By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: Is it 'embarrassing' for a Chinese girl to eat dinner alone?
Maybe my friends are overly concerned with appearances, but they say they can't eat lunch or especially dinner alone, that it's not well 'seen' in China. I couldn't understand what they meant, and still don't. Does it signify they're not popular?
I think, that Chinese just like to do things in groups. Walking, Eating...
Just look at the kind of tables in restaurant. Few of 2-chairs, most of them are 4+ chairs.
This is kind of "group culture" I think.
Also on the street in the afternoon or evening - I usually see people in pairs or small groups. Single are quite rare.
eating alone may mean... I have no friends who can acommpany me.
What?!!!!.............it's like asking if walking alone is embarrassing?!!!!!.....come on...
I don't know, I certainly haven't seen many single women eating at dinner time in restaurants so that may intimate at the least it isn't usual. However, in Nanning at least, eating at any time, but especially at dinner is usually a social occasion so again eating alone would be unusual.
My impression is that in Nanning it MAY have a small amount of social stigma, but I'm guessing in the bigger cities that would not be the case. I'll ask my wife tonight.
Edit: Checked with my wife, in her opinion, it shouldn't be embarrasing, but she doesn't know of ANYONE who would eat alone in a restaurant. Noodle shops etc fine, but never a restaurant.
I think, that Chinese just like to do things in groups. Walking, Eating...
Just look at the kind of tables in restaurant. Few of 2-chairs, most of them are 4+ chairs.
This is kind of "group culture" I think.
Also on the street in the afternoon or evening - I usually see people in pairs or small groups. Single are quite rare.
eating alone may mean... I have no friends who can acommpany me.
Of course not. I mean, in any country if you go to a big fancy restaurant and you're all alone, people are going to think you're a bit sad, but sitting in some noodle bar, no, male and female singles do so all the time. You only look like a loser if you're wearing a party hat and asking people to pull the other end of your cracker.
mArtiAn:
Haha, not my meaning at all. I said if you're in a big fancy restaurant, like 100 a head. My guess is that, like me, you eat in the more cheap and cheerful spots. It's when you're by yourself in one of those places people go on special occasions that you look like Billy no-mates. We've all gotta eat though.
never heard of anything like here ,i don't know about girls but for me i always eat alone and i never felt that way for me
I don't think it's embarrassing, but my friends didn't seem to understand that it's ok if I eat alone every once in a while. They'd go out of their way to arrange for someone to eat with me, even if I didn't know that person...? Eventually they got the point that it's ok to eat alone sometimes.
Ive never heard anyone say anything about it, but it makes sense that they might feel uncomfortable being alone.
One time at SWJ (cafeteria style restaurant) I was eating at a table surrounded by several other completely open tables. And a man sat down at my table directly in front of me. He didnt say anything or look at me, just ate quickly and left. I just assumed it was because he didnt want to eat alone. If he had said anything, I would assume he wanted "to make a foreign friend." but not a peep.
It's the same here as anywhere from what I have seen. People eat alone quite a bit in a fast food or small local shop. In nice sit-down restaurants, it is rare to ever see anyone eat alone unless they sit at the bar, but that's the same situation back home in America.
