by Lokemun Magar

Created on: December 24, 2008   Last Updated: December 31, 2011

What do we do with the porcelain at a Chinese restaurant and especially at a formal dinner? Do we use a chopstick to hit a teacup or a plate as we do with a spoon and a wine glass when we call everyone to attention?

A basic layout of cutlery and crockery at a Chinese dinner consists of a small plate which sits right in front of you. To its right is a chopstick holder, a long porcelain piece of about five centimeters across and one to two centimeters in diameter. The eating ends of a pair of chopsticks rest across it, with the chopsticks lying neatly side by side and touching each other and never overlapping. They should be next to the plate and never across it. In some restaurants, the chopsticks come in sealed paper jackets while in others, they are so fancifully wrapped that you could bring them home and display them as souvenirs rather than use them.

A small saucer for light soya sauce lies just between the plate and the chopstick holder. Other sauces and freshly cut chilies will come in saucers about one and a half times its diameter. If you are not well, ask for personal saucers of sauces and cut chilies.

When you eat, dip your piece of meat in the sauces. Make sure the eating ends of your chopsticks do not come into contact with the sauce. Swiftly pop the piece of meat into your mouth and withdraw the chopsticks promptly. Do not suck their ends as you would a lollipop. Use your chopsticks to slide some cut chilies onto your smaller saucer or onto your small plate.

To the top left of your small plate is a small bowl and a soup spoon. If a piece of meat is big, place it on the small plate first. You may use the spoon and your chopsticks to help you portion out the meat into bite sizes if you are not adept with using just your chopsticks to do so. If the dish served has lots of light gravy to be consumed with the meat, you may use the small bowl to contain the food and use your chopsticks and the spoon to eat out of the bowl.

Place your chopsticks onto the chopstick holder once you have your portion and do not wish for another portion from the same dish. Likewise, leave the spoon in the bowl. If you do encounter bits of bone in your food, remove them and place them on the rim of the small plate away from you. To remove bone from your mouth, cover your mouth with one hand and with the other, swiftly remove the bone, place it on the rim of the plate and wipe your soiled fingers.

A typical Chinese dining table is round, never square with sharp corners. The

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