Etiquette and Chopsticks

When you are invited to a Chinese home for a meal, it is helpful to be aware of Chinese table manners, or etiquette. First, several dishes are placed in the center of the table. Wait until the host or the head of the family picks up his chopsticks and motions for all to start. That is the proper moment for the guests to acknowledge the invitation, pick up their chopsticks, and proceed.

Unlike some Western-style meals, the dishes are not passed around the table. Rather, all at the table help themselves. In a family meal, it is customary for each member to use his or her own pair of chopsticks to take pieces from the common dishes and put them right into the mouth. Even so, it is considered bad manners to slurp your food, lick the ends of your chopsticks, or pick through the dishes for your favourite piece. Mothers in the Orient instruct their children not to bite the ends of their chopsticks, not only because they are concerned about hygiene but also because it spoils the appearance of the chopsticks.

Out of consideration for guests, sometimes serving spoons or additional chopsticks are provided. These are used to take pieces from the center dishes to another dish or to your rice bowl.

It is considered bad manners to point with chopsticks, just as it is with knives and forks. It is equally bad manners to pick up something else while you still have your chopsticks in your hand. So when you need to use the serving spoon or to pick up a napkin or a teacup, first put down your chopsticks. Small, attractive chopstick stands are often provided for this purpose.

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GOLD

The MISTIQUE OF IT

Gold – since ancient times this soft, bright-yellow metal has been valued for its unusual qualities. Its colour luster, malleability and ability to withstand corrosion make it unusual among metals. Because of its value in the minds of those who have searched for it, gold has a history unlike that of any other metal.

Gold and History

In ancient Egypt the pharaohs sent their merchants and armies to far-flung lands in quest of gold, which was viewed as the absolute property of Egypt’s gods and pharaohs. The tomb of Tutankhamen, discovered in 1922, was filled with priceless treasures of gold. Even his coffin was made of solid gold.

According to some historians, Alexander the Great was “drawn initially into Asia to the fabled gold treasure of Persia”. It is reported that thousands of beasts of burden were pressed into service by his army to carry the gold he seized in Persia back to Greece. As a result, Greece became a gold-rich nation.

One historian reports that Rome’s “emperors freely used gold to secure the loyalty of their officials and to influence dignitaries of other lands. They impressed and often intimidated their people with the magnificence of their wealth, easily established by displays of spectacular golden ornaments”.

The Roman acquired much gold from the conquest of Spain and their acquisition of Spanish gold mines, says one source.

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 803