由Jacques · Timmers

在我第一次之前去中国和HK，对“可接受的借口的”一个共同的推荐是： 过敏! 不仅为没有必须加入饮用的事，它也申请对想要不是肯定的吃某些食物的那些人。

当忠告可以是有用的时，您可以反思您是否想要使用它。 它对您的主人大概是真实的这将避免您的主人丢失面孔，但…，有您，访客也许采取您的借口和他的一些职员为晚餐，饮料和有一些乐趣和好笑。 您的主人也许想要炫耀与您对其他在桌，但记住： 这主要是为了增加他自己的状态。

您的主人也许给餐馆带来他的自己的瓶米酒，并且是，他将设法测试您。 也许有非常“兴趣的”种类食物，事象鸡脚，松包，火鸡“油煎”，母牛胃，猪耳朵等。 您做您的主人巨大的厚待，如果您接受它以微笑并且是勇敢和冒险的。 称赞他为有经验，您未曾认为的那您会尝试这些纤巧，并且那它是由于他和他的好客您体验了此。
However, if you use the ‘allergy’ argument for both the drinking and the eating, your host may feel like a little bit of the “fun part” he had in mind is missed. It may be a bit more difficult to get “buddies” with your host if you keep yourself out of the ganbei game and the interesting food game.
As concerns your “holding capacity”, if you expect to have to be around the drinking table, then try to plan this a few days after you have arrived in China, rather than the first day, so that your body is more adjusted to the time difference, the different climate, the different air and food etc. This may seem self-explanatory, but in our drive to spend time productively and in our hurry, we sometimes seem to forget this.

What also helps is to be open-minded and not worry too much in advance. Reading about what is “expected” from you will make you feel more at ease, and will give you some tips. It is ALWAYS good for you, if you make your hosts feel that you are interested and have taken the trouble to learn a bit about the “do’s and don’ts”. Good reading on this part is the Culture Shock! series of Time-Life books (there is one on most countries). Good luck and Ganbei!’

Jacques Timmers, Horizon International Consultant Ltd.