12/4/2015
ANTH 320-001
“Chinese Table Manners”
By Eugene Cooper
Summary or Abstract:
Eugene Cooper starts this article off by saying that interactions with people of different
cultures is becoming very common. These encounters can happen in a place of work, with
new neighbors, or when one visits another country. However, during these encounters, we
hold ethnocentric views on what is appropriate behavior and it is difficult to know whether
these views are creating unnecessary tensions. Cooper then adds that behavior at a dinner
table can make a significant difference in the way a person is observed, especially in
Chinese culture. Given this seriously taken etiquette, he then says that there are no popular
books for table manners which shows how table manners are taken for granted. He goes on
saying that there is much contrast in habits with Western values which is why he feels the
need to discuss this.
Cooper then considers the basic structures of Chinese food, saying that a meal without fan
(grain/rice) is not a Chinese meal. A bowl of fan is given to each person at the table while
the ts’ai dishes are typically shared by all the of the participants. Fan is perceived as
individual property because it comes in direct contact with the mouth whereas ts’ai dishes
are served as common property. Cooper notes that rice should be carried to the mouth
instead of eating straight from the plate. However, the consumption of meat or any
common dishes should be consumed only by the use of one’s chopsticks. This process
involves placing a piece of the common dish on the individual bowl and scooping into
