Of course, there will be points that I will inadverdently omit from previous “Savoring China” posts, or new items that I learn and wish to add.  Well, here are a couple, mostly related to leaning in towards the table.  Interesting stuff.

Eating Chinese food has the potential to be a messy affair, especially by a novice, a Western novice at that.  When I learned my American Table Manners, I learned that it was proper and polite to sit up straight and, using a fork or spoon, bring the food from the plate or bowl to my mouth.  In China, this is not so practical.  Chopsticks being what they are and dishes often served with richly-colored savory sauces makes for splashing inevitable, except for the most skilled.  How is this managed?  By leaning in towards the food, minimizing the travel distance from bowl to mouth and reducing the surface area of your clean shirt to splash.  I can’t tell you how many times I splashed something directly onto my shirt and had to spend time in the bathroom washing it out.  But, those instances have been decreasing.

So, when people lean into the table to eat, this frees up space in the back of the chair.  This is where many people, ladies in particular, will store their bags.  Thievery is the most common crime in Shenzhen (probably all of China), so this serves as a fairly safe place to keep your things while eating.  Some of the nicer restaurants will bring large sleeves which fit over the back of the chair and contain your bag..  At first, I thought this was to protect your bags from splashes (so why not hand out bibs too?).  Not so, it’s to make it much harder for theives to grab your bag and run.