The main difference between China and the United States is that, unlike the United States, everyone has his own plate of food. In China, dishes are put on the table and everyone shares them. If you are entertained by the host of China, please prepare plenty of food. China people are very proud of their food culture, and they will try their best to let you taste many different kinds of dishes. Between friends, they will order enough food for the people there. If they take someone out to dinner and the relationship is polite to semi-polite, then they usually order one more dish than the number of guests (for example, four people, five dishes). If it is a business dinner or a very formal occasion, there will probably be a lot of food that can't be eaten.

A typical meal starts with some cold dishes, such as boiled peanuts and garlic cucumbers. Next is the main course, hot meat and vegetables. Finally, soup is served, followed by the "staple food" of starch, usually rice or noodles, and sometimes jiaozi. Many people in China eat rice (or noodles or other things) last, but if you like to eat rice with other dishes, you should say it earlier.