Customs on Eating

Food in China and western countries is different. Chinese may spend half of their time on food. Chinese people choose food very carefully. They only use fresh materials to make food. For example, they only eat fresh fish. Chinese have a lot of ideas for cooking. They can cook a chicken in over ten ways. 【小题1】 Western countries, like England or America, don’t have fresh food because they buy their food from supermarkets which only sell stored materials (储存的材料). 【小题2】 They are unhealthy for man’s body. Western people do not have many skills for cooking, and mostly they only boil, steam (满) and bake the food. By the way, western people are very good at making deserts and chocolate. They can make very good cakes and chocolate. 【小题3】

In China, the person who invites other people for meal would pay for the meal, but it’s not the same way in western countries. 【小题4】 They can afford it. They won’t be happy if you pay for them. In western countries like America or England, people will always give tips (小费) to the water after they finish the meal in a restaurant. If you don’t, the waiter will not be happy. In China this only happens in some top restaurants and hotels in large cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Another difference in eating is that: 【小题5】

Chinese people only have three meals during a day. But western people may have more. They usually have afternoon tea when they would have fruit, cakes or biscuits with cheese (奶酪饼干).

The world is getting smaller and smaller, so in order to communicate properly in a foreign language, you should also know more about body language.

Have you ever watched a silent film and tried to guess what the characters were saying? Body language, like facial expressions, is the mirror of a person’s feelings. It helps us communicate without saying much at all.

Sometimes we can share the common sense from culture to culture. Turning red-faced shows one’s anger, shock, or excitement. The wide eyes with a half-opened mouth mean surprise. Also, some other body movements can express the same meanings in different cultures. For example, being back in one’s seat and yawning at a talk show people are not interested, and looking at the watch from time to time in a conversation means people have something to do in a hurry.

However, not all body languages can show the same meanings in different cultures. What holds true for Indians may not be the same in Africa. First of all, in some cultures, people respect and encourage the direct eye contact. In English, there is a saying, “Don’t trust anyone who won’t look at you in the eye.” In many countries, direct eye contact between two people is considered important. According to most Western cultures, if a person looks directly at you, it is a sign that the person is honest and sincere and even can be trusted. While many cultures believe that direct eye contact from a child to an adult is an act of disrespect.

The OK sign, which is commonly used in many cultures, also has different meanings across the cultures. It means agreement in North American culture. But to French, it means “zero” or “valueless”, not “fine” or “OK”.

Touching is another example. At times, saying hello could turn into a disaster if one does not consider the use of touch in another culture. A general and accepted way of saying “Hello” in Western culture is a simple handshake. A great deal of importance has been placed on how one should shake hands. In India, however, if the same is done to greet the elderly, perhaps those in their 60s, you might express that you’re calling yourself their equal. What’s more, the ideal way to greet someone in India is by touching their feet, not by shaking their hands.

So, the next time you decide to travel to another country, besides looking up places to visit, a quick search or a book can also guide you on how to use proper body languages to better communicate with the local people, and avoid being impolite to them during your stay!

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One day, an American man Simon went to London to see his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat (公寓) was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But a man told him that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?

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