<p>慢 generally has positive connotations of being deliberate, such as 慢走, "walk slow", which is commonly said before someone departs.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-16T07:50:00.933Z
2015-08-16T07:50:00.933Z
user3145075
<p>Basically you can use it whenever you want to say enjoy the meal. </p>

<p>Most common use is by waiters. In Chinese dining, dishes are served in turn, not all in one go. So waiters say 请慢用 every time they bring a new dish to your table, no just right before you start. Same applies if you are cooking for your guest.</p>

<p>It is also used when you need to leave the party early. When you are leaving, even if people are about to finish the meal, you can still say 我先走一步，你们慢慢吃 (I'm off, you guys enjoy)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-18T15:56:38.317Z
ah, definitely try to use polite word to a stranger, so 请慢用, instead of just 慢慢吃
jf328
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-18T15:50:11.653Z
2015-08-18T15:50:11.653Z
jf328
<p>It is a polite expression, not liable to cause offence, something like 'enjoy your meal'.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-16T02:14:27.783Z
Just on a sidenote, we don't really say "enjoy your meal" in English, though English-teaching courses always seem to include it.
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-17T01:02:48.563Z
@hippietrail waitstaff at a restaurant often do :) but if the speaker is also going to eat, definitely not, they'd say something like "Let's eat!"
Ming
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2015-08-17T03:43:56.307Z
@Ming: That's true. Definitely in the US the waitstaff say it. Some of us sometimes like to say "bon appetit" - it's fun for some reason. But we don't know French so we generally pronounce the final "t". But yeah otherwise we might say "let's eat", "dig in", "tuck in", or a bunch of more colloquial variations. Especially if it's a bigger informal group or family get-together. Also, we're used to foreigners saying "enjoy your meal" even if we don't say it ourselves.
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-22T07:12:21.780Z
For me, in the US a simple "enjoy" is more commonly heard.
Tony
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2015-08-16T02:01:48.833Z
2015-08-16T02:01:48.833Z
Pedroski
<p>I think it's all about <strong><em>when</em></strong> you say it. If you say it before the person starts to eat, it's just a polite way to say "enjoy your food". If you say it when he/she already started, it could sound like you are correcting the way he/she eats.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-17T14:02:35.857Z
2015-08-17T14:02:35.857Z
Enrico Brasil
<p>Usually you would say "bon appetit" at the beginning of the meal. Same applies in Chinese: you can say either 慢慢吃 / 请慢用 / 请 / 慢用</p>

<p>The only time it might cause confusion is when you say it during the middle of the meal</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-16T04:58:15.357Z
Sometimes I say it when I walk in a room and somebody is eating a snack. Is this OK too?
hippietrail
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2015-08-16T06:15:11.003Z
@hippietrail usually not, but depending on the context, it might.
o.k.w
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2015-08-16T07:58:46.473Z
@o.k.w: Usually not OK??
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-16T14:29:40.820Z
@hippietrail Usually you wouldn't say "bon appetit" to someone eating a snack right? There's nothing offensive, it is just a bit weird
hello_harry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-16T15:38:50.840Z
@hello_harry77: It's not usual in English but sometimes I do it for fun - a bit of random unexpected politeness to a stranger sometimes breaks the ice.
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-16T17:14:16.250Z
@hippietrail If breaking the ice / silence is your goal. You can say 吃零食呐? (hmm..having snack?) This is good because you can use in other casual situation. Example: You meet your neighbour watering the plant. Then you can say 浇花呐 See the pattern? Just add "呐" to whatever action they are doing.  Hope this helps
hello_harry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-16T03:52:52.557Z
2015-08-16T03:52:52.557Z
hello_harry
<p>I learned that the equivalent to "bon appetit" in Chinese is "慢慢吃" (perhaps also "请慢用"). This is a polite thing to do in English.</p>

<p>But since it literally means "eat slowly", I'm wondering if some Chinese might interpret it literally when coming from a complete stranger. Especially if they are actually eating quickly.</p>

<p>Should I think twice before using this phrase with strangers to attempt to be polite?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-16T04:35:51.193Z
On the other hand, if you said  吃慢一點, it would definitely sound like you were correcting someone's eating habits.
wpt
<phrase><culture><food>
Could saying "慢慢吃" to a stranger cause offence?
# Could saying "慢慢吃" to a stranger cause offence?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-08-16)

I learned that the equivalent to "bon appetit" in Chinese is "慢慢吃" (perhaps also "请慢用"). This is a polite thing to do in English.

But since it literally means "eat slowly", I'm wondering if some Chinese might interpret it literally when coming from a complete stranger. Especially if they are actually eating quickly.

Should I think twice before using this phrase with strangers to attempt to be polite?

**Tags:** phrase, culture, food
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: On the other hand, if you said  吃慢一點, it would definitely sound like you were correcting someone's eating habits.  

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## 5 answers

### Answer by username_8 on 2015-08-16. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Usually you would say "bon appetit" at the beginning of the meal. Same applies in Chinese: you can say either 慢慢吃 / 请慢用 / 请 / 慢用

The only time it might cause confusion is when you say it during the middle of the meal

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Sometimes I say it when I walk in a room and somebody is eating a snack. Is this OK too?  
> **username_9**: @hippietrail usually not, but depending on the context, it might.  
> **username_0**: @o.k.w: Usually not OK??  
> **username_8**: @hippietrail Usually you wouldn't say "bon appetit" to someone eating a snack right? There's nothing offensive, it is just a bit weird  
> **username_0**: @hello_harry77: It's not usual in English but sometimes I do it for fun - a bit of random unexpected politeness to a stranger sometimes breaks the ice.  
> **username_8**: @hippietrail If breaking the ice / silence is your goal. You can say 吃零食呐? (hmm..having snack?) This is good because you can use in other casual situation. Example: You meet your neighbour watering the plant. Then you can say 浇花呐 See the pattern? Just add "呐" to whatever action they are doing.  Hope this helps  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2015-08-16. Score: 2

慢 generally has positive connotations of being deliberate, such as 慢走, "walk slow", which is commonly said before someone departs.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2015-08-18. Score: 1

Basically you can use it whenever you want to say enjoy the meal.

Most common use is by waiters. In Chinese dining, dishes are served in turn, not all in one go. So waiters say 请慢用 every time they bring a new dish to your table, no just right before you start. Same applies if you are cooking for your guest.

It is also used when you need to leave the party early. When you are leaving, even if people are about to finish the meal, you can still say 我先走一步，你们慢慢吃 (I'm off, you guys enjoy)

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: ah, definitely try to use polite word to a stranger, so 请慢用, instead of just 慢慢吃  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2015-08-16. Score: 1

It is a polite expression, not liable to cause offence, something like 'enjoy your meal'.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Just on a sidenote, we don't really say "enjoy your meal" in English, though English-teaching courses always seem to include it.  
> **username_5**: @hippietrail waitstaff at a restaurant often do :) but if the speaker is also going to eat, definitely not, they'd say something like "Let's eat!"  
> **username_0**: @Ming: That's true. Definitely in the US the waitstaff say it. Some of us sometimes like to say "bon appetit" - it's fun for some reason. But we don't know French so we generally pronounce the final "t". But yeah otherwise we might say "let's eat", "dig in", "tuck in", or a bunch of more colloquial variations. Especially if it's a bigger informal group or family get-together. Also, we're used to foreigners saying "enjoy your meal" even if we don't say it ourselves.  
> **username_6**: For me, in the US a simple "enjoy" is more commonly heard.  

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### Answer by username_7 on 2015-08-17. Score: 0

I think it's all about ***when*** you say it. If you say it before the person starts to eat, it's just a polite way to say "enjoy your food". If you say it when he/she already started, it could sound like you are correcting the way he/she eats.


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