Chinese and Western cultures have always been the two major factions of the world culture, and food occupies a very important position in the middle of the two cultures. Differences between Chinese and Western cultures have created differences between Chinese and Western food cultures. Under the background of two different cultures, the differences between Chinese and Western food customs, whether in their concepts, nature, or in their ways, objects and so on, are very distinctive. According to his decades of experience in Western-style catering, the author puts forward the following points for reference.

1, the difference between the concept of Chinese and Western food

Historically, China is one of the world's oldest countries, with 5,000 years of long and thick history, creating countless brilliant civilization, in this cultural heritage, so that China's diet is more extensive and profound. With the passage of time and the geographical differences of the vast country, the four major cuisines have gradually formed. The four major cuisines are self-contained systems, each with its own characteristics, but *** the same point is the complexity of the materials used in the elaborate and sophisticated production methods, and the variety of flavors and dishes is amazing.

Western Europe and the United States as a representative of its culture also has a long history. By the Middle Ages, European culture was already very well developed, and during this period, the food culture of the Old West had already taken shape. Its main characteristics are: the staple food is mainly flour, raw materials are also more abundant, the production method is simpler than in China, but at the same time also pay great attention to taste.

Because of the difference in philosophical thinking between China and the West, Westerners emphasize science in their diet. Science is important to emphasize nutrition. Therefore, the Western diet to nutrition as the highest standard, eating as if for a biological machine to add fuel, especially the nutritional composition of food, protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and various types of inorganic elements of the content of the right mix, the supply of calories is just right as well as these nutrients can be fully absorbed by the eaters, with or without other side effects. These issues are cooking in the big questions, while the color, aroma and taste of the dishes, how, is a secondary requirement. Even in the West's premier dietary power - France, its food culture, although in many ways similar to us, but once in contact with the nutritional issues, the two sides will be pulled away from the distance.

China's five flavors and harmony of the cooking techniques aimed at the pursuit of delicious, its processing of hot oil frying and a long time of the fire attack, will make the dishes of the nutrients are destroyed. French cooking is also the pursuit of delicious, but at the same time always forget the "nutrition" as a major premise, a taste of nutrition and the pursuit of delicious is what they do not take. Especially in the 1960s, the emergence of modern cooking ideas, special emphasis on health, weight loss, and thus the pursuit of light oil, emphasizing the use of fresh raw materials, emphasizing the cooking process to maintain the original nutrients and the original flavor, so the basic vegetables

The reason why the Chinese and Western civilizations towards different, different development, different results, the fundamental is due to the difference between the Chinese and Western ways of thinking. Different ways of thinking determine the different perspectives and methods of human observation of the world, dealing with problems, and then in the establishment of ideas and theories, the construction of scientific systems, the creation of technological systems, the setting of the economic system, and so on, and even the human temperament, personality and behavior, and values are different, and ultimately inevitably lead to the direction of civilization, the development of civilization, the results of all different.

To cite an example, Chinese medicine is now being debated, Chinese medicine and Western medicine is exactly the evolution of the two ways of thinking of the Chinese and Western different doctrinal systems. Western medicine is a kind of science, i.e., medicine, which is a scientific system constructed by the Western way of thinking, i.e., formal logic, and proved by empirical methods. Chinese medicine should not be called a science, but it is a reflection of the Chinese way of thinking, and the way of healing that is ultimately formed by this way of thinking. Chinese medicine is worthy of the truth, and it can not only cure the disease, but also cure the disease, it is completely by the Chinese way of thinking to evolve the theoretical system. Therefore, Chinese and Western medicine are different theoretical systems based on two ways of thinking, i.e., two systems of perception and evaluation of objectivity. In reality, it is precisely because of the above differences between Chinese and Western medicine that each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and so there is a combination of Chinese and Western medicine today, i.e., the use of both.

Western logical thinking, empirical methods of interpretation of the brilliant modern civilization of the West, which is known and enjoyed by the world. However, people know very little about the traditional Chinese way of thinking, which is used to realize knowledge through materialism, and even today no one can define and understand it clearly. This is one of the greatest sorrows and one of the most challenging and urgent questions facing us Chinese.

If we cannot accurately, comprehensively and profoundly understand our own traditional Chinese way of thinking, we cannot really know the beauty, value and limitations of this way of thinking, let alone correctly evaluate and understand our great ancient civilization. I have often wondered why, in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, the superb, rich and profound doctrines of the Hundred Schools of Thought suddenly sprang up like bamboo shoots in the spring. In fact, when I think about it, a very important condition is the subjective condition, that is, the traditional Chinese way of thinking in the face and solve very complex and profound objective problems, has become very mature, can be said to have reached the point of perfection. This is in fact one of the great spiritual fruits of the Chinese nation's contribution to mankind, and it is this way of thinking that has influenced every aspect of our nation and evolved everything. When it came to the end of the Ming and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, with the brilliant variety of chapter books, all aspects of our ancient civilization were developed to the extreme.

Comparing the two ways of thinking, we can see that each of them has its own shortcomings, and their differences are just the opposite of each other, so they can be compared, contrasted, and inspired by each other, so that they complement each other, and help each other, this is the greatest contribution of China and the West to mankind, and therefore are the two great treasures of mankind. Leaf dares to boldly assert that these two ways of thinking will ***exist*** and develop in harmony until the day when mankind ceases to exist.

One hundred years we have been learning from the West, today we have a strong material foundation, made initial achievements, in the face of the complexity of the reality, we feel the pain or less, so more and more people began to our own traditional way of thinking and ancient civilization re-examined, from which we have the hope that, have the conditions than the West earlier than the grasp of these two treasures, to meet, The century of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.