Chinese Food Service Facts

How a Chinese Meal is served

A typical Chinese meal is normally composed of several “main dishes” as opposed to one main dish. Normally, all dishes are set on the table at once and everybody helps him/herself to the selection. There is typically a couple meat dishes, chicken, beef or pork, a vegetable, fish or seafood, and a soup.

White rice is always at the core of the meal, and is the base for all the individual dishes being served.

Desserts are not common, a meal normally finishes with fresh fruit and in some special occasions with some other sweet like almond custard. Fortune Cookies are not really Chinese, they are an American invention, and you will not find them in China.

Cold drinks like sodas or juices are not served with a typical Chinese meal, although the practice is catching on specially in touristy areas and the bigger cities. Instead, Chinese enjoy a cup of tea or a variety of soups with their meals.

A balanced Chinese meal involves two elements:

• the fan element made up of starches and grains, normally white rice in the southern provinces, and noodles or dumplings in the north where wheat is common.
  
• the tsai element containing the meat and vegetable element, all cooked in a variety of ingredients and methods producing a large range of flavors.

A typical place setting includes:

• a rice bowl
  
• chopsticks
  
• Chinese porcelain soup spoon
  
• plate which is placed under the bowl and serves as a bone/discard plate
  
• smaller sauce dish for a dipping sauce
  
• tea cup

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