Of Chairman Hao, Mr. McConnell and Eels

Eel dish

Is it always polite to finish the food on our table? :) It depends on who whether your host is a Chinese or Japanese. Do not be fooled by their similar appearances. Below is a description of a scenario that warrants this conclusion.



Chairman Hao is the CEO of a wealthy business conglomerate in China. Having just signed a deal for a joint venture with a British business company, W.S.Y.N (We Serve Your Needs), Chairman Hao was ready to celebrate the successful business collaboration by holding a feast. He invited a group of his fellow Chinese business associates to dine with him and Mr. McConnell, a representative of W.S.Y.N, was his special guest of the night. Both of them sat at opposite ends of the table. Then, Chairman Hao proceeded to request the restaurant’s signature dish: Steamed Eel.


When the dish was served, Mr. McConnell looked queerly at the flaccid-looking steamed eel, and only the slight furrow of his forehead revealed his discomfort. Remembering the common dining table etiquette, he proceeded to eat the steamed eel only after his host invited him to proceed, making sure to finish it down to the very last morsel, and even made a slurping sound as he drank down the soup. This, he thought, demonstrated his immense satisfaction with the dish, as what his Japanese friend had taught him.


Chairman Hao also ate his steamed eel, but the difference was that he did not finish the dish. Glancing over at Mr. McConnell’s side, he seemed slightly astonished to see that his guest’s bowl was empty. He then gestured to the waiter, who came back a few minutes later to set another dish in front of Mr. McConnell. It was an eel that was even fatter and juicier than before. In fact, it was double the portion of the first. Mr. McConnell looked ill, but picked up his chopsticks and proceeded to eat. He took great pride in clearing the bowl a second time.


Chairman Hao, upon seeing the second empty bowl of steamed eel, looked upset and signalled once more to the waiter. This time he gave specific instructions. The waiter, bobbing his head furiously, proceeded behind the kitchen doors and murmured to the head chef.


A few minutes later, the waiter emerged with the largest eel yet, still alive and squirming, that both Mr. McConnell had ever seen. Chairman Hao, gesturing to his English guest then to the eel, asked Mr. McConnell if he were satisfied with this one. A puzzled and bewildered Mr. McConnell stared first at the eel, then at Chairman Hao’s upset face.

If I were an observer with no knowledge of the cultural practices and norms in the business world, I would think that Chairman Hao was not paying enough attention to Mr. Connell’s non-verbal cues. It seemed obvious the latter was having a hard time finishing the steamed eel, yet the former kept serving him the exact same dish. I would also wonder why Mr. McConnell chose to finish every last morsel of his dish when his host did not. As a famous saying goes, ‘In Rome, do as the Romans do.”

In fact, Mr. McConnell should not have cleared the contents of his bowl. Although a Japanese host would be delighted with the English guest for doing so, a Chinese host might have completely different sentiments. Initially, Chairman Hao thought Mr. McConnell hasn’t had his fill, but when he repeated the act, the host took offense and interpreted that the guest was questioning his generosity. Finally, it was Mr. McConnell’s ignorance to assume that Japanese and Chinese, with their similar oriental asian features, have similar cultural practices as well. How far from the truth he was!



 

Dear readers, the above scenario was inspired by a HSBC commericial, which is accessible here! Enjoy!