Have you ever been in a Chinese restaurant and longed for a cup of coffee? We've never thought about this until we found this paragraph in a business article:
Tempest in a TeacupThis needs some clarification. First of al, the article is WRONG about the Chinese not being social after a meal. We LOVE to sit and chat for ages (hours if possible) amidst a pile of empty dishes and glasses on the table. It's just not a practical thing for anyone to do if they're pressed for time during a work week.
Even though it is more common today than it once was, many Chinese restaurants still stick to the tradition of refusing to serve coffee and, similarly, rebuffing requests to add milk to a cup of tea.
The reason is cultural in two respects. First, tea plays such an important part in Chinese culture that it is a staple of every meal, and tinkering with tradition is a no-no.
According to ESL Monkeys, an online guide for language teachers, there also isn't much after-meal chitchat in Chinese culture, something Americans do by unwinding with a cup of coffee.
"Once the meal is over, you will notice that all the guests will leave promptly," the site advises those teaching English abroad. "This is contrary to the western custom of lingering over a cup of coffee. In fact, most Chinese restaurants will not even serve coffee, so be on your way!"
Secondly, yes, it's a cultural thing that the Chinese drink tea at a meal but not because we're so rigid that coffee is an absolute "no-no." It's because tea is great as a palate cleanser. Family-style dinners, where a group orders 5-6 or more dishes and share the food, are the norm in practically all meals. To differentiate between the tastes of each dish, we drink tea in between bites or dishes. Coffee has a distinctive and strong flavor which does not work to reset one's tastebuds. So it's not that we don't like coffee, it's just that by the time we're done with 6 or more dishes, we're too full for the heaviness of coffee, with or without milk.
Let us know: Should coffee be served in Chinese restaurants?