Basic Rules of Chinese Meal Planning
In the first place, a Chinese meal is rather like a buffet, at which a guest eats little bits of this and that rather than a large portion of just one food.
Chinese dishes are not served in individual portions, but are dishes shared by all those who sit at the table.
Everyone can- indeed he is expected to-eat from all the dishes presented.
A properly planned dinner includes at least one fowl, one fish and one meat dish-and these are complemented with appropriate vegetables.
The Chinese set off spicy dishes with bland ones, delicate flavours with robust ones, and soft-textured foods are complemented by something crisp.
Concerned as they are with the appearance of food, the Chinese try to include both pale and richly coloured dishes, and make a point of serving some bright-green vegetables for contrast.
While the Chinese serve many dishes at a meal, they do not-except at elaborate banquet-style dinners-present a menu in courses.
Cold foods, meant to be nibbled like hors d'oeuvres, are sometimes placed on the table before the guests are seated.
Otherwise, all the dishes are brought to the table at one time and eaten together.
Hot titbits like prawn toast are classic banquet fare, brought to the table throughout the meal.
Although they are famous for excellent soups, the Chinese serve them in what may seem surprising ways, In some cases, soups appear early in the meal, but the light broths might be sipped throughout, and both the broths and richer, cornflour-thickened soups like velvet corn or sour-and-hot soup may be presented separately in the middle of a dinner.
The heavy, full-meal soups like wonton and Chinese noodle soup are most often eaten as lunches or snacks, though sometimes they become a part of the menu for a special occasion such as a birthday banquet.
You will find a number of so-called salads, but the Chinese do not have a word for salad in the familiar sense of raw greens tossed with dressing.
In China uncooked vegetables rarely appear at the table.
Cold cooked vegetable dishes, dressed with soya sauce, wine and seasonings-and equivalent to the Western salad in many ways-are sometimes part of the main meal, but they may also be a feature of the cold hors d'ceuvre plate.
Sweets as such are practically unknown in China, though some hosts serve a fresh fruit dessert after a meal.
The sweets included would be more likely to appear between courses at a Chinese banquet.
Chinese dishes are not served in individual portions, but are dishes shared by all those who sit at the table.
Everyone can- indeed he is expected to-eat from all the dishes presented.
A properly planned dinner includes at least one fowl, one fish and one meat dish-and these are complemented with appropriate vegetables.
The Chinese set off spicy dishes with bland ones, delicate flavours with robust ones, and soft-textured foods are complemented by something crisp.
Concerned as they are with the appearance of food, the Chinese try to include both pale and richly coloured dishes, and make a point of serving some bright-green vegetables for contrast.
While the Chinese serve many dishes at a meal, they do not-except at elaborate banquet-style dinners-present a menu in courses.
Cold foods, meant to be nibbled like hors d'oeuvres, are sometimes placed on the table before the guests are seated.
Otherwise, all the dishes are brought to the table at one time and eaten together.
Hot titbits like prawn toast are classic banquet fare, brought to the table throughout the meal.
Although they are famous for excellent soups, the Chinese serve them in what may seem surprising ways, In some cases, soups appear early in the meal, but the light broths might be sipped throughout, and both the broths and richer, cornflour-thickened soups like velvet corn or sour-and-hot soup may be presented separately in the middle of a dinner.
The heavy, full-meal soups like wonton and Chinese noodle soup are most often eaten as lunches or snacks, though sometimes they become a part of the menu for a special occasion such as a birthday banquet.
You will find a number of so-called salads, but the Chinese do not have a word for salad in the familiar sense of raw greens tossed with dressing.
In China uncooked vegetables rarely appear at the table.
Cold cooked vegetable dishes, dressed with soya sauce, wine and seasonings-and equivalent to the Western salad in many ways-are sometimes part of the main meal, but they may also be a feature of the cold hors d'ceuvre plate.
Sweets as such are practically unknown in China, though some hosts serve a fresh fruit dessert after a meal.
The sweets included would be more likely to appear between courses at a Chinese banquet.
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