Although Western culture has had an impact on Chinese dining in the UK, there are still a number of traditions that live on. The most obvious of these is the use of chopsticks which stems from the fact that mealtimes in Chinese culture are a time to promote social harmony amongst family and friends so the use of knives, forks or other implement that could be used to stab is considered inappropriate. It is for that same reason that chopsticks never have pointed ends but these days there is tolerance of those whos chopstick prowess is not up to par and they will often be good-naturedly offered a knife and fork.

The use of toothpicks at the table is another common, if not standard practice. In most Asian countries the polite way to deal with small pieces of food lodged in the teeth is to cover the mouth with one hand while the toothpick is used in the other. They also have another use which is to capture those small or awkward pieces of food that seem to constantly evade the chopstick.

Westerners often encounter problems when handling rice. The socially-acceptable method for eating rice is to bring one's bowl close to one's mouth and quickly scoop the rice into it with one's chopsticks; this is difficult for the foreigner and so simply lifting portions of rice to the mouth from the bowl held in the other hand is perfectly acceptable. Attempting to lift rice from a bowl placed on the table will only result in embarassment and a messy lap.

There are also superstitions associated with chopsticks. An uneven pair at your table means that you are going to miss a train, plane or boat and dropping chopsticks will bring bad luck as will crossing them over one another. Crossed chopsticks are acceptable in a 'Dim Sum' restaurant and a waiter may cross them to show your bill has been paid or the diner may do it to show they have finished eating and are ready to pay the bill.


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