When China Called: Dining Part 2

Statues from the Han Dynasty are much smaller than the Terra Cotta Warriors.
Photo Credit: Mohamed Hakim

      Unexpectedly, we ran into the other farmer who discovered the Terra Cotta Warriors at Old Xi'an Restaurant. A wondrous spectacle it was to see him sip tea straight from a nozzle of a small tea pot he handled with but one hand! You can buy such pots to take home with you if you'd like to share this one way of drinking tea in China.

      I was a little anxious on the prospect of a group lunch. The reason being that  Chinese etiquette has fairly difficult to internalize rules surrounding seating where locations can imply a person is the host, or guest of honor (2013 Decoding China, Christensen, p. 233). I waited until my guide told me where to sit. You could ask your host where to sit instead of waiting.

      Since I walked into the restaurant with my guide, I simply followed her lead. Had I not done so, I may have missed that at restaurants in China, you just walk up to a table of your choosing and sit. The practice of a server showing you to your table is almost unheard of here (2013 Decoding China, Christensen, p. 76).

      The amount of food on a table is.... well, a lot. The lunch arranged for me by the travel agency had several plates on the table, even when I dined solo. This is part of Chinese hospitality and is the way the Chinese dine. If told you don’t eat much, it is best to respond with expressions like: the Chinese are very generous. I can’t possibly eat anymore.

Xi’an cuisine, and Chinese food in general, is spicy

     It almost felt like, all the publications I read, forgot to mention this tiny detail! And like the Mexicans, even when you ask for non-spicy food, you get spicy food. Nothing personal, just be prepared with any medication you may need, say for heartburn, or gas reaction, or any others.

      I wish there was another way to communicate that the restaurant did well. Fortunately or unfortunately, the way to do around these parts by leaving food in your plate once you are done eating (2016 Etiquette Guide to China, Lafayette de Mente, p. 76). I mean your eating plate, not the serving dishes. This is the Chinese way of saying they were good generous hosts. Not leaving any food in your plate is considered rude. Seeing the heaps of food collected after meals is concerning though I know not what happens to all the food.

      Only on one occasion did I come close to utilizing the practice of using a doctor as an excuse. If you want to avoid eating something, maybe because you are on a diet or for religious obligations, it is best to say that your doctor prohibits you from eating a specific platter (2014 China A to Z, Chai, p. 15). The Chinese eat everything and the concept of avoiding certain dishes can be alien to them (2017 Kuperard Culture Smart China, Flower, p. 42). You may be saved, if you have a guide, as their job is to make your trip as enjoyable as can be. Only on one occasion I came close: I was asked to confirm I don’t like something, when in actuality I don't eat it at all, before it was removed from in front of me. Other than that one occasion, I was fortunate.

            To be continued...

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You can find the previous post in the series at: When China Called: Dining Part 1