1．当然，外国宾客与中国东道主敬酒时，小啜一口也未尝不可。
It is quite acceptable for a foreign guest to take a sip instead of emptying the glass when toasting with his or her Chinese host.
2．但是，中国的普通家餐却完全不同与宴席。
However, an average Chinese meal at home is quite different in composition from a Chinese banquet.
3．一个成年人平时在家就餐时，通常只吃两小碗米饭，或一大碗面条，或 几只馒头，外加几个荤素炒菜，而非以菜为主，以米饭或面食为辅。
At an everyday home meal, an adult may consume two small bowls of steamed rice, or a large bowel of noodles, or several pieces of steamed bread, accompanied
by several meat or vegetable dishes, but not the other way round.
4．对大多数中国人来说，从一餐饭中所摄取的热量有 75%来自谷粮。
For most Chinese, about 75 percent of an average meal’s calories comes from grain sources instead of meat or vegetable dishes.
5．作为一种世代相袭的传统，中国人就餐时围桌而坐，人人手里都有一碗 主食，炒菜放在桌子中央，大家一起食用。
Traditionally, everyone at the Chinese dining table has his or her own bowl of staple food, that is, steamed rice, noodles or steamed bread, while the dishes are placed in the middle of the dinner table to be shared by all.
6．这一古老的风俗习惯反映了食物在文明史上的重要地位： 占据餐 桌中心位置的是炒菜，而不是鲜花，晚餐的主要话题常常是食物。
This age-old custom is one manifestation of the importance of food in Chinese civilization: It is the cooked dishes, rather than flowers, that serve as centerpieces
on a Chinese table; food is frequently the main topic of dinner-time conversation.
7．菜肴的各种色彩和材料搭配，给人以美的享受，共食一碗菜的习俗有助 于家庭成员之间的团结和友谊。
Variety in the color and texture of the dishes serves aesthetic ends, while the ritual of sharing the food from the same dish plates is conducive to family togetherness and friendship.
8．当然，在一些卫生意识比较强的地方，人们在共食放在餐桌中央的菜肴 时，必须使用“公筷”或“公用”汤匙，以防疾病传染。
In more health conscious environments, however, only “public” chopsticks and spoons are used to remove food from the plates in the middle of the dining-table, so as to prevent any possible spread of diseases.
9．以上所介绍的情况对外国客人来说，虽不应是一种离奇的“天方夜 谭”，却也说明中国人在饮食方面所持的价值观与西方人有很大的不同。
While none of the above observations should not strike a foreign visitor as particularly strange or exotic, they demonstrate that the Chinese approach some aspects of catering service with a set of values very different from those in the West.
