Learn about Asian eating and drinking etiquette

If you are heading to an Asian country or are throwing a true, authentic party based on Asian culture then you will want to know all about the etiquette that comes with eating and drinking from this part of the world.

Here at Oriental Mart, we have broken down the differing etiquettes into two sections; eating etiquette and drinking etiquette, that way you can get a clear understanding and not make any embarrassing mistakes!

Eating etiquette

To begin with, there’s the liquid-based dishes, such as soup, which obviously can’t be consumed with chopsticks, so you will want to know how Asian culture dictates you should eat. Pick up the small bowl with just the one hand and then sip from the edge of the bowl. You are more than entitled to go ahead and dip your chopsticks into the soup to pick up small chunks of bean curd or thin slices of seaweed, but the majority of soup eating is done through sipping.

Are you accustomed to using chopsticks instead of the traditional western cutlery of a knife, fork and spoon? If the answer is no, then dining at an Asian restaurant or staying in-keeping with the theme may give you a bit of a problem, but this isn’t an issue that can’t be overcome. It’s simply all about practice, so why not get some chopsticks to use at home and practice beforehand? There are plenty of videos on Google that can help you in your quest for chopstick mastery, along the way! Veering away from a knife and fork might even prove to be a more preferential eating method for you in the long run, too.

Other than the plastic versions you find in Chinese restaurants, wooden chopsticks are used and are sleeved in a paper wrapper. Simply slide them out of their wrapper, and split them in half. To hold them correctly, you will need to take the two halves in your dominant hand with your thumb, forefinger and middle finger. Get the feeling of holding two pencils in one hand. Then, let your middle finger slip between the two sticks. At this point you should be feeling one stick resting between the forefinger and middle finger, with the other stick between the middle and ring fingers. It’s best to try picking up chunkier, more forgiving pieces of food while you hone your chopstick skills.

If there are noodles served on a wooden tray or in a bowl, then you should aim to pick up bite-sized portions - you can always go back for more at a later stage. If the noodles are served as part of a hot broth, you should alternate between lifting the bowl to sip the broth and picking the noodles up with chopsticks. A side note you will find useful is that slurping is considered as a sign of eating with pleasure and a good appetite, making it more than acceptable for you to slurp as you consume.

Drinking etiquette

If you are attempting to recreate the setting of a cosy and friendly Japanese-style bar, or are indeed in one of these bars, you will notice that it is custom for patrons to pour drinks for each other, normally from bottles of beer, as this is recognised as a gesture of companionship. For those who like to indulge in Japanese alcohol, particularly drinking beer, it’s a good move to return the compliment with your own bottle.

Moving on to the stronger tipples - a whiskey drinker who is familiar with the customs of whiskey drinking may well offer you a drink from his bottle and make a drink for you. However, unlike the beer sharing we mentioned, you do not need to reciprocate, that is unless you have your own bottle. It’s worth noting that a lot of these bars have bottle-keep systems in place for regulars as a means of saving money.

This point is a good one if you are organising a party or if you are with a group: do not begin to drink your drink until everyone in the group has been served. As part of a tradition glasses are raised and at the same time everyone shouts Kampai! which translates as Cheers!

If sake is your drink of choice and a drink is offered to you from a carafe, it is important, etiquette-wise to drink what remains in your cup prior to holding your glass out for more. As with beer drinking it is custom to reciprocate the sharing of your tipple. Sake should not be shared as quickly as beer though, as this is a far stronger drink and excessive drinking is certainly not looked upon too highly, so drink responsibly.