Abstract:In recent years, rapid development of international trade, improved technologies of communication and transportation have greatly increased international contacts of every country. The dining etiquette is becoming one of the important factors that affect the success of intercultural communication, but people always intentionally use their own dining culture to understand and judge the dining culture of other nation. These easily lead to some misunderstanding.
This paper explores the differences in dining etiquette between China and the West: tableware, table setting, seating arrangement, order of courses, eating manners and toasting. And these differences are due to their differences of culture, such as the definition or measurement of time, the definition of “self”, and rank of honor. It is beneficial to understand these cultural differences, and gives help to break the barriers, cultivate people’s adaptabilities and avoid misunderstanding in intercultural communication.
Key words: dining etiquette; cultural differences; intercultural communication
摘要：近年来，随着国际贸易的迅猛发展，信息和交通运输技术的快速提高使国与国之间的联系更加频繁。在这种大的背景下，我们必须了解不同文化下的各种差异，具备跨文化交际能力。今天餐饮礼仪已渐渐成为影响跨文化交际成功与否的重要因素之一，但对于各国礼仪在餐桌上的差异，人们总是无意识地会以本民族或群体的文化为标准，理解或评价另一民族或群体的文化，这往往会导致误解的发生。所以为了减少在跨文化交际当中的误解与冲突，我们就应该研究和理解深藏在餐桌礼仪背后的文化因素。
本文主要从中西方餐饮礼仪以及背后的文化差异两方面进行论述。由于中西饮食有着各自不同的文化底蕴，使中西在餐桌礼仪上也出现了差异，这些差异主要表现在餐具、餐具摆放、座位的安排、上餐顺序、饮食方式和祝酒等方面。而隐藏在这些差异背后的文化因素又表现在他们的时间观念、对自我定义、对尊者的界定的不同。深刻理解这些差异有助于人们跨越文化交际障碍,培养人们在跨文化交际时的适应能力,有效地避免交际双方由于文化差异而产生的误解，还能建立起一种愉快、友好的合作关系。
关键词：餐饮礼仪；文化差异；跨文化交际
