王者以民為天，而民以食為天。
People come first for King; Food comes first for people.

The “how are you” in Chinese culture is ”have you eaten yet”. There is a famous saying that anything can be fixed by one hotpot dinner, if not, make it two hotpot dinners. We always thinking about what to eat. When I’m eating lunch, I’m thinking about dinner. Dinner I’m thinking about tomorrow. In the sense very similar to French.

We like to buy friends dinner. If you have ever met any Chinese person. Likely they would grab the bill in the end. It’s rooted in Chinese culture and festivals. It’s encouraged in our culture. It’s a way we show respect for you. Do we ask anything in return? Not really.

Why is that? In the past, people are usually farmers. Farmers are likely to stay in the same area. They hardly move. So if 4 people went out for dinner, A would pay, next time B pays. It’s the same as splitting the bill, but someone pays for all first. Eventually everyone breaks even and the loop starts again. It’s a hidden protocol requires no communication.