Even in the United States, when you dine at a restaurant serving another nation's cuisine, it is considered polite to adopt — at least to a certain extent — that nationality's etiquette. You wouldn't cut spaghetti at an Italian restaurant, and you should never bite into sushi at a Japanese restaurant. There are also certain etiquette guidelines to follow at a Chinese restaurant.
1. Let the host order.
At an authentic Chinese restaurant, the food is typically ordered family-style and placed on a rotating plate in the middle of the table for everyone to share. As such, you're not really ordering your own dishes. It's polite to let the host — the person who invited everyone else to dinner — do all the ordering. You can surely discuss what to order with your host ahead of time, but one person should deliver the message to the waiter.
2. Serve the oldest, first.
When the food does come to your table, you should rotate the central plate so that the oldest folks at the table can serve themselves first. Technically, people should then proceed to serve themselves in age order, but if this is too difficult based on the way people have sat at the table, you can just go in a clockwise fashion after the oldest guests have been served.
3. Don't add milk or sugar to your tea.
In Chinese cuisine, green tea is enjoyed plain. It will be poured into a little mug. You should add nothing to it before sipping it, and someone else should pour your tea. If your teapot runs out, just turn over the lid; this should alert your server that you need more.
4. Serve yourself with the backs of the chopsticks, if needed.
Many Chinese restaurants will now include serving utensils when they bring out the food. But if they do not, the proper way to put food on your plate is to use the backside of your chopsticks. Never use the end you eat from in a shared bowl.
5. Bring the rice to your face.
When eating rice, it is proper to bring the little rice bowl up underneath your mouth. This creates less of a mess since you're less likely to drop the rice.
With the etiquette tips above, you're in for a great meal when you visit a Chinese restaurant. It's polite to respect other cultures when you dine with people of those cultures.
For more information on etiquette when visiting Asian restaurants, contact one near you.