Editing Tableware (section)

==Chinese style==
[[File:Chinese Cutlery.jpg|thumb|A place setting for a Chinese meal]]
Chinese [[table setting]]s are traditional in style. Table setting practices in Japan and other parts of East Asia have been influenced by Chinese [[Table (furniture)|table]] setting customs.<ref name="KotschevarLuciani">{{cite book|author1=Kotschevar, Lendal H.  |author2=Valentino Luciani |name-list-style=amp |title=Presenting Service: The Ultimate Guide for the Foodservice Professional|url=https://archive.org/details/presentingservic00kots  |url-access=limited  |year=2006|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9780471475781|page=[https://archive.org/details/presentingservic00kots/page/n133 119]}}</ref> The emphasis in Chinese table settings is on displaying each individual food in a pleasing way, usually in separate bowls or dishes. Formal table settings are based upon the arrangements used in a family setting, although they can become extremely elaborate with many dishes. Serving bowls and dishes are brought to the table, where guests can choose their own portions. Formal [[Chinese restaurant]]s often use a large turning wheel in the centre of the table to rotate food for easier service.

In a family setting, a meal typically includes a ''fan'' dish, which constitutes the meal's base (much like bread forms the base of various sandwiches), and several accompanying mains, called ''cai'' dish (''choi'' or ''seoung'' in Cantonese). More specifically, ''fan'' usually refers to cooked rice, but can also be other staple grain-based foods. If the [[meal]] is a light meal, it will typically include the base and one main dish. The base is often served directly to the guest in a bowl, whereas main [[Dish (food)|dishes]] are chosen by the guest from shared serving dishes on the table.<ref>{{cite book|last=Newman|first=Jacqueline M.|title=Food Culture in China|year=2004|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780313325816|page=105}}</ref>

; Place setting
An "elaborate" formal meal would include the following place setting:<ref name="KotschevarLuciani"/>
* Centre plate, about 6 inches in diameter
* Rice bowl, placed to the right of the centre plate
* Small cup of tea, placed above the plate or rice bowl
* [[Chopsticks]] to the right of the centre plate, on a [[chopstick rest]]
* A long-handled spoon on a spoon rest, placed to the left of the chopsticks
* Small condiment dishes, placed above the centre plate
* Soup bowl, placed to the left above the centre plate
* A soup [[spoon]], inside the soup bowl