eating and drinking etiquettes

• Not all restaurants will have knives and forks available for foreign guests so it’s useful to be competent with a pair of chopsticks before you arrive.

• Do not stand your chopsticks in your bowl of rice—which will then resemble the incense sticks that are placed in a bowl in a funeral service—but place them on the chopstick holder, or across your bowl. Also remember not to lay them down pointing towards other guests, which is considered rude.

• Chinese meals are ordered communally, with guests serving themselves from the collection placed in the centre of the table. It is good manners to take from each dish only what can be eaten immediately; don't accumulate large amounts of food on your side plate or in your rice bowl.

• Many restaurants do not set a side plate, so you are expected to use the rice bowl as the resting place for food taken from the communal dishes.

• If there is a serving spoon or serving chopsticks, use them; otherwise it's acceptable to use your chopsticks to take food directly from the communal plate.

• As a general rule, observe your Chinese friends and act accordingly. It may be perfectly acceptable to sip soup directly from your soup bowl, or to spit bones on the tablecloth. On the other hand, after-dinner toothpick manoeuvres must be discreetly shielded from view by the free hand placed over the mouth.

• Your Chinese hosts will probably encourage you to drink alcohol; if you do not drink alcohol, make it clear at the beginning of the dinner—offer a reason, and stick to other drinks.

• It's common for Chinese friends to try to get you to drink a great deal, and you will often hear the toast “Ganbei”, literally “dry bottom”. If you don't wish to finish your drink in a single gulp, you can just say “Suiyi” or “As you like”, which means either party can drink as little or as much as they choose.

• When dining in a more formal setting, guests normally do not drink at will. It is good manners to wait for another guest to toast you before drinking from your glass. After a toast, raise your glass with two hands and tip it slightly in the direction of the person who is toasting with you to show that you've taken a drink.

• If you're invited to a Chinese home for a meal bring some fruit or flowers as a gift. And if you're invited to someone's home, or to a meal in a restaurant, be sure to reciprocate.