Plenty of feasting will happen during the Lunar New Year, and you could be invited as a guest to one of the festive Chinese dinners.
Besides being punctual and determining whether to bring a small gift or wine according to the degree of relationship you have with the host, the dinner would be best enjoyed if these Chinese dining etiquette are noted.
Sitting
Don’t come to the table and grab the best seat - that’s seen as disrespectful. Seats of honour are the ones that have the back against a wall or those facing the entrance or the door. These are considered the seats of honour and usually given to the most important guests of the evening or the eldest attendee.
Ordering Traditionally, these Chinese dinners are shared and you don’t choose your own entrees and mains as you would in a Western-style dinner. One person usually orders for the whole table, or sometimes the host will order a few and then guests order additional ones.
Tea There is an art to drinking tea and the respectful way is to take the teapot in the right hand and place your left hand on the lid while pouring. If you need a refill, leave the lid partially off. Don’t take the lid off entirely as this is considered bad luck.
Respect Thank someone pouring tea for you by bending your index and middle fingers and tapping them on the table. The legend behind this action: in ancient times an emperor went undercover with secret servants to see how his kingdom was doing. At a restaurant, the emperor poured tea for his servants but they were unable to kneel and bow to show gratitude, so they “knelt” with their fingers instead
Chopsticks Don’t point chopsticks directly at people which is considered extremely rude. Also never stick the chopsticks upright in your rice bowl or dishes as this would make them look like the joss sticks in food that are used to honour the dead and in ancestor worship rituals.
Eating Let older people eat first with the most senior guests at the table getting the first serve of food. The polite way of eating is to first take a small portion to ensure that everyone has some. You can go back for seconds if there are enough.
Fish Fish is a must-have dish at Chinese New Year dinners as it symbolises “surplus in wealth and luck” for the year. But when eating a whole fish you should never flip it over when one side is eaten. The fish symbolises a boat and flipping it indicates capsizing the boat. The way to eat this is by using the chopsticks to lift the back bone off to eat the rest of the fish.
Paying You will see plenty of “mock effort” to pay when dining with Chinese friends, with people “fighting” with each other on who pays for the dinner. You can join in and try to make a sincere-looking effort too. Unlike the Kiwi practice of splitting the bill, guests invited to Chinese dinners should never split the bill with the host. This is considered ungracious and it implies that the host cannot afford to pay and that you do not accept the hospitality. Paying the bill is also considered rude and if you did nothing, that’s considered rude too. So note the play acting, mock-effort rule.
If you are interested in experiencing a Chinese New Year festive dinner, Chow Luck Club’s Reunion Dinner and Prosperity Feast offer a great chance to experience Chinese dining culture for the Lunar New Year. Below are details of the two events:
Bye Bye Dragon, Hello Snake Reunion Dinner | Tue 28 Jan | 6.30-9pm
Usher in the Year of the Snake with a Special Bye Bye Dragon, Hello Snake Reunion Dinner at Lao Guangzhou for a memorable evening of traditions, festive cheer and the warmth of gathering around the hot pot for a feast of delicious flavours. Tickets at HOTC Hot Pot Reunion Dinner Experience: Bye Bye Dragon, Hello Snake! – Lincoln's Table
Chow Luck Club Prosperity Feast | Thu 06 Feb | 6.30-9pm
Celebrate the 9th Day of the Lunar New Year and Birthday of the Jade Emperor with a specially curated 10-course feast by Chef Sam Ng at Treasure Kitchen Greenlane. Experience the joy of tossing for prosperity with the tradition Lo Hei and an acrobatic lion dance performance. Book by phoning Treasure Kitchen 09 5251288 or email: bee@chowluckclub.com
