Stop Slurping
This is a classic case of how cultural and social customs in one society can be very annoying in others.
Chinese food is one of my favorite cuisines. However being a food snob that I am 
I only eat chinese in Chinatown or at some really nice places.Take-out chinese is an absolute no no. And one of my favorite places especially for late night meals is the Great New York Noodle Town on Bowery, south of Canal.
I mostly land up there late at night on my way back from work, and love their soups. However going into a restaurant alone can have its flipside. And that is sharing a round table with other people. And invariably when I land up at one of these round tables, I regret sitting there sooner than later. This restaurant is very popular with chinese customers too, and that for me is a sure sign of the authenticity of food.
However I have noticed that nearly every Chinese person I share the table with slurps while eating their food. The annoying noise while eating is something that really puts me off. I understand that this is probably OK socially in Chinese culture, but to me its really bad table manners. Why would one make such a noise while eating? It has nothing to do with eating with chopsticks or eating a certain kind of dish. I eat the same thing as the guy next to me, but I never slurp.
Last night was the worst ever. The guy sitting next to me was slurping so loud, that the first time he did it, I thought he was snorting ! Of course it goes without saying that I left my meal halfway and paid up and walked out.
As a rule, the next time around, if I don’t get to sit at a table by myself, I will skip the restaurant that time.
I wonder what others think of this. I can understand that if this was happening in China, then I have no basis to be cribbing about this. But then this is New York. How would it feel if after a great meal I passed gas with a loud noise to show contentment of the meal devoured. I could always take umbrage under the guise that in my culture, this is allowed. Who is to question me?
In such situation I firmly believe in following the “….in rome do as romans do….” and hence in New York eat the way NYers do, even if you are eating Chinese food.
As an aside, the food at this restaurant is awesome. Its also one of the few places that is open at 4 am and serves hot, great tasting food. Their casseroles and their soft-shell crabs are fantastic.
Well the chinese customers aren’t trying to impose their way of eating on anyone else. And sure when in Rome… but theyre not in Rome, their Chinese in CHINA town which is somewhere they should feel open to practicing their ‘chinese’ traditions.
Yeah, really, dude, lighten up. If you don’t like it, then don’t go there. You aren’t a real "food snob" if you can’t appreciate the experience. I think that makes you just a snob.
Olivia and Parker. The line quoted above is a result of me realizing that what and how I feel is not correct and therefore the post itself is somewhat of a self-questioning rhetoric.
I don’t think this is unique to Chinese culture. I do see how the slurping noise can be irritating to someone who isn’t used to it and hasn’t grown up in a culture where it is accepted or tolerated. But if you are in a restaurant and something is annoying you about that environment, you will probably just have to remove yourself from the situation or deal with the annoyance.
I used to work with a guy who brought his very pungent lunch to work every day, cooked it in the microwave, and then sat at his desk (which was adjacent to mine) slurping the entire time he ate. Drove me nuts. I ended up just having to leave to get my lunch when he came back from the break room with his - the smell became my early-slurp-warning system.
whats more annoying that chinese people slurping soup at a chinese restaurant? indian people who smell like curry at any place other than an indian restaurant. i mean, how dare they not smell like new yorkers (when in rome, right?). oh wait, youre indian. maybe you should show some more tolerance. or just be a man and dont be so sensitive to things.
Well either way Arzan I see your point. It would have probably been annoying. I think it was worth posting for the sake of considering how others might find one’s own behaviour annoying or frustrating.
Chinese-bashing to gain Western approval?! Typical whiter-than-white mentality! To prevent displaying your ignorance-based bent again, get yourself educated: e.g., keep an eye on FOOD, EAST & WEST. AND WHY CHINA DIDN’T COLONISE THE WORLD, and related articles in the Internet.
From one Metroblogger to another - Slurping and throat clearing are quite normal at a Chinese table - often communal in restaurants. In China itself I have observed spitting on the floor while eating, not to mention that almost everyone is smoking. But the food is excellent! Seriously , if you can’t handle the cultural differences, stick with Olive Garden.
JJ cut your racist bullshit. Read the article and the comments before you waste your energy typing nonsense.
Olivia, thanks for your comment.
Macan, what Chinese bashing are you talking about. If you see a political agenda in everything you read, I have some advice for you. The democrats and republicans are both looking for volunteers. Take your pick. At least it will be constructive.
Blaine, I dont think you need to get judgemental. And from what I know, the last time around Olive Garden was still italian, and not Chinese. In China they do a lot of things including suppressing free speech. Should we do all of that in the US too ? If you read the whole post and the comments that followed, you will realize that this was more of a rhetoric and less of a statement. Another commenter Olivia, who commented before you could understand that, so I dont think it would be "greek and latin" to others.