Leave a small amount of food on your plate when you have finished eating. An empty plate indicates that the host did not provide enough food and that you need your plate to be filled again. Place any bones or seeds on the table beside your plate or in a provided dish.
That's not so in China. Finishing your plate when dining at someone's home in China suggests the food wasn't filling enough, and that your host was skimping on the portion size. Always leave behind a little food to show the host that their meal was filling and satisfying.
In China, leave some food on your plate – it's rude to clean your plate, like you're telling your host that he or she did not provide you enough.
Do not touch, hug, lock arms, back slap or make any body contact. Clicking fingers or whistling is considered very rude. Never put your feet on a desk or a chair. Never gesture or pass an object with your feet.
It's generally considered good form to leave some food on your plate at the end of a meal, as this shows the host you're fully satisfied and require no more nourishment.
6 China: Leave Food On Your Plate
This is the case in China. It's considered rude to eat everything on your plate because doing so implies that you're still hungry, even if you're not.
China – Leave some food on your plate
If you grew up within a Western culture – perhaps you were told to eat all the food on your plate because it's polite. Well, if you tried to do this in China… it tells your host so you haven't been served enough. So they will keep handing you delicious Chinese food for days!
Making eye contact in China is a sure-fire way to make enemies, not friends. The Chinese people view eye contact as a necessary tool, but not in the same way that other cultures do. In China, people make eye contact when they are angry. It is meant to challenge the other person and is a sign of disrespect.
Every culture has its own taboos, and it is important to remain aware of them when traveling or encountering another culture to ensure you don't commit a social faux-pas. In Chinese culture, some of the most common taboos involve gift-giving, birthdays, and weddings.
Is it rude to tip in China? Tipping in China is generally uncommon and can even be considered rude or embarrassing in some circumstances so when taking a taxi, enjoying a refreshing drink or tucking into a delicious meal there's no requirement to leave any gratuities.
Like many Asian countries, China has a largely a no-tipping culture - for decades it was actually prohibited and considered a bribe. To this day, it remains relatively uncommon. At restaurants frequented by locals, customers do not leave gratuities.
In China, tipping is not part of the culture. In fact offering a gratuity may be considered rude as it implies that the employee is not valued by their employer.
The last piece of food on a communal dish is never served to oneself without asking for permission. When offered the last bit of food, it is considered rude to refuse the offer.
You should behave elegantly. When taking food, don't nudge or push against your neighbor. Don't let the food splash or let soup or sauce drip onto the table. When eating, you should close your mouth to chew food well before you swallow it, which is not only a requirement of etiquette, but also better for digestion.
The Clean Plate campaign is a movement initiated in 2013 to reduce food waste and ensure food security in China.
It is widely known that Chinese people love red because it is perceived to symbolise luck, blessings and happiness. In contrast, blue is considered a 'taboo' colour. This belief is found in regional folktales and is especially strong in several parts of southern China, notably Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.
What is this? China prohibits naming children strange names. This law is strange as one would expect that the choice of a baby's name depends on the parents as they are the ones who gave birth. In China, it is quite different as the government does not allow naming a child a name that sounds weird.
Chinese Birthday Taboos
Chinese birthdays must always be celebrated either before the actual birthday or on the birthday. A belated celebration is a big taboo. Depending on their gender, they might not celebrate their birthdays in specific years or skip the number. Women don't honor their 30th birthday, for example.
Chinese smile for more reasons than Americans. A smile can mean the person is embarrassed, trying to be helpful, curious, happy or friendly. In the middle of an argument, smiling means that the speaker doesn't want this to become personal. When all else fails, smile in China.
According to Chinese custom, public displays of affection (PDA) are not the norm and are generally considered taboo.
In China, giving the pinky finger isn't equivalent to giving the middle finger. However, giving the pinky finger is a form of offence, albeit a small offence . If there was a scale, giving the pink finger would be a 1 and the middle finger a 10.
Traditional Indian cutlery does not recognize the use of forks and knives while eating, limiting their use to the kitchen only. Spoons were made of wood in ancient times, evolving into metallic spoons during the advent of the use of the thali, the traditional dish on which Indian food is served.
Not finishing one's meal is not considered impolite in Japan, but rather is taken as a signal to the host that one wishes to be served another helping. Conversely, finishing one's meal completely, especially the rice, indicates that one is satisfied and therefore does not wish to be served any more.
Exchanging money in the Middle East
And as in Ethiopia and India, it's considered rude to eat with the left hand in the Middle East. Make sure you know about these/hand gestures that are rude in other countries.