Cultural Differences ?Why do Taiwanese people always order too many dishes?

"Why do we have to order so much food?"

"How can I stop them from ordering so much food?"

"There are only six of us, why are we ordering enough for twelve?"

"Why do they never listen when I say not to order so much food?"

These questions come from a student who has long collaborated with Taiwanese businesses. Every time he travels to Taiwan for business, he feels quite anxious—not because he's worried about his performance in Chinese presentations, but because he's concerned about how to finish all the dishes on the table during meals.

In Japanese culture, perhaps it is basic etiquette to finish all the drinks and food on the table (please tell me if I am wrong). However, in Taiwanese culture, if the guests finish all the dishes, it might indicate that the host didn't prepare enough food, which is not a good thing.

I remember when I was a child, an "Auntie from Yilan(a place far from my home)" visited our home. My mother cooked many dishes. At the dinner table, I asked her, "Why did you cook so much? We can't finish it all." She simply replied, "The food on the table is not meant to be finished." She didn't complete her sentence, but the next part would probably be, "The food is meant to show our welcome to Auntie."

This kind of culture or habit often appears in business meal settings as well. To show "welcome" or to "entertain" guests, hosts often order an excessive amount of food. Even if the guests say "it's not necessary," the hosts might misunderstand and think the guests are just being polite.

Of course, times are changing, and there might be more Taiwanese businessmen who understand that over-ordering can actually stress out Japanese clients. But there are likely still many who are unaware of this.

If you encounter such situations next time, don't force yourself to finish everything if you can't. It's not worth harming your health. To the host, they've fulfilled their duty, and they don't see leftover food as a bad thing.

I hope this explanation can ease the minds of all Japanese clients troubled by excessive food at meals.

Cultural differences could fill thousands of articles, so feel free to discuss!

日台文化差異？點菜篇

「為什麼要點那麼多菜？」

「我到底要怎麼做才可以阻止他們點那麼多菜？」

「我們才六個人，為什麼要點十二人份的菜？」

「為什麼我每次都說不要點那麼多菜，他們從來不聽？」

上面的問題來自一個長期與台商合作的學生，

他每次來台出差前，總會感到十分焦慮，

倒不是擔心中文簡報表現不好，

而是擔心怎麼在飯局時，把桌上的每一道菜吃光。

也許在日本文化中把酒喝完、把桌上的菜吃光都是很基本的禮貌

（不確定我的學習與理解是否正確，如果有誤歡迎提出）

然而在台灣的文化裡，招待客人時，如果客人把桌上的菜吃光了，代表接待的東道主可能準備得不夠，不是一件好事。

記得小時候有一次家裡來了一位「宜蘭阿姨」，媽媽煮了一桌的菜，在飯桌上我不解的問媽媽：「為什麼要煮那麼多，我們又吃不完？」

媽媽只說：「桌上的菜不是要給你吃完的。」

她的話只說了一半，下一句應該是「桌上的菜是為了要表示對阿姨的歡迎」

這樣的文化、或是習慣，也時常出現在商務飯局場合，

為了表示「歡迎」或想「款待」客人而點超量的飯菜，

即使客人表示「不需要」，也可能會誤會客人是「客氣」才這麼說的。

當然，時代在變，也許有更了解日式文化的台商慢慢理解這些過量的菜其實會對日本客戶造成壓力，但不那麼清楚的可能也不在少數？

若你下次遇上了這樣的情況，即使吃不完也千萬不要勉強自己，若是傷了身體可是得不償失的。

對東道主來說，他盡了地主之誼，並不覺得有食物剩下是什麼壞事。

願解釋能讓所有為過量飯菜糾結的日本客戶們稍稍寬了心

文化差異篇大概寫兩千篇也寫不完，歡迎討論：）

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