Cultural Differences in Chinese and Western Food Culture Essay

Food is a broad term and concept that encompasses the culture and behavior related to eating and drinking. Diet is a modern culture, and Chinese food is famous all over the world. It is an indisputable fact that Chinese food is delicious and foreigners love it. The following is the cultural differences between Chinese and Western food culture essay that I brought for you , welcome to read.

Abstract: This paper describes the cultural differences between Chinese and Western food culture, analyzes the differences between Chinese and Western food culture in the philosophical system, values, ways of thinking, etc., so as to promote the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, and to let more people through the food to understand the culture behind the food.

Keywords: Chinese and Western culture, food culture, comparison of differences

When it comes to food culture, people always think of "eating" first, which is true that food is the first need for human survival and development, and is one of the basic forms of social life. However, with the addition of the word "culture", diet is not just "eat" so simple, it includes the whole of food culture, is the creative behavior of human beings in the diet and its results, where the human diet-related ideas, consciousness, concepts, philosophy, The first is that it is not a good idea to have a good time, but it is a good idea to have a good time.

First, the difference between Chinese and Western food culture

The most obvious difference between Chinese and Western food culture is the use of eating utensils. Westerners use knives and forks as eating utensils, and the provisions of the obvious, different specifications of the use of knives and forks of different ways and occasions, and can not be mixed.

The Chinese table is not as complicated as the Westerners'. Although it is a simple pair of chopsticks, it plays a very important role in food culture: chopsticks can be our cooking tools, but also a mixer in every household, an egg, a drink, no doubt need chopsticks to help. Compared to the West, where chopsticks are so strictly regulated, Chinese chopsticks are much more casual.

The whole process of cooking in the West is scientifically oriented and must be done in strict accordance with scientific norms, with each dish being cooked almost exactly the same way, and the spices used being precise to the gram, and the cooking time being precise to the second.

Westerners on the selection of food is very standardized, they are mostly meat-based, cooking is often a whole piece of meat or a whole bird as the main food, and do not eat offal, that offal is discarded; for the selection of vegetables is also relatively single, and in the diet of vegetables for decorative auxiliary, so in the Western diet of vegetables for decorative tools.

Compared to Westerners, Chinese people are much more casual in their choice of food and the way they cook it. In the hands of the Chinese chef can also be turned into a beautiful dish, such as dishes abound, such as stir-fried pork loin, bad pork belly, chives fried pork liver, and so on. When it comes to cooking style, it is endless. Unlike the Western "precise to the gram", "precise to the second", the Chinese have always been "arbitrary", emphasizing the results of experience to grasp. Chinese people like vegetarianism, the types of vegetables far more than the West, so that the ingredients with each other, there are many variations, in order to stir-fry pork liver as an example, can be fried pork liver onions, can be fried pork liver green pepper, more can be fried pork liver leeks, each dish has its own flavor.

The Western food culture focuses on the nutritional value of food, so they advocate eating raw food, they believe that high-temperature cooking will destroy the nutrition of the food itself, the only way to maximize the preservation of the natural attributes of food and the original flavor, then the nutritional value of what they are looking for can also be well preserved.

Chinese food culture is more important to the flavor of the food, "delicious" is the first key to the Chinese food culture, therefore, the Chinese will use all the technical means, cooking methods, flavoring methods to make their own food to become delicious, in China, frying, boiling, stewing, braising, broiling, grilling, steaming, pan-frying, deep-frying, simmering, simmering, simmering, and so on, are very common cooked food cooking techniques, and the Chinese people have been very happy to see that the food has been cooked in the raw. In China, stir-frying, boiling, braising, broiling, grilling, steaming, pan-frying, stewing, simmering, and stir-frying are all very common cooking techniques.

The Cultural Roots Behind the Differences

(a) Philosophical System: Metaphysics and the Principle of Moderation

The Western philosophical system is mainly characterized by metaphysics, that is, isolation, static, one-sided view of the world, the view that all things are isolated, forever unchanged; and that if there is a change, then it is only an increase or decrease in quantity and place. If there is any change, it is only an increase or decrease in quantity and a change in place, and the reason for this increase or decrease or change is not inside but outside the thing. Reflected in the food culture is that what you hear is what you see, whether it is the menu or food decoration, plating, are presented in a most direct way to people to see, the pursuit of authenticity, no gorgeous embellishments, and only reflect the original attributes of the food, this point and the Western principle of dealing with coincides with such a philosophical background has contributed to the Westerners regard "nutritional value" as the first priority of the diet.

Unlike the West, one of the most striking features of traditional Chinese philosophical thought is its vagueness and inscrutability. It is not like the Western metaphysics as the pursuit of objectivity, authenticity, emphasizing that what you hear is what you see, but everything is about proportion, about the overall coordination, about a "degree". Reflected in the food culture is the Chinese people will be "delicious" as the diet of the first importance. In cooking, Chinese people pay attention to the integration of the whole, not as precise as Westerners, and pay attention to experience to harmonize the various parts of a dish to form a delicious dish. The experience is fuzzy, the same dish, the same master, each time to do may also make a different flavor, with experience to grasp the dish as a whole, the pursuit of culinary technology and art, which is the traditional philosophical concept of the Chinese - fuzzy and perfect.

(2) Values: Individualism and Collectivism

Westerners promote individualistic values, where personal goals take precedence over loyalty to the group. That is to say, each only need to be responsible for their own can, do not need to obey any other collective, can according to their own preferences, needs to choose their favorite group, but such a choice is not permanent, can be at any time because of their own needs to change and re-select. For example, changing the church where one prays, changing employers, and so on. The most notable reflection of this in food culture is the practice of sharing meals in the West.

In contrast, the Chinese emphasize the value of collectivism. In Chinese culture, people respect modesty and courtesy, do not like to compete, the social atmosphere tends to block too prominent individuals, as the so-called "line above the crowd, people will be wrong. In the food culture, such a collectivist concept is indeed influenced by traditional Chinese thought, the Chinese feast more like to use the round table, from the form of unity, politeness, **** enjoy the atmosphere. Delicious food in the center of the table, both to appreciate the object of tasting, but also the medium of exchange of feelings. In such a banquet atmosphere, food and drink has not been the main purpose of the banquet, the exchange of emotions is the center of the banquet. Different from the Westerner's straightforward way of communication, the Chinese dietary purpose relies on a large group of people's feelings touch, communication and **** Ming.

(C) way of thinking: individuality and the whole

Westerners pay attention to the development of personality, emphasizing the individuality of the collective in the maximum play. They pursue differences, seeking differences in everything, that each person is unique, emphasizing that everything under the sun are independent individuals, no connection between each other, that personality and individual independence is one of the driving forces of the development of human society, so the view of things and considerations tend to be from the individuality of the Westerners will be the development of a unique personality is placed in all behavioral activities under the major premise. This is undoubtedly reflected in their food culture, clear-cut dish and decoration, although the same in a plate, is indeed a prominent individuality of their own, there is no reconciliation, meat that is meat, vegetables that is vegetables, potatoes that is potatoes, distinctive, clear flavor, will not affect each other, mixed with each other. In cooking, the same plate of different ingredients are also separated for processing, will not put them together to cook, everywhere show the westerners for the individual and individuality of respect and attention. The Chinese emphasize the importance of the whole. The Chinese emphasize the development of the whole. The Chinese focus on the development of the whole, emphasizing a complete, integrated way of thinking and ideology. Do not like too much distinctive individuality, reflected in the cooking is more obvious, no matter what kind of ingredients all poured into the pot, and then with a variety of condiments for cooking, even if the original distinctive personality, unique flavor of the ingredients in such a grinding will no longer appear so sharp. As a result, Chinese food tastes rich and layered. Looking back at each dish, red is not that bright red, green is not that eye-catching green, but a kind of harmonized after the harmonization of the beauty of harmony.

(D) Lifestyle and rhythm of life

In the West, the repetitive work on the assembly line, the implementation of piece-rate wage system, the pace of life is rapid, people, consciously or unconsciously by the mechanical dichotomy of the impact of the game and the work is very clear, that is, the work of the work, the game when the game is the game, so that the way of life is very monotonous, stereotypical, mechanical mode of work and life gradually affected the The Westerner's need for food and drink has led to the monotony and simplicity of the diet itself.

Chinese people are not, the Chinese people's randomness is reflected here, do not like simple, mechanical mode of work and life, promote an empirical way of work or like to add their own favorite elements or methods of work, like the Chinese food and cooking, there is instability, such instability refers to both the mode of work, the instability of the working method, and the instability of the results of the work. Stability. Just like a dish if you want to make it taste less salty, southerners may choose to put sugar to dilute the salty taste, such as the sweet and sour flavor of the southerners, which is to use the sweetness of sugar and the acidity of vinegar to neutralize the salty taste of soy sauce; whereas the northerners may add water to the dish to cook the ingredients, which lightens up the ingredients and at the same time changes the nature of the dish, and it may be transformed from a stir-fried dish into a beautiful soup, which is different due to the differences in the experience of life and the environment in which one lives. . This unstable and empirical way of changing the nature of the dish turns it into a three-course meal instead of a two-course meal, in which creativity and artistry are born.

Three, the current development of catering culture and the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures

However, today's Chinese and Western catering cultures are no longer as distinct as they were before, Chinese food is also integrated into the Western elements of Western food everywhere to show the Chinese style, which is a new model of food culture, Chinese and Western culinary culture will be a team of the team will be The team of Chinese and Western food culture will be more and more growing, and people can also understand the world through the understanding of food culture.

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