A bit of context, Chinese meals are usually have multiple dishes served at the same time on the table, and everyone shares the dishes, as oppose to Western culture where each person has their own dish. Here the foreigners thought the dish in front of them are just for themselves.

laisy said:

A bit of context, Chinese meals are usually have multiple dishes served at the same time on the table, and everyone shares the dishes, as oppose to Western culture where each person has their own dish. Here the foreigners thought the dish in front of them are just for themselves.

Well, that's not the point. The dishes showed above like stinky tofu, century eggs, duck's heads, hairy crabs... all of them are hard to accept by the foreingers.

Well, at least they didn't got served blood clams...

Marchrius said:

Well, that's not the point. The dishes showed above like stinky tofu, century eggs, duck's heads, hairy crabs... all of them are hard to accept by the foreingers.

Now that actually make more sense. Didn't occur to me when I first read it.

laisy said:

A bit of context, Chinese meals are usually have multiple dishes served at the same time on the table, and everyone shares the dishes, as oppose to Western culture where each person has their own dish. Here the foreigners thought the dish in front of them are just for themselves.

Maybe I'm too Americanized, but don't Chinese meals at least have a rice bowl or a serving plate and tea for the individuals?

MMaestro said:

Maybe I'm too Americanized, but don't Chinese meals at least have a rice bowl or a serving plate and tea for the individuals?

There should. But the artist probably didn't include it because Ping Hai is considering that Westerners doesn't eat rice or drink Chinese tea. Or he is too lazy.

MMaestro said:

Maybe I'm too Americanized, but don't Chinese meals at least have a rice bowl or a serving plate and tea for the individuals?

laisy said:

There should. But the artist probably didn't include it because Ping Hai is considering that Westerners doesn't eat rice or drink Chinese tea. Or he is too lazy.

Generally rice is deliberately excluded in fancy Chinese feasts where the focus is on the expense, rarity, and taste (in that order) of the dishes, because it just fills the guests up and leaves no room to sample further dishes.

Chinese banquets served at restaurants (for wedding receptions or other official functions) will generally only have a rice dish (fried rice, or some variety of rice steamed in leaves) at the very end (second last dish for cheaper banquets, before dessert, fourth last dish for fancier ones where the feast ends with two carbs and two desserts). The rice is not served together with the other (primarily meat-laden) dishes.

I believe the original intention was to improve digestion (at least, this is what I've heard from some old wives tales about rice helping with digestion), but patrons nowadays usually use this as an opportunity to fill themselves up if they're still hungry after all the meat dishes earlier.

And yes, people tend to be very, very wasteful.

NNescio said:

-stuff-

Oh right, didn't think of banquets or feasts. I usually avoid attending those so it just slip off my mind.