Your Guide to Contemporary Asian (Chinese) Tableware & Etiquette

Have you been invited to a Chinese banquet? Are you thinking of hosting your own Asian luncheon or dinner? Perhaps you would like to try some authentic Chinese cuisine? Knowing the tableware, how it's arranged, and how to eat with it can certainly improve your dining experience. Having shared meals together is a large part of Asian culture. The Chinese often use the phrase 'Have you eaten?', which is essentially synonymous with 'How are you?'; an indication for not just a full stomach, but general wellbeing and stability. Table aesthetics, along with the right dining etiquette can make each meal that much more enriching and flavourful.

What are the basic tableware settings?

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The most common tableware at each seating is a personal rice bowl, soup bowl, sauce plate, chopsticks, and soup spoon, with a cup for tea or drinks - served in a shared teapot or jug. Chopsticks are to your right, rice bowl in the center, soup bowl with a spoon, and sauce plate in front. Napkins, baiju wine glasses, and chopstick holders may also be provided in high-end restaurants.

Incidentally, our Jade Celadon 'Life Series Dining Set' is the perfect way to prepare for great celebrations, and extend a fine show of hospitality towards your guests, friends and family. This tableware set of 24 celadon pieces comes inclusive of six dishes, two of which are small (7 inches diameter), two of which are medium (8 inches diameter) and two of which are large (9 inches diameter) respectively. It also includes 6 cups, 6 bowls and 6 spoons, making it a comprehensive set to feed your guests with great refinement. 

A feast for the eyes as much as the belly, this set entails carved details of meandering striations, whose smoothness is calming to the eye and reminds us of water forms often found in nature, such as the gentle ebbing and flowing of rivers and streams.

Customs while eating

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Following the serving of the dishes and rice, the host or honoured guest is the first to hold up their rice bowl, select the first dish, and invite everyone to follow suit. After the elder announces the start of a household meal, children will invite each elder to eat before beginning themselves.

As a rule of thumb, there are a few bad habits you might want to watch out for as they can be considered rude. Try not to fumble about with the dish or stab the food with your chopsticks. Also do avoid licking or sucking your chopsticks, tapping them on your bowl, stabbing them upright in your rice bowl, holding them separately or gesturing/pointing with them. 

It is best to hold your rice bowl up and pick from the dishes and your rice with your chopsticks. Aim for the morsel you want from the shared plate and pick it up as smoothly as you can into your bowl. It is also not uncommon to pass food to children, elders and honoured guests, however never do this chopsticks to chopsticks, or from far across the table. Instead, only pass food to the person next to you and place it directly into the person's rice bowl, saying 'please have more'. If a morsel is offered to you,  It is impolite to refuse, so simply thank them and enjoy it.

One of the most popular local delights to enjoy amongst large groups in Singapore would probably be the Chilli Crab dish, a delicious flavour we get to experience in return for its messiness, as famous local vendors such as Jumbo Seafood and Redhouse will even offering bibs to customers that order this delicacy. Other than that, many other popular staples at Tze-Char restaurants include dishes such as cereal fried prawns, hotplate egg tofu, sambal kangkong and sweet and sour chicken. 

It is a frequent custom to enjoy a cup of hot Chinese Tea at Chinese weddings, banquets, tea ceremonies and get togethers. The main classes of Chinese tea typically available are green tea, yellow tea, white tea, oolong tea, black tea, dark tea or fermented tea and Pu'er tea.

Our Healing Flower Tea Set shows the grace and divinity of floral designs using Asian motifs, and comes inclusive of 6 elegantly crafted Jade Celadon tea-ware pieces. The nib on top of the tea pot is uniquely shaped into a lotus flower in its early stages, making it a delight to handle. All the pieces in this set adorn intricate floral carvings, while the teapot and cups have a sophisticated detailing of mahogany coloured rims for that finishing touch. 

Making a toast

A Chinese banquet generally involves alcohol. Beer and wine are sipped, but baiju should be consumed whole - usually in a shot glass. Waiters will immediately refill your glass following a toast. In a traditional formal setting, the host and guest of honour toast each other first, followed by toasting everyone at the table. It is considered impolite to usurp the host's role to toast if you are not the honoured guest. Remember to toast your guests between courses to lighten or heighten the mood if you are the host.

At Chinese weddings, you may typically hear the chant of “Yam Seng” after a toast, which is a Cantonese phrase that translates to “Drink to victory”. The local custom is to yell out and stretch the word “yam” for as long as possible, for the belief that the longer you hold it, the more blessings will come your way. This process will be repeated three times, each time louder than the previous, so expect a louder "Yam Seng" to come each time!

As the Koi fish symbolises good fortune, success, prosperity, longevity there is no better way than to share the festive chant of a "Yam Seng!" or cheers with one of our Koi Sake Cups. Although it can be used for tea, these cups are also appropriate for alcoholic beverages such as sake, baiju, rice wine and other spirits. 

They can be made particularly special to you since they are all individually handmade and unique, with no two cups looking the exact same. 

After the meal

One peculiar aspect of Chinese dining is the custom of fighting over who pays the bill. It's a subtle game of decorum between the guest and the host. As a guest, especially if you're the honoured guest, you should offer to pay the bill as a gesture of gratitude for the food and hospitality, but the host will always insist on doing it, and you should always relent. Because paying as a guest implies that your host is frugal and cannot afford the treat.

This is less common in casual friendly settings, but it is still prevalent among traditional Chinese families and at corporate business banquets.

Finally, don't leave the table until the host and guest of honour have done so; compliment the food and thank your host for his hospitality. If you're the host, try not to stay at the table for too long after the meal, and make sure to thank everyone who came.