Chinese banquets are joyful communal affairs with large-portioned dishes shared by everyone round the table. Hence, tableware and setting are meant to be practical, and take up as little space as possible to accommodate group dining. Take a seat after the host and guest of honour are seated. The typical arrangement has a personal bowl on a plate, chopsticks to your right, soup bowl and spoon, saucer and teacup to the front. Some restaurants may also serve a napkin.

The plate below your rice bowl is meant for placement and not to be used. To eat, hold up the bowl without the plate, and use your chopsticks. The shared dishes will have ‘public’ chopsticks - always used them for transferring the food to your rice bowl, and not your personal chopsticks. Refrain from using the soup spoon as it will affect the soup’s taste, and is also considered impolite. Soup is usually served by the waiter from a large common bowl to your personal soup bowl. To have soup, lay your chopsticks on the stand and move the soup bowl onto the placement plate. Keep the soup bowl on the table, and enjoy with the spoon. When you’ve finished the meal, remember to reset the tableware.

Chinese dining is all about civility, sharing and enjoying communal vibes with many flavours. Come learn the dining etiquette for a truly authentic Chinese meal here.

Japanese culture is intricate and delicate, imbued in their dining etiquette as well as the personalized meal set tableware. Seating is usually face-to-face. A common Japanese meal has a main dish of meat or fish, veggie and pickled side dishes, with rice and soup. Portions are made just right, so you can savour all the flavours and not overeat. The rice and dishes may be arranged in any way, but the chopsticks must be placed sideways pointed to the left on the chopsticks rest.

To start the meal, say ‘Itadakimasu’, which means ‘I humbly receive’. Similar to Chinese dining, hold up your rice bowl and use your chopsticks. Also, hold your soup bowl and slurp directly from it. Don’t mix the dishes. Transfer the food from the dish to your rice bowl to eat. When you’re finished, say ‘Gochisousama deshita’, which means ‘thank you for the meal’.

Korean meals are feasts with a variety of meat, fish, veggies, and pickles, enjoyed with rice and soup. In a banquet setting, the dishes are usually shared from the table’s middle. The soup and rice bowls are personalized, with silver chopsticks and spoon. The soup is arranged to your front, and the rice on its left. Because in Korean meals, you start with a sip of the soup to warm your taste-buds. Say ‘Jal-mukkes-seub-nida’ as in, ‘I will enjoy this meal’, and dig in. But leave the bowls on the table when eating, no need to hold them up. Use your spoon for rice and soup, and your chopsticks for the dishes. Don’t use them both at the same time. Korean dishes have immense flavours, so savour the dishes, and temper them with the rice and soup. At the end of your meal, place your chopsticks and spoon beside your bowl, and say ‘Jal-muhguhs-seub-nida’, which means ‘I ate well’.

Korean dining etiquette emphasizes harmony and appreciation. Learn more about them here.

Modern Asian cuisine combines the essence and flavours of many cultures, usually served in course-meals with an appetiser, soup, main dish and dessert. As such, you have a set of tableware for each course, plus a saucer, wine glass, and water glass. Use your appetiser fork and knife first. Then, for the mains, use your chopsticks, spoon, fork and knife, depending on the dish. Desserts will usually come with their own fresh utensils. Modern Asian is all about minimalist aesthetics, with fine dining etiquette. So be sure to savour your food with grace, and appreciate the exquisite flavours.