Salmon lou sang
During dinner last Sunday over salmon lou sang and poon choi at UK Four Seasons, we spoke about a few things, amongst which, the Chinese tea culture.
Have you guys ever wondered why do we tap our fingers on the table when a friend pours us tea?
Poon Choi
A friend’s dad used to work in the timber industry. Those who are familiar with hiking understand very well that they should not call out names when they are in the dense forest. Calling out names would invite spirits to also call out to you and would somehow cause mishaps and accidents. So, most hikers would keep silent as they hike and would not walk anymore when it turns dark. So do the timber workers. When they work, they would not talk to each other and do things as quietly as possible in order not to disrupt the spirits in the forest. Hence, when it comes to lunch and drinking tea, they would go about it silently and they would tap their fingers on the table to show their gratitude when someone pour them tea.
We also learn that, this gesture has been carried out since the many Chinese dynasties in yester centuries. Amy pointed out that, there was a story in the Ching Dynasty back then which the thanking gesture of tapping fingers eventually made its way till today.
A quick check on the internet reveals the origin on tapping fingers on the table to gesture thanks.
In the Ching Dynasty some 300-400 years ago, the emperor liked to dress casual and visit his kingdom. Servants were told to stay low profile in order not to reveal their master’s identity. One day in a restaurant, the emperor, after pouring himself a cup of tea, filled the servant’s cup as well. To the servant, it was a huge grace having the emperor pours him a cup of tea. Out of reflex, he wanted to kneel down and thanked his master. But he was stopped because that would give away the emperor’s identity. So instead of kneeling on his knees, the servant knelt with his fingers.
That “thanks” knock is still in use today in the 21st century.
I am in the festive mood already for Chinese New Year this year, which is very rare. Don’t know why. I have been going out to have reunion dinners with friends. I am looking forward to the reunion dinner with the family this 13th February in Port Weld, Taiping. It’s going to be big!
6 Comments, Comment or Ping
i swear to god in my younger days i thought that the tapping fingers indicated that someone had a physiological problem in the brain mistakenly..hahahaha..i thought they couldn’t control themselves..u know some ppl can’t control themselves!I later asked my mother why the person was doing that so obviously, so super weird! And my mother told me about the reason:-)
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:34 am
I thought it was just polite if you had your mouth full – but then I guess mannerisms are different in Asia and that makes no sense. You guys like to eat noodles the noisy way to show appreciation of the dish. Us English eat with our mouths firmly pressed shut and with pretty white napkins on our laps! If you eat noodles noisy there can be no problem in saying “Xia Xia” with your mouth. Now I know the true reason for the tap
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:53 am
Reunion dinners with family and friends is a happy and joy things to do once a year. The more people to join for dinner the merrier. I think I’m in the festive mood too.
Let me wish you a Happy Chinese New Year first. Gong Xi Fa Cai!
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:21 am
hopefully there will be some food left in taiping town when i visit you…LOL
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:37 am
When I was reading your entry paragraph by paragraph, in my mind I wanted to comment liao that the fingers tapping culture originated from some Emperor and servant story in medieval China. Looks like you did your research well, haha! It is definitely the correct story.
And thanks to you, I now know what is poon choi.
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:37 pm
hcpen: No need to swear to God kua?? Hahaha!!!
Rob: Haha! Well, even eating noodles noisily to show you are pleased.. if not mistaken, the Japanese too, not only the Chinese. Can check with Uncle Google! Haha! But then, you didn’t see me slurp my noodles till cili padi got stuck in my nostrils. LOL!!!! At least, everybody is educated from this post.. ah.. what a sense of achievement. LOL!
Eric Kwan: I guess it’s good to gather together with the families after so long.. but then, we do visit our relatives rather often in a year, we don’t have to wait for CNY to do it! Gong xi fa cai to you too!
yuin: If not, you can always go Kamunting to hunt for juicy wild boar meat! Haha! It’s everywhere!! Must bring you to see!
wei han: Pandai pun ya you! Hahaha! Actually, I didn’t know and never bother to find out, till a friend mentioned it to me. Haha! This is probably my third poon choi… only get to eat during Chinese New Year.
February 3rd, 2010 at 4:26 pm
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