Eating habits
It’s bad manners to use fingers to handle food, regardless of how difficult it is to get at – they can be pretty sensitive about this, so chopsticks are an essential component to enjoying Chinese food when out (failing that, grab yourself a spoon). Good friends will overlook the use of fingers if you can’t cope with chopsticks and may even light-heartedly joke about your situation.
The truth is, some Chinese people also struggle to use them very well, especially noodles (hence you may hear a fair bit of slurping to help things along). Try picking up nuts on the small dishes of salted nuts with your chopsticks for starters (nuts are often served before a large round-table meal). This is a great way to improve chopstick grip and dexterity. Many better establishments will have knives and forks if necessary. Note: if you use the metal chopsticks, you'll need far better skill as they slip and slide around the food.
Equally, do not blow your nose with a tissue at the table ...or near anyone. This act of blowing all your unwanted waste out at the table is frowned upon and they’ll look down on you (which is somewhat bizarre for a country that finds spitting generally acceptable - you may see people outdoors blowing out their noses). That said, if you do it discreetly and away from others in silence, you should be OK.
Look out for sneezing: Chinese people do occasionally forget to cover their mouths when sneezing or coughing (and is more commonly done outdoors). In finer establishments, this may not happen but there is always a chance. Be on your guard!
A further cultural difference is the habit that most Chinese people tend to eat rather loudly – and the spicier the louder! It is not so important in China to keep your mouth closed so the chomping of food can often be heard in public. A noodle establishment can become an orchestra of indiscreet slurping.
The more sophisticated Chinese however, will avoid this and are usually much more refined. But with some foods, the slurping is an advantage that you could try out yourself! When in Rome!
(See also Eating with friends and Food).
