Table manners

[Pravit]

I'm Chinese-American and have noticed a few people in my family smack their food loudly while eating(to the point that I can tell whether bread or some sort of meat is being eaten several rooms away). I don't mean just noodles or soup, I mean everything. But I've noticed a lot of my relatives in Asia don't eat like this. Is it common in China for people to smack their food loudly while eating, or is this regarded as bad table manners, like it is in the West?

[skylee]

In my circle, it is bad manners (we are trying so hard to teach my niece not to make any sound while eating, sigh).

[Pravit]

Maybe I just overreact to sounds, but I really can't stand it! Slurping of noodles or soup is fine, but it's that muffled springy noise made by someone chewing on dumplings or bread, or that juicy sloppy smacking made by someone chewing on meat that drives me nuts.....ARRRGH! ;)

(so will I be losing my mind if I try to eat with people in China?)

[Quest]

My parents taught me to keep my mouth closed when I chew. I guess it all depends on the individual's background. It's cerntainly bad manner.

[Pravit]

Well, that's good then

[davesgonechina]

As a paleface American in China, I can't speak of direct knowledge of custom, but I get the impression there's a bit of a class distinction to this. There's alot less smacking when I'm out with middle class professionals than when I stop at a roadside 牛肉面 greasy spoon full of working class stiffs.

[Pravit]

The combined smacking of dozens of mouths combined with loud talking and noises of plates and so on is fine. It's when things are rather quiet that a lone smacking gets on my nerves

[bhchao]

I once had dinner with a date who spoke while chewing her food. You can see the minced food in her mouth as she spoke. That was the end of the date right there.

[wushijiao]

I always thought the somewhat lack of manners in Chinese blue collar places is kind of fun. Good and 热闹!

[skylee]

At my old office, I had a colleague (young man in his late 20s) who smelt quite badly during summer and made an annoying noise when he ate. My boss (woman) made me talk to him about the smell, but we agreed that we could not talk to him about the noise he made, as it was not something that people other than parents/relatives/close friends could point out, especially when he was a grown-up not a child. All we did was not to have lunch with him.

As to the smell, it was too embarrassing for me. I finally had someone good at counselling talk to him.