"Gan Bei Anyone who has..." Taiwan Local Custom Tip by kiely

Gan Bei
Anyone who has attended a Chinese banguet knows the resounding chant of Gan Bei . It is the traditional toast of the Chinese dinner party . The host usually begins the dinner by toasting his guest or guests who are seated in the place of honour facing the door ; while the host is across the table with his back to the door . Throughout the dinner , host and guests will toast one another many times . It is considered courteous to hold the glass with one hand and to touch the base of the glass with the other .

Gan Bei( pronounced 'gam bay') means 'dry cup', meaning you are expected to empty the glass . If you do not want to drink the entire contents of the glass , you say Swei Yi ( pronounced 'sway ee' ) which means 'as you please', this gives everyone the option of drinking all or part of the contents of the cup . </div>