door. Don't move your chopsticks when you're seated, don't make any noise, don't get up and walk around, and say hello to your host if there's something.

The way to eat

First call a cold dish to stimulate appetite, then call a pot of clear soup, hot soup helps to increase body temperature, after drinking hot soup, start to taste the main dish, usually according to their own taste called the main dish, but it is necessary to call a dish full of spicy dishes, it can be regarded as a suitable Chinese meal, with spicy dishes with light rice, so that the dishes are spicy and mild, white rice is light and fragrant; the finale of a meal is dessert, usually sweet soup, such as red bean paste, sesame paste, etc., there are other types, such as pudding, pancakes, ice cream, etc., also sweet and delicious.

As for eating, you should lift the rice bowl to your lips and push the rice grains into your mouth with chopsticks, which is the easiest way to eat, and it also means that you like to eat that meal; if you do not lift the rice bowl when eating, it means that you are not satisfied with the dishes on the table.

Dishes

Most Chinese dishes don't have just one ingredient, and usually have other accompaniments or toppings to complement the main course to create a dish that is both colourful and flavoury, such as boiled pork, with crispy green vegetables such as celery or green peppers to set off pink, soft pork. A meal will not have only one dish, usually serve two or even four dishes at the same time, and each dish must be full of color, flavor and flavor, and the order of serving is based on the collocation of dishes as the main topic, usually the same kind of dishes will be served at the same time, not before and after respectively, in short, the whole meal should be coordinated with each other.

Tea

A Chinese restaurant is not formal without tea. For this reason, it is advisable to store as many varieties of tea as possible to ensure that even the most astute tastes are taken care of. When it comes to tea, there are a few key things that should be noted. The person seated in the teapot should be responsible for pouring tea for the others and for himself——— in the order of age, from the oldest to the youngest, and finally for himself. When someone pours tea for you, it is etiquette to tap your finger on the table to show gratitude and respect to the person who pours it.

Tea is the daily drink of the Chinese, soup is the best drink for their meals, and on special days or occasions, the Chinese will drink wine or strong liquor, but not water, unlike Westerners. Chinese tea is the main drink in tea houses, and although other beverages are available, they believe that tea is the most refreshing drink, especially after eating greasy dim sum, tea helps to wash away the oiliness. One or two teapots are served at each table, and they can be refilled continuously, and guests only need to lift the lid of the teapot and place it on the top of the pot, and a waiter will come to fill the boiling water, no matter how many cups of tea the person at the table has, one of them can pour tea for others, but remember to pour it for others first, and then for himself, which is etiquette. The tea house has different types of tea, and guests can choose according to their personal preferences.

toast

Toasting, also known as toasting, refers to drinking alcohol at a formal banquet where the host proposes to the guests and proposes a certain reason. When drinking, it is common to say some wishes, blessings, and even a special toast for the host and guest of honor. The shorter the toast, the better.

Toasting when drinking, especially when toasting and toasting, needs to be proposed by someone first, who can be the host, the guest of honor, or someone present. When proposing a toast, stand up, hold the glass with your right hand, or pick it up with your right hand and hold the bottom of the glass with your left hand, smile, look at the other toasters, especially yourself, and say blessings in your mouth.

Someone suggested that after a toast, stand up with a glass in hand. Even if you don't get a drop of alcohol, you have to pick up the glass and make a show. Raise your glass to eye level, and when you're done saying "Cheers", drink it all at once or in moderation. Then, you have to look at the proposer with a wine glass in hand, and the process is over.

In Chinese food, you can symbolically touch the other person's wine glass before toasting, and when clinking glasses, you should make your wine glass lower than the other person's wine glass to show your respect for the other person. Touching the table with the bottom of the glass can also indicate that you are clinking glasses with the other person. When you're far away from the other person, you can do it this way. If the host himself toasts and toasts, ask to return the toast to the host and toast with him.

Under normal circumstances, the toast should be in the order of age, position, and the identity of the guest and host, and the order of the toast must be fully considered and the priority must be clearly distinguished. Even if you're drinking with someone you don't know, ask about your identity or pay attention to what others call you to avoid embarrassment or hurtful feelings. Even if you have a request for a guest at the table, you should be respectful of him. But if there are people of higher status or older people present, they should also toast the elders first, otherwise it will make everyone embarrassed.

The feast ends

When the last dish is served, the feast is officially over, and the main character of the host family will stand up to indicate that the feast is over, and will stand at the door to say "good night" to each guest, and then settle the bill with the restaurant manager, while the other members of the host's family will send the guests on the bus, wave goodbye and watch the car drive away

Top 10 Famous Dishes

China has a vast territory with more than 5,000 years of history and humanities, and the food culture is also accompanied by history and humanities. Although due to different regions and different dietary structures, there are ten special dishes that are basically prevalent in all regions in the great river of everyone's diet and historical time, especially in the major flowing water banquets.

1. Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken is a Shandong dish, which comes from the spicy chicken in Guizhou Province, which has a bit to do with it, and then slowly the development trend changes to produce a new type of cuisine, which is now also classified as the court cuisine of Beijing.

2. Mapo tofu

Mapo tofu is a very well-known and very home-cooked dish in Sichuan cuisine, the key is made of water tofu, minced meat, Chaotian pepper and Sichuan pepper, this dish is very spicy characteristics of Sichuan, especially in the very home-cooked, whether it is StarWorld Hotel, restaurants and their daily life dishes are very common.

3. Dongpo meat

Dongpo meat belongs to Zhejiang cuisine, which is famous for its crispy and fragrant, fatty but not greasy taste, and is a very well-known Hangzhou cuisine.

4. Peking duck

Peking duck is a super specialty dish with an international reputation, and the highest quality duck is made and formed, which is a must-eat dish for every person who goes to Beijing.

5. Steamed Wuchang fish

The dish of this fish is a Hubei dish, which is loved by many people, and there are many stories that have been circulated, and the steamed Wuchang fish has also become famous. It's just that he mainly uses Fankou tuantou bream, plus some carefully selected side dishes. The finished product has a complete fish shape and is delicious to the eye.

6. Called Flower Chicken

It is called flower chicken and belongs to Subang cuisine, and the history is very long. People who often watch costume TV series should know this dish, especially in the martial arts rivers and lakes, the beggar gang and the flower chicken are often combined, but the more pure flower chicken is all wrapped with clean lotus leaves, and then the outside is completely sealed with mud, and then slowly roasted.

7. West Lake vinegar fish

West Lake vinegar fish is also a special dish belonging to Zhejiang cuisine, do this dish on the heat regulations are very strict, make the fish meat taste delicate, fine taste can also vaguely taste the crab flavor, sweet and sour refreshing, loved by everyone.

8. Steamed cured meat

Steamed cured meat is a very well-known traditional dish in Hunan, which is generally steamed with cured pork, preserved chicken and preserved fish and then added with a variety of condiments.

9. Crystal meat

This dish is a very famous specialty dish in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, fat and thin are alternate, the marinade is crystal clear, and Zhenjiang's specialty balsamic vinegar is eaten together, and I want to take a bite after eating it, and I still want to take a bite.

10. Wuwei smoked duck

Wuwei smoked duck is a very well-known traditional specialty of Hui cuisine, also known as plate duck. It is made by smoking first and then marinating, and the method and taste are very distinctive.

Top 10 Famous Dishes in the South

1. A abalone

Hong Kong Capital Nirvana Hotel. The cooking skills of Ah 71 abalone are all permeated with the connotation of China's excellent traditional food culture. Mr. Da Vinci, who made Ah 71 abalone, has also won many honors for his outstanding achievements in promoting Chinese food culture in the world, and has been recognized as "abalone king" and "food master" by the international food community, and has been awarded the title of "International Outstanding Person of the Year". Like shark fin, it is one of several high-end ingredients that cannot be avoided when it comes to Cantonese cuisine, and as a famous dish, it was listed as one of the eight treasures in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Nourish yin and yang, nourish but not dry, and have high nutritional value. Cantonese cuisine mostly uses dried abalone, and A71 abalone is simple to cook and delicious, making it one of the top ten famous dishes of Cantonese cuisine selected by the "First China Cantonese Cuisine Summit".

Second, Guangzhou Wenchang chicken

Guangzhou restaurant. It is a sister dish of the traditional Cantonese cuisine "Jinhua Yushu Chicken". In the beginning, I used chickens from Wenchang County, Hainan Province, which is very famous. It is reported that Guangzhou Restaurant sent several celebrity chefs to the local area for inspection, and after tasting it, they found that Wenchang chicken fat m meat is thick, and the name is well deserved, but the fly in the ointment is that the chicken bones are too hard and inconvenient to eat. After some research and development, it is deboned and chopped, and it is spelled with Jinhua ham, Zhen liver, seasonal vegetables, etc., and the skin is smooth and the meat is smooth, and it has a unique flavor. Because the chicken comes from Wenchang County, and the Guangzhou restaurant is located on Wenchang Road, "Guangzhou Wenchang Chicken" gets its name.

3. Roast suckling pig in an open oven

China Hotel. There are two ways to roast suckling pig in Guangdong, one is to burn it into a smooth skin, which is slower with fire and less oiled when burning; The second is to burn it into a skin, to burn it with a strong fire, and the process is constantly oiled, the finished skin is golden in color, the sesame-like bubbles are evenly distributed, the surface size is consistent, and the skin is more crispy. The roasted suckling pig should be sliced out of the skin with a knife (without meat), each piece of skin is divided into 8 pieces, a total of 32 pieces, the suckling pig is placed in a basin, the pig skin is covered on the pig, and then eaten together with two small plates such as mille-feuille, green onion balls, sweet sauce and sugar, etc., with a unique flavor. A complete list of home-cooked recipes

Fourth, the new dragon emperor night banquet

Shunfeng Mountain Villa. This dish, the selection of about 3 pounds of Australian lobster, lobster meat with fresh lily, asparagus, etc. fried into shrimp balls, lobster claws pepper salt, when served, still according to the lobster as it is, shrimp balls in the middle, claw feet on both sides, lobster head and tail retained, it looks like a dragon soaring all over the world. The New Dragon Emperor's Night Banquet, which is significantly different from the general fried lobster balls without a head and tail, is that it has a head and a tail, which is in line with the Shunde people's style of doing things from beginning to end.

Fifth, the peninsula royal official swallow

Peninsula Ming Z Restaurant. The "Peninsula Royal Official Swallow" produced by Guangzhou Peninsula Ming Z Restaurant has become one of the top ten famous dishes of Cantonese cuisine selected by the "First China Cantonese Cuisine Summit". The official swallow adopts the optional mode, adding colorful colors: red date juice, coconut water, papaya juice, apricot juice, taro juice and serving it together with the colorful juice, also known as "colorful bird's nest", "splendid bird's nest" and so on. A dish is a "supermarket of choice", and some customers take what they need according to their personal preferences, which fully reflects the spirit of humanized service, which is the reason why this dish is favored.

6. Steamed East Star Spot

East China Sea Seafood Restaurant. When you arrive in Guangzhou, you must eat seafood. Its Middle East star grouper has plump flesh, fresh and tender, white meat color, and steamed fish soy sauce makes the taste complement each other, which is one of the representatives of the production of fresh and fierce seafood, which highlights the essence of Cantonese cuisine that is clear, fresh, tender, smooth and refreshing. When the real fresh steamed fish is served, the fins are dilated, and the fleshy pieces are separated, and it is never greasy.