Different purposes of the meal
Eating is the top priority to the Chinese. It is not just for filling up the stomach but a traditional custom for gathering. Banquets/meals are held for different purposes including happy or unhappy moments. During the Chinese Lunar New Year, weddings and different Chinese Festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chinese people will dine with their family and friends to celebrate these happy moments. However, in cases of somebody pass away, the people who attend the funeral have to dine with the relatives of the dead after the funeral is over. This gives an opportunity for the relatives of the dead to express their gratitude to the attendants. We can see how important the meal is to the Chinese, sharing happy and unhappy moments.

The Kitchen God
The Chinese respect the art of eating and etiquette a lot. They even worship the god of kitchen who is credited with the invention of fire. Kitchen God protects the kitchen from fire, disaster, and all kinds of unwanted trouble. Once a year, on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month, families serve Kitchen God a feast of cooked chicken (which must include head and feet), roast pork, mixed vegetables, rice and more, to thank Kitchen God for the kind protection of the year. Generally, a table is set in front of Kitchen God, and the food is left on the table for a few hours, then removed.

How superstitions related to the eating etiquette?
Dining in a traditional Chinese family should respect to their culture, etiquette and traditions. There are quite a number of behaviors, which should not be done during the dinner. According to them, this will bring bad luck to the people at meal. Therefore, I hope this could help when you eat at a Chinese family. The Chinese believe that eating is pretty much related to one's fortune. When finished eating one side of the fish, do not use the chopsticks to turn the fish to the other side. They believe that if the fish broke when turning with the chopsticks, hint that a boat will be sinking. Since Hong Kong was a fishing port in the early years, they were very much concerned about the safety of the boat. Furthermore, the Chinese never serve 7 dishes on the table at meal, because meals held after funerals also consist of 7 dishes. Never dig in the rice with the chopsticks and let them place in the rice, this looks like the Chinese "xiang" which use to worship the dead people. When finish eating never say " I'm finished" which implies that you are dead and never have the chance to eat again. You should say "I'm full" instead. Also, it is very impolite to use the chopsticks to hit the bowl and make noise, because this implies that the bowl is empty. Always keep the habit of finishing all the rice in your bowl, not even leaving a grain in it, because the Chinese always say that this will make you marry an ugly husband or wife and also a lack of respect to the labor required to produce it. All of these eating superstitions somehow became the eating etiquette of the Chinese nowadays.

Dining Rules
There are a few rules in Chinese dining that need attention. The Asian style of eating is to order several dishes of food, which are served in the middle of the table and shared by all. It is unlike the Western style of an ala-carte menu with individual servings. Each diner will be served a bowl of rice to complement the dishes on the table. The rice may be topped up when finished. Taking food from the center of the table and putting it directly into your mouth is regarded as impolite. Normally, the Chinese would pick the food and put it into their bowls first. It is also customary for a guest of a formal or traditional dinner to not finish all the food in the center. This is to avoid embarrassing your host who may feel that he or she has not offered enough food.

Table setting
An individual place setting for an everyday meal includes a bowl of fan, a pair of chopsticks, a flat-bottomed soupspoon, and a saucer. Instead of a napkin, a hot towel is often provided at the end of the meal for the diner to wipe hands and mouth. The meat and vegetable dishes are laid out all at once in the center of the table, and the diners eat directly from the communal plates using their chopsticks. Soup is also eaten from the common bowl. Rather than for serving oneself a separate portion, the saucer is used for bones and shells or as a place to rest a bite taken from a communal plate when it is too large to eat all at once. It is perfectly acceptable to reach across the table to take a morsel from a far-away dish. To facilitate access to all the dishes, Chinese dining tables are more likely to be square or round, rather than elongated like their western counterparts.

How to Order a Chinese Meal
When ordering a Chinese meal, start with a cold dish appetizer to whet your taste buds. A bowl of clear, light-broth soup may be served before the main entrees are served. This hot soup helps to keep you warm, especially in winter. The types of main dishes you order are to your discretion and taste. However, a proper Chinese meal should include sufficient spicy and savory dishes to make the neutral and relative blandness of steamed rice an essential balancing agent. Finally, a happy ending to the meal is with dessert, which is usually in the form of sweet soup. There are many kinds of Chinese desserts available, from puddings to pancakes and soups to ice cream, all of which are equally luscious to the mouth.

Way of eating
In order to cool the soup a bit and to better diffuse the flavor in the mouth, soup is eaten by sipping from the spoon while breathing in. To eat fan, a diner raises the bowl to her lips and pushes the grains into her mouth with chopsticks. This is the easiest way to eat it and shows proper enjoyment -- eating fan from a bowl left sitting on the table suggests dissatisfaction with the food.

Banquets
Alcohol is very rarely served at everyday meals, but it plays an important role at banquets. Toasting is mandatory, and the drinking of spirits commences only after the host has made a toast at the beginning of the meal. Beer or soft drinks can also be used for toasting. Also, it is impolite to fill your own glass without first filling glasses of all others. This applies to all drinks and not just to alcohol. If your glass becomes empty and your host is observant, it is likely that he will fill it for you immediately. When filling another's glass, it is polite to fill it as full as you can without having the liquid spill over the rim. This symbolizes full respect and friendship. It is a matter of courtesy for the host to try to get his guests drunk. If you do not intend to drink alcohol, make it known at the very beginning of the meal to prevent embarrassment.

Last Dishes of the banquets
When the last dish is finished, the banquet has officially ended. The host may ask if you have eaten your fill, which you undoubtedly will have done. Then the principal host will rise, signaling that the banquet has ended. Generally, the principal host will bid good evening to everyone at the door and stay behind to settle the bill with the restaurateur. Other hosts usually accompany guests to their vehicles and remain outside waving until the cars have left the premises.

Dishes
Very few Chinese dishes have only one ingredient, as this would offer no contrast and therefore no opportunity to harmonize. Usually, there will be a main ingredient and a number of supplementary ingredients. Take pork for example. Its color is pink and texture tender. It is most likely to be found with a green vegetable which is either crispy or crunchy such as celery (crunchy) or green peppers (crispy). The concept of harmonization doesn't stop with individual dishes, but is carried through the whole meal. No meal is made up of a single dish, but dishes are served in pairs, and often in fours. Similarly, the order in which food is served is dictated by the requirements of harmony. Monotony is to be avoided, and similar types of food are not served one after the other. From the individual dishes, to the sequence of serving, the meal must be harmonious.

Drinks
People drink tea nearly all day, but at meals soup is usually the only liquid provided. At special events there may be wine or liquor, but the water that westerners drink with their meals is never present. Chinese tea is the main drink served in restaurants. Other types of drinks are available, but tea is considered to be the most refreshing, especially after the consumption of oily food. Each table would have a teapot or two, which is constantly refilled. To ask for a refill, simply turn over the pot cover and place it at the top of the pot's opening. As a matter of courtesy, refill the cups of your fellow diners first before turning to yours, even when theirs is not empty. There are many different kinds of tea supplied in restaurants and it is often up to you to pick the tea of your choice.

Difference between Chinese and Western Dinning Cultures
Dining the Chinese style differs from Western cultures. When going to Chinese restaurants, it is more enjoyable to invite a large group of people so as to sample more dishes. Most Chinese restaurants cater to groups of at least four or more, although tables for two can be found. Typically, Chinese restaurants are noisy and not the least bit romantic. If dining in twos, avoid these restaurants altogether.