Question

The rules about how to talk, eat and sit, which are highly limited, are observed in most Western restaurants and homes. 1. Many Westerners have no idea how to act at the Chinese dinner table. No forks or knives for them to use! The Chinese host makes great, sweeping arm movements that go over large sections of the table, passing over both food and friends alike. 2. However, it leaves many foreigners at a loss for what to do.

In my childhood home, dinner was enjoyed with low voices, and the topics that we could discuss were very limited. 3. If I had to leave the table to use the toilet, I had to excuse myself without mentioning what it was that I was going to do. “May I be excused, please? I need to wash my hands.” I would say. My mother would say, “Sure.” My father would often play a joke on me by saying, “ 4. ”

As for eating, we did it quietly. No eating noises were allowed. Everything must be done as quietly as possible. If any sound was created by eating food or drinking, it would be considered as bad manners!

5. He is to sit up straight with the recessive hand (usually the left) in one’s lap holding a napkin while the dominant hand (usually the right) holds the fork or spoon. The only time one is allowed to have both hands on the table is when he is using a knife to cut something.

A. How one sits at the table is also prescribed.

B. We were not allowed to talk about anything that made listeners uncomfortable.

C. Can't you think up a better excuse than that?

D. They’re completely different from what we find here in China.

E. Your hands don’t look dirty!

F. The scene is fantastic.

G. In general they were all strictly forbidden topics.

Answer 1