In China, variety of foods and dishes is needed in traditional ways of entertaining guests and makes them impossible to finish the dinner. Typical menus of Chinese banquetinclude cold dishes to start and the following hot ones. For example，meat, chicken, duck and vegetables.

In most banquets, a whole fish dish is considered indispensable, unless various kinds of seafood have been served. Nowadays, Chinese people tend to mix Western specials with traditional Chinese cuisine. Thus, steak is not rare. Traditionally，although the Chinese do not eat any of theuncooked dishes，salads have also become popular. The banquet usually has at leasta bowl of soup that can be offered as the first or the final dish. Desserts and fruits usually mean the end of the feast.