Table Etiquette & Customs

In old Shanghai, in the pre World War II days, when the city was known as the Paris of the East, going out to eat with friends or having them home for dinner were spectacular occasions for the upper echelons of society.

Men and women would arrive at parties dressed up in jackets embroidered in motifs which denoted their rank. The women were accompanied by their maids who brought along their change of clothes.

If a woman’s husband was of a high position, her jacket could be embroidered with the motif of a peony which denotes prosperity. Only a governor’s wife could use the motif of a phoenix as it was for a higher rank. As for the dragon, this was a motif restricted to members of the royal family.

The jacket would be left on for the first set of dishes, usually between eight to 12 appetizers and for the second set, known as Jiu Cai which means wine accompanying dishes. Just before the main courses or big dishes were to arrive, the host would say to his guests, “Take off your jackets, make yourselves at home.” Some quests of course would simply do that but others, would retire to a changing room and put on a second set of clothes with the aid of maids.

Except for the changing of clothes, the banquet meal described is still served in formal events in China and in Singapore, this ritual is the background of our well loved formal Chinese dinners. Learning about the rituals and rules is fascinating and some of those customs have prevailed till today. These banquet meals are quite different from what is known as family-style meals.

First Course of 12 small appetizer dishes
The banquet meal usually begins with a large selection of appetizers arranged in many small plates – up to 12 varieties are offered. A polite host would make sure all the dishes are on the table before inviting the guests to sit down. Items served would include smoked fish, ham, perhaps some smoked duck, pickled cucumber, jellied meat, soya sauce cooked meat and cold sliced marinated abalone and seafood, like steamed prawns. This type of cold appetizer selection still characterizes a banquet of the Northern school of dining. The polite guest never takes food from any of these small plates more than once.

Today, the appetizers course has been replaced by the large cold platter with all the items often arranged attractively in a phoenix or butterfly pattern. This would be what is offered in Cantonese type banquets. Traditionalists would drink Mao Tai, a spirit which is drunk at room temperature.

After the appetizers come the wine accompanying dishes called Jiu Cai, also known as the ‘four hot dishes’ which are call Si Ri Song and these are usually a set of four dishes served in six inch (12cm) round plates. These are usually quick stir-fried dishes and light rather than heavy dishes. Dryness and crispness are favoured because they blend well with the wine. Fried frog’s legs, crystal prawns tossed in a white sauce, paper-wrapped chicken or Chinese beef steak fried with vegetables could be dishes in this set.

Serious Eating of the Main Courses and the Removal of Jackets
Then it’s on to the serious eating of the Da Cai or ‘heavy’ and big dishes. It’s usually a set of four dishes. The first would be a heavy broth or chowder like shark’s fin soup. For a serious banquet, Da Cai are served in large deep platters called Hai Wan.

Next on the menu is usually a roast, either a chicken, a duck, or in the most sumptuous of banquets, a roast suckling pig. There can only be one roast in a meal. So you wouldn’t order a roast chicken as well as a roast suckling pig for example. Other heavy main dishes would be a stuffed braised duck, perhaps whole braised abalones and stewed stuffed sea cucumbers.

Fish Served Last to Wish You Prosperity
Traditionally, a whole fish would be the last of the big dishes to be served. The word Yu, pronounced with a different intonation, also means prosperity and so fish signifies prosperity to the Chinese. In inland parts of China, where fish was scarce, a wooden fish used to be served for symbolism.

If you think that all this sounds like a big meal, wait – there’s more to come. To get you ready for the next round, a clear soup or consommé is served at this point- like a double boiled chicken or turtle soup. In China, the clear broth could be sweet, a sort of light mouth refresher, serving a purpose very much like that of a sorbet in a French meal.

Finally, in case you haven’t had enough to eat, rice or noodles are served. Fried rice is today’s choice but in the past, this course was called a Fan Cai, or rice accompanying dishes and you would be served a bowl of plain steamed white rice with small plates of dishes.

To end the meal, something sweet and it is dessert time – in smart, elegant dinners, a combination of a Dian Xin steamed, baked or deep fried and a soupy desert like a puree of Red Beans with Lotus Seeds is served for dessert.

We’ve described a simple classical banquet menu. Some meals would be more elaborate and the most excessive of banquets ever is the Man Han three day feast developed by the Manchurian emperors of the Ming Dynasty of China.

Coming Up Next: The Man Han Imperial Banquet of China

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