Food
Since social customs and traditions vary in different countries our Chinese table etiquette is entirely different from that of the West. It is regrettably true that we lack some of the niceties and refinements of Western table manners; still , in the past thousand years the Chinese have developed a multitude of conventions which are concerned with the matter of eating - the Happy Way. The important thing is that the atmosphere should make every body feel happy and at ease,because things are going on as they should .
There is an old Chinese saying that goes something like this ; “Eating food is above all Heavenly Laws.” Nobody should deprive another from eating , not even the Heavenly Emperor for that matter.
Dinning in the Chinese way, the dishes are never passed around unlike their Western host. Chinese dishes are best when they are served hot . That is why hot soup , hot noodles , hot congee, etc. are best sucked in with as noisily as possible although this is not a pleasant act in the eyes of our western friends.
Some old customs , may be considered as superstitions in modern times ; are still practiced in some Chinese families. Children are taught not to leave a grain of rice in the bowl which should be left spotlessly clean , after eating. It is because the grain is the fruit of the sweat of our fellow-men who toiled and planted the rice. The children are told that if they do not want to marry a wife with a pitted face when they grow up, they should not leave any grain in the bowl; the more grains that are left wasted , means the more pits his bride will have. The same may be said of the girls.
Nowadays, Chinese customs are modified by the modern Chinese who have been brought up with western education and cross border connectivity . The only suitable one which we can easily adopt is to make every body feel at ease.
Most of all , we should preserve the best Chinese traditions and follow the niceties and refinement of our west friends. The Chinese Lunar New Year is an occasion where many old Chinese customs are still observed and practised and should continue to be followed and practised so that our children’s children can appreciate and understand our Chinese Way…..
A HAPPY MEAL FOR THE FAMILY
Whole Chicken Baked in Salt
1 large fat chicken 4 table spoon of ginger juice
4 kilo rock salt half tea-spoon salt
4 sheets thin porch paper 2 tea-spoon rice wine
Wash chicken and pat until dry .
Mix ginger juice, salt and wine, rub over inside and outside of chicken ,
Wrap the whole chicken in the porch paper,
Heat and fry the rock salt in pan until very hot,
Put chicken in between the hot salt and cover it all over ,
Cover the pan tightly,
Reduce the fire to small for another 20 minutes, after that off the fire,
Leave the chicken in the hot rock salt for another 20 minutes ,
Remove the chicken from the pan ,
Unwrap the paper , chop the chicken and serve with some pepper , ginger and spring onion shreds
