My husband is an extrovert, so he likes to go out and see people. Even when it's just the two of us going out to dinner, he likes to go to crowded restaurants where there is good atmosphere. So he was very surprised by his restaurant dining experiences in China, because when people go out to eat here, they often eat in a private room.

When we arrived in China, my extended family welcomed us by taking us out to eat. We had spent the first several days having dinner with my parents and grandmother at their homes, so Bryan said that he was excited to go out to eat and sit in the middle of a restaurant surrounded by the bustle of other diners. However, when we arrived at the restaurant, the maître showed us to a private room that had a big round table, a sofa, and ten chairs in which to seat all our relatives. The room had its own waiter, stereo system, and even had its own restroom! So when my parents, grandmother, aunts and uncles all filed in, Bryan leaned over and said "I thought we went to a restaurant to go out, but it feels like we went to a restaurant to eat at home!"

I explained to him that it is very common in China for families and groups of people to eat in private rooms, so that they are not bothered by other diners and can visit with each other easily.

(selected from 101 Stories for Foreigners to Understand Chinese People by Yi S. Ellis and Bryan D. Ellis, published by China Intercontinental Press in 2012)