Chinese Napkins and Napkin Holders
When I first came to China, I was surprised by the situation in napkins [and toilet paper]. I might go to a cafe and order a coffee, which was priced at, say, Y18, but when the bill would come, it would be Y22.
As it is, paper must be scarce, in China, I guess, when you measure it against the people. Thus, at many restaurants, you have to pay for napkins. Moreover, you don't really get napkins for that Y4 charge...you get a small packet of facial tissues [Kleenex, in the vernacular]. In fact, even to buy napkins for home use, it took me a while to find a source, which turned out to be the German equivalent of Walmart: Metro.
At many other places, napkins are actually toilet paper, which is put onto the table in a dispenser, the center roller having been taken out of the roll. A typical "Chinese napkin holder" is shown in the picture, below, taken at an outdoor restaurant on Shangchuan Island, off the coast of Guangdong Province (Canton).
There are certainly strange things, in China, even in what we might consider the simplest circumstances, in the West.
As it is, paper must be scarce, in China, I guess, when you measure it against the people. Thus, at many restaurants, you have to pay for napkins. Moreover, you don't really get napkins for that Y4 charge...you get a small packet of facial tissues [Kleenex, in the vernacular]. In fact, even to buy napkins for home use, it took me a while to find a source, which turned out to be the German equivalent of Walmart: Metro.
At many other places, napkins are actually toilet paper, which is put onto the table in a dispenser, the center roller having been taken out of the roll. A typical "Chinese napkin holder" is shown in the picture, below, taken at an outdoor restaurant on Shangchuan Island, off the coast of Guangdong Province (Canton).
There are certainly strange things, in China, even in what we might consider the simplest circumstances, in the West.
Posted by In Country China at 10/1/2011 12:08 PM 
Categories: Did You Know, China Customs, China Culture, China Things, China Fact, Chinese Food, Chinese Things
Tags: napkin toilet paper china customs napkin holder restaurant
Categories: Did You Know, China Customs, China Culture, China Things, China Fact, Chinese Food, Chinese Things
Tags: napkin toilet paper china customs napkin holder restaurant
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