layinfalls

One thing that confuses me a lot is the way Chinese people eat their noodles, you know, even if it's a formal dinner, they'd suck in the noodles with tremendous sound! Isn't that kind of impolite? Later I found a Chinese learning site www.activechinese.com, it says:
"Though in western culture, it¡¯s considered impolite to make any sort of noise while eating, it¡¯s very acceptable in China to ¡°slurp¡± your noodles. This is the case not only in casual settings with friends, but even in formal settings or business meetings. So when you order noodles, don¡¯t be shy! Slurp away!"
Is this true? I also heard the same habit in Japan. Anyway,I like it,cause now I can throw away all that "pretend-to-be-a-lady"thing and enjoy my favorite noodles!

sweetnur

Hi! I'm not Chinese, but I live among Chinese people. I think in the chinese culture, making the sound of slurping when eating noodles is a sign that u're enjoying the food, it's perfectly alright. for me, i acknowledge that there are differences in habits and way of life among the different cultures of the world, its what makes the world more colourful and interesting!

monia

Yea,I agree with u

__________________
Monia

demoore

Yes, in Chinese culture you don't have those politeness rules we have in western countries.

You can make noise with your food, you can speak while chewing and let everybody see the content of your mouth, you can spit the food you don't want to swallow on the table or on the ground, you can belch, and you can leave the table when you're done without waiting for other people.

So you can enjoy your noddle but you have to enjoy also the show of other people eating... Anyway you can learn chinese but not learn the eating habits...

__________________
www.chine-nouvelle.com, pour parler chinois, un dico, une méthode !