Chinese Restaurant Etiquette- Group Synthesis

This or That
(Are YOU This or That)

Whether your Chinese or not you've probably eaten at a Chinese restaurant. Did you ask yourself whether your experience was authentic or whether you were just experiencing an ethnic idea catered to your own American comfort level?

When we visited Peking, a popular Chinese restaurant on campus (we chose it on the basis of taste consistency in proportion to proximity) we began to notice the different things that made experiences different for us. It's important to realize that these rules aren't meant to separate the Chinese students from the American students but to make each experience comfortable.



If you're American (we use the term loosely to describe non-Chinese native) then you should follow these rules when you enter a Chinese Restaurant:

Here's your menu! Note- dishes conveniently separated into types of meat or fish.

(you will undoubtedly be drawn to the buffet):

You will most likely add ice to your water.




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If you are Chinese this is much easier:

Here's your menu!

And here's the stuff you probably know and love:

The Bigger Picture

The rules that have been established in the Chinese restaurants around Athens serve as social boundaries that apply when visiting these establishments. Our rules have been broken down and specified to Chinese people and non-Chinese people in order to address the differences that occur within one place. The customs that the Chinese restaurants have adapted in order to cater to the American culture are necessary to maintain a big enough customer base to thrive.

These places also cater to the Chinese people because they are owned and run by Chinese people. The restaurants have become a comfort zone for the Chinese people in Athens. They can speak their native language, eat their native food and spend time with each other. Due to these factors that influence the experience of eating at a Chinese restaurant, slightly different rules apply to each group of people. These rules lead people to have different experiences from the other group.

To Americans, a Chinese restaurant is someplace where they go when they want to eat something different or have a different experience. For the Chinese it is a place that they can identify with. They feel more at home in these locations. One rule that reflects this sense of identity occurs when people first enter the restaurants. Americans follow American tradition of waiting to be seated and/or waiting in line to order food. Chinese people, however find their own seat or approach the front of the line to place their order. Chinese people are also more likely to have conversation with members of the staff, which can drastically alter one’s perception of their experience. Speaking to order food and ask about specials allows a social interaction that encourages a positive encounter. Although the workers at the restaurant can speak some English, there is no need to communicate to non-Chinese speakers due to the easy process of pointing to food and paying the set price. If someone cannot read the Chinese signs, then there is no way of knowing about the specials or that they have a full Kitchen staff on hand to make fresh made-to-order meals at some establishments. The lack of communication between the Americans and the Chinese staffs prevents relationships and perpetuates the idea of their space (from Americas) verse my place (of the Chinese people).

Meaning

The atmosphere inside of Peking drew us in- the hanging lanterns and tied knots we saw as well as the use of red as a symbol for luck and joy wasn't coincidental, it was a way of defining the space. It is similar to the way we put pictures on the wall when we move in to a new apartment. The decorations represent the ownership of a place and some kind of connections between people and particular locations. The decorations, which have very strong sense of Chinese traditions in the Chinese restaurant, give us clues about the ownership and culture meanings of these particular foreign restaurants. Even the different Chinese restaurants in Athens vary aesthetically because they represent different regions of China and different elements of Chinese culture.

Furthermore, the existence of these Chinese restaurants gives Chinese people some links and connections with their home country both physically and mentally. To Americans, they are one of the expressions of diversity happening in the United States.

Race

As we mentioned in class - the existence of Chinatown in some of the large cities in the US reflects the people’s willingness to integrate. Athens is not a large city, so there are not enough people to get together to form a Chinatown. Most of the Chinese in Athens are students, so there isn't a solid community to form an enclave . The phenomenon of the aggregation of people from foreign countries and residential segregation of people with particular nationalities, like China town, Italian town and Korean town seems like a simple natural process of social development, however it is a very complex process which a combination of all aspects of social relations. Perhaps the beginning steps in forming such communities occurs when we encourage other people to share our culture and accommodate their norms and values in that process.