The author has been living in Europe for many years, the two catering culture has been the ears and eyes, but has been obsessed. One day with a compatriot who often travels between China and Europe to talk about it. The core difference between Chinese food and Western food, it turns out that the following in these points.
A, table - square table and round table
Chinese table is a round table (the new fast food and snacks department for the time being), the Western table is a square table - a round party, show culture.
Chinese people go to restaurants to eat is an important social behavior. Generally a person to pay for the host, everyone together around a round table, talk about heaven and earth, easy to communicate, communication. Generally have eaten a few meals, drink a few times, is an important basis for measuring the depth of friendship. The round table is obviously the best way to communicate with the best way to dine, adding to this sociable dining culture.
Western restaurant is also a social occasion, but focus on one-to-one communication. A square table width of one meter or so, across the guests can reach. Talking up four eyes, sincere and dedicated. By the way, the Europeans always stare at each other's eyes when talking, never distracted. If you talk to each other while responding to other people next to you, or sideways to talk to others will be considered disrespectful. The square table solves this problem.
In Chinese food, you get to know a bunch of people at once; in Western food, you may only get to know one person.
China's thousands of years of feudal dictatorship, meetings or office or, all are high officials sitting on the stage, a generous speech, the lower side of the ears, careful transcription, for fear of missing a word. There is no way, the position is given by the superiors, the future in the hands of a person, if you show some disrespect, is not self-destructive.
Although there is a difference in the location of the round table dinner. But dinner, the big man always have to do approachable, the face is not too ugly, so that the big man himself also have an appetite! The small man can also dare to say a little painless words, the distance between the upper and lower levels seems to have pulled in a lot, although there is still a primary and secondary.
Western countries pay attention to democracy, the meeting is basically a round table, the chief position is not the chief officer, but the host of the meeting. In this way, everyone can speak freely, in the form of full realization of democracy. The first thing you need to do is to get a good deal on the first day of the month, and then you'll be able to get a good deal on the second day of the month!
China used to have square tables.
China's past emperors or generals feast guests and friends, the President, living in the hall above the high platform, the overall situation. Guests low people a head, a table a person. The center of the field is empty, the emperor gave you a song and dance show. Respect and inferiority, noble and practicing, at a glance. You can enjoy the food, not nonsense; if there is no drumming, singing and dancing, eating end depressing!
Compared with the past, today's round table a big step forward hey!
B, dishes, meals and **** enjoy
Chinese food is the faster the better, a dish **** enjoy; Western food slowly, one by one.
Chinese food embodies a kind of Chinese people's idea of socializing: sharing the same blessings and difficulties! Specifically embodied is, a pot to eat, a plate to eat food. Chinese people in general are quick-thinking and fast-acting. After serving three or four dishes, at the word of command, everyone pushes cups and swaps cups and winds up. In the end, how many vegetables eat how much meat do not know; drink a few kilograms of a few bottles of wine, but remember clearly. To put it bluntly, the intention of the meal is not to eat but to drink, the intention of drinking is not to drink but to make friends. A meal spent how much money to drink how much wine are not important, the important thing is that we are happy, Figure is a lively. Want to eat eat want to drink drink, happy. You didn't get drunk I didn't get drunk he didn't get drunk, it's always unpleasant!
Westerners are serious about everything. A meal ate how much meat, how many vegetables, drink how much wine, all to quantify to each person, to ensure nutritional health. Even if the collective banquet, in addition to the buffet, or a person a copy, a road on. In addition to meat, vegetables and other main dishes, other such as bread, fruit, snacks are not less. A main meal should be eaten slowly, eat full, every gap in the stomach and intestines are stuffed to the brim. If you are full at one meal you will not be hungry at the next, and it does not matter if you do not eat for two or three meals. Note that bread, an indispensable staple in the West, also serves another function, which is to polish the plate. Every Italian will use a slice of bread to wipe the grease from the bottom of the plate a little bit, making sure that the plate shines as if it has just been washed before they will stop. Wine is served only to accompany the meal and is not usually mixed; one glass of red wine at a time is sufficient. After one or two collective toasts, there is no more persuasion (Germans will drink a little more and socialize a little more)! Eating shows respect for nature and for the fruits of labor! And respect for your own health and the health of others!
Chinese people eat to be happy and delicious; Westerners eat for health!
Chinese people like to say after eating, this restaurant is good, today this place to the right, next time to come back! As long as the restaurant is good, cooking fire and flavor are well grasped, each dish is also authentic.
Westerners after eating Western food will say that the restaurant's mushrooms, steak, lamb or snails are delicious, because they eat very few dishes, but also easy to remember clearly. Besides, western food oil, salt and vinegar on the table, whether it's good or not that's up to you!
C,Paying the bills, AA and treats
AA, we all know. Except for necessary banquets, the general party Westerners will each pay the bill. Who likes what to order, and eat as much as you can.
Westerners in life, help each other is also very common. No matter how close or distant, and no matter whether the nationals or foreigners, to help others things we will take the initiative to do, and there is no one who will not do. As for things beyond the scope of certain laws and regulations, no one has the privilege, no one can not help anyone, no one do not ask anyone. We are still "friends to friends, money to money" is more pragmatic. In fact, the Chinese people also pay attention to the pro-brother Ming Ming account it.
The Chinese face is a big deal, a table meal two people pay money is what meaning? So, despite the food, despite the food, eat, eat the leftovers to show the atmosphere. The plate is clean, the person who invited the guests also have no face! One thing we have overlooked is that the Chinese people have been working hard for centuries to solve the problem of food and clothing, and now we have not had enough for several years, how many people still do not have enough to eat! Chinese food is probably the only place on earth where such horrible, cruel and callous waste is practiced!
D,Tipping, to pay or not to pay
This issue is also well known.
In the West, restaurants, cabs and hotel baggage handlers are tipped. It's not hard to understand. In the West, service workers are respected, and anything that can be done personally and requires help from others, that is compensated for by tipping. That's why there are two professions that are largely absent in the West: shoehorning and bath scrubbing - the pay is good, but the tips are not. And if it's not, the tips are higher than the money.
The European point of view, inserting shoes is your own business; scrubbing is a very private thing, how can you ask others to do it for you?
European Chinese restaurants have a puzzling phenomenon: Chinese restaurants do not welcome Chinese people, especially tourist groups, the specific performance is the boss and the waiter's face is very difficult to see! That means, you come to us to give you food, you want to go you just go! The reason is that our group or people from the mainland basically do not tip!
You think ah, the same is the service, European countries, Asian Koreans, Thais, and even our compatriots in Taiwan are tipping, only the mainland guests eat even a thank you on the hula-hula away. If it were you, would you have a good face? Not to mention the brutal exercise of such facial muscles on a daily basis? Some people have thought about this problem, but then thought, are Chinese people do not matter. It's just that this idea is scary: we go to Western restaurants abroad to tip, into Chinese restaurants do not pay, is not disrespectful to the Chinese; we Chinese people do not respect themselves, who will also respect us?
I wonder, about that evil old society novels and movies, seems to often see people pay more to the shopkeeper as a tip description.
What's wrong with China today, isn't it already rich?
Korean and Japanese food, which learned a lot from Chinese food, is very scientific and standardized today. At least as much as the western food are divided into meals. The history alone, Western food can not be compared to China, but also the same borrowing reasonable. Sorry, no, very sorry. It has been proven that a lot of ancient and historical things that may have been advanced in the past may be backward today. The waves of the Yangtze River push forward the waves of the past, and the newcomers stand on the tip of the waves. It is really best if a people can put down their shelves and improve what they have traditionally done in their own culture.
As far as Chinese food is concerned, the first thing to do is to force the promotion of meal sharing, drinking in moderation, and resolutely eliminating waste. And then there's the need to respect the service and to be diligent about tipping! Of course, to do all this, not simply promote and publicize the problem, the core is a fundamental change in the social atmosphere!