Food & Dining

Basic Dining Etiquette in China:

1. Dining Peak Hours:

Chinese people typically dine during peak hours: 07:00-09:00 for breakfast, 11:30-13:30 for lunch, and 17:30-19:30 for dinner. To avoid crowds, try to dine outside these times. However, note that many restaurants stop serving breakfast after 09:00 or 09:30, so be mindful of the operating hours of the recommended restaurants in our self-guided tour.

2. Chopsticks Etiquette:

Never stick your chopsticks upright in your rice or noodles, as this resembles a ritual for honoring the deceased and is considered very unlucky.

Do not point at people with your chopsticks, as it is deemed very rude.

Avoid tapping your chopsticks on the bowl or plate, as this is traditionally associated with begging.

3. Shared Dining:

Chinese meals are typically shared. You can place different dishes on your plate to enjoy at your own pace or use communal chopsticks during the meal. If you are with close friends or if they don't mind, you can skip this formality.

4. Slurping Noodles:

It is acceptable to make slurping sounds while eating noodles. In fact, due to the nature of Chinese noodles, slurping is often necessary. Feel free to follow this local custom.

5. Strong Flavors:

Dishes may contain strong flavors like scallions, chives, or garlic. Unless you have a formal social engagement, don't worry about consuming these ingredients. They are essential to the flavor of many Chinese dishes.

6. Serving Others:

Unless you have a very close relationship, serving food to others can be seen as overstepping boundaries. In some regions, it is a gesture of goodwill. If you prefer not to be served, you can politely block your plate and indicate that you prefer to serve yourself.

7. Unusual Ingredients:

Many Chinese dishes include animal offal or blood. Don't worry about their cleanliness; Chinese culinary traditions have perfected the preparation of these ingredients over thousands of years. You might be pleasantly surprised by the unique flavors.

8. Tea and Utensil Cleaning:

In southern regions like Guangdong, you may find a plastic basin and a large teapot on the table. The hot water in the teapot is for rinsing and sanitizing your utensils, not for drinking.

9. Napkins:

Most northern Chinese restaurants provide free napkins, while many southern restaurants charge for them. You may want to bring your own napkins just in case.

10. Drinking Etiquette:

Toasting Culture:

In social and business settings, toasts are common. The host or elder usually initiates the toast, and younger people should respond politely. You can say "干杯" (gān bēi, meaning "cheers"), but note that in formal settings, it implies drinking the entire glass. If you prefer to sip, you can say "随意" (suí yì), meaning "as you wish."

Clinking Glasses:

When toasting with someone of higher status or an elder, hold your glass slightly lower to show respect.

Encouraging Drinks:

In some regions, it is common to encourage others to drink. You can politely decline by saying "谢谢，我慢慢喝" (xiè xiè, wǒ màn màn hē, meaning "Thank you, I'll drink slowly") or "我酒量不太好" (wǒ jiǔ liàng bù tài hǎo, meaning "I can't drink much").

High Alcohol Content:

Chinese baijiu (white liquor) typically has a high alcohol content (40%-60%). If trying it for the first time, sip it slowly rather than drinking it all at once.

11. Halal Restaurants:

Due to religious beliefs, you should not bring any outside food into a Halal restaurant in China, especially anything related to pork, as this could upset the restaurant owner and staff. Halal restaurants usually have green signs, though some may use other colors, and the staff often wear traditional Muslim caps.

12. Menu Language Barrier:

The vast majority of restaurants outside tourist areas in China only have Chinese menus. Solutions: ① Use the Pleco app camera OCR feature for real-time translation; ② Simply point at the dish on a neighboring table (universally understood, all waiters get it); ③ Use EasyGo China; ④ Save the Chinese dish names you want in your phone beforehand and show them to the waiter.

13. Food Allergies:

If you have food allergies, it is crucial to print out a few cards in Chinese detailing what you cannot eat. Show these cards to the waiter before ordering so they can inform the chef, as Chinese dishes often have complex ingredients. Here are some examples:

- Peanuts & Tree Nuts:花生和坚果(huāshēng hé jiān guǒ) - peanuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, etc.

- Seafood & Shellfish:海鲜和贝类(hǎi xiān hé bèi lèi) - fish, shrimp, crab, oysters, etc.

- Eggs:蛋类(dàn lèi) - chicken eggs, duck eggs, egg products.

- Dairy:奶制品(nǎi zhì pǐn) - milk, cheese, butter, milk powder, etc.

- Soy:大豆(dà dòu) - tofu, soy milk, miso, soy sauce, etc.

- Gluten:麸质(fūzhì) - wheat, barley, rye, noodles, buns, dumplings, etc.

- Sesame:芝麻(zhīmá) - sesame oil, sesame paste, sesame seeds.

Allergy Alert Card (Bilingual):

To ensure safe dining, fill out the following content and print it as a card:

⚠过敏提示/ Allergy Alert

我对 （具体过敏原）过敏，不能食用任何含有这些成分的食物。如果误食，我可能会出现严重的过敏反应，甚至危及生命。请确保我的食物中不含这些成分。谢谢！

I am allergic to (specific allergen) and cannot eat any food containing these ingredients. If I consume them, I may have a severe allergic reaction, which could be life-threatening. Please ensure my food does not contain these ingredients. Thank you!

For more specific needs, list the foods you cannot eat and note common dishes containing those ingredients in Chinese. For example:

我对海鲜（鱼、虾、蟹、贝类）过敏，请不要给我任何含有海鲜的食物，包括鱼露、虾酱、海鲜汤底等。

I am allergic to seafood (fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish). Please do not serve me any food containing seafood, including fish sauce, shrimp paste, or seafood broth.

Chinese Cuisine Recommendations:

Chinese cuisine is vast and complex, with eight major culinary traditions: Shandong, Sichuan, Cantonese, Jiangsu, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Anhui. There are also influential regional cuisines like Northeastern, Beijing, Hubei, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Guizhou, and Hakka. Each cuisine includes hundreds or even thousands of classic dishes. Even for Chinese people, it is a rare achievement to taste all the country's culinary delights.

How can you sample as many delicious foods as possible during your short trip to China?

Locals use the "Dianping" app to find highly-rated restaurants during their travels. You can try it too. However, while the app has an English version, language and cultural barriers may make it difficult for foreign visitors to understand some dishes that are immediately clear to Chinese people.

For example, "Hulutou Paomo" does not contain "hulu" (gourd) but pig intestines. "Yuxiang Rousi" (fish-flavored shredded pork) contains no fish. "Couple's Lung Slices" has neither couples nor lung slices. "Tiger Salad" has no tiger but includes chili peppers and cilantro. Dishes like "Chicken Nest," "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall," "Ants Climbing a Tree," "Wild Chicken Roll," "Sand Garlic Pea Shoots," and "Egg White Lamb Tail" might leave you wondering what you're about to eat.

If you have ample time, you can look up each dish on Google.

For those who don't want to spend their precious travel time figuring out "what is this" and "is this good," we have another solution—

In our self-guided tour, each route includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner recommendations. We have selected 3-4 of the most authentic and high-value restaurants for each meal from dozens of options based on distance, reputation, and dishes. Based on our understanding of foreign friends' tastes, each restaurant offers 5-8 dishes for you to choose from.

These dishes are detailed with ingredients, cooking methods, flavors, and the best ways to enjoy them. This way, you won't have to worry about finding culinary gems in the vast sea of Chinese cuisine or encountering strange foods or allergy issues.

Additionally, we will recommend the best coffee, tea, and bars along the way.

We hope you return from this culinary paradise with a full heart and a satisfied palate. Enjoy your journey and bon appétit!