Food and Face 中美文化差异之十五

　　　中国饮食文化有着远比它丰富的菜肴还要多得多

　的内容，与任何作料或烹饪方法同样重要的是"面子"

　问题。中国人在就餐时以几种方式表现了对"面子"问

　题的关心。

　　Few, if any, countries in the world have a richer culinary tradition than China. Indeed, Chinese food is available - and popular - in nearly every country on earth. Having spent some four years in China, however, I've come to realize that there is much more to Chinese food than just its rich diversity of dishes. As important as any ingredient or cooking style is the concept of face.

　　What and how much the host orders for his guests are generally taken as a reflection of regard in which the host holds the guests. Chinese hosts tend, therefore, to order high quality dishes and in great quantity. On many occasions, Chinese working contacts have invited me to dinner, saying, "David, just order what you like. This dinner is very informal," whereupon I have ordered things like kung-pao chicken, home-style tofu, or spinach with garlic, a few very simple dishes. The host would then laugh and say, "N., no. How about some steamed crab or prawns? Maybe a fish… “To the Chinese mind, if the host were to order the dishes I suggested, he would lose face.

　　 Quantity is equally important. Chinese tend to order (and in their own homes, prepare )餐厅 much, much more food than the number of people attending can reasonably be expected to eat. When there is a lot of food left over at the end of the meal, the host can be assured that she had ordered a sufficient quantity. Of course, over the years, this practice has resulted in an incalculable amount of wasted food (though, thankfully, the trend in recent years seems to be toward taking food home). But the persistence of this emphasis on quantity bespeaks the continued importance of considerations of face.

　　Finally, there is the question of paying the bill. When the roles of host and guest are clearly defined, as is always the case on formal occasions, this isn't an issue. The hosts typically remain on for a few minutes after the guests have departed and pay the bill. When the occasion is less formal, however, such as when a few friends get together for a meal, the payment of the bill becomes a matter of face. As the bill is brought to the table, one or more of the persons attending the dinner will insist on paying it. I have seen two friends struggle so aggressively to pay the bill, each pulling money from his pocket and pushing back the outstretched arm of the other, that an onlooker could have easily mistaken the scene for a fist - fight. This type of scene is commonplace in restaurants across the country, another striking testament to the importance of face in the context of dining.

饮食文化　

吃饭与面子

　　世界上如果有，也许只会有很少的国家具有比中国更丰富的饮食文化。的确，在地球上的每一个国家，都能吃到中国饭菜――而且很受欢迎。然而，在中国四年半后，我开始了解到，中国饮食文化有着远比它丰富的菜肴还要多得多的内容，与任何作料或烹饪方法同样重要的是面子这一要领。

　　主人为他们的客人点什么以及点多少，通常被看作是主人对待客人的心意的反映。因为，中国的主人总是要点高质量的菜，而且量很大。有很多次，在工作上有联系的中国人邀请我吃饭，他们说："大为，随便点吧，这是顿便饭"。于是，我就点了宫爆鸡丁、家常豆腐或蒜茸菠菜几种简单的菜，主人则总是笑着说："不要点这些啦，来些蒸螃蟹或大虾怎么样？或者来条鱼……"。对于中国人来说，如果主人点了我建议的几种菜，他就会觉得丢面子。

　　数量是同样重要的。中国人要点（在家时则是准备）比来人预计能吃的量多得多的饭菜。在吃到最后有很多饭菜剩下来，主人才能肯定点够了。当然，在过去的很多年中，这种做法导致了难以计算的食品浪费（然而，所幸的是，最近几年的趋势朝着吃不了兜着走发展），但是，这种强调数量表明了考虑面子的持久的重要性。

　　最后，是付帐问题，当主人与客人的角色十分清楚时，在正式场合，这不是个问题。在客人走后，主人通常留下几分钟来付帐。然而，在不太正式的场合，比如几个朋友聚到一起吃饭，付帐就成了面子问题。当帐单拿到餐桌上，一个或很多吃饭的人会坚持自己来付帐，我看见过两个朋友为付帐争得那么厉害，谁都掏出钱来，并推回对方伸出的胳膊，以致使旁观者很容易误以为是在打架。在全中国的餐馆里，这种场面很普遍。这是另一个吃饭中"面子"的重要性的有力的证据

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