A brief discussion on the differences between Chinese and Western food cultures. Due to the influence of regional characteristics, climate environment, customs and other factors, catering products will have varying degrees of differences in raw materials, tastes, cooking methods, and eating habits.

It is precisely because of these differences that catering products have strong regional characteristics.

The differences between Chinese and Western cultures create differences in Chinese and Western food cultures, and this difference comes from the different ways of thinking and philosophies of life between China and the West.

Chinese people pay attention to "the unity of nature and man", while Westerners pay attention to "people-oriented".

Here we briefly talk about the differences between Chinese and Western food cultures from the following three aspects.

1. Two different dietary concepts. Compared with Chinese food that focuses on "taste", Western food concepts are a rational one.

Regardless of the color, aroma, taste, or shape of the food, nutrition must be guaranteed. Pay attention to how many calories, vitamins, proteins, etc. you need to take in a day.

Even if the taste is the same, you must eat it - because it is nutritious.

This dietary concept is consistent with the entire Western philosophical system.

Metaphysics is the main feature of Western philosophy.

The object of study in Western philosophy is the principles of things, and the principles of things are often metaphysical principles. Metaphysical principles are coherent with each other and form metaphysical philosophy.

This philosophy has brought vitality to Western culture, enabling it to achieve rapid development in natural science, psychology, and methodology.

But in other areas, such as food culture, this philosophical proposition has greatly hindered.

At a banquet, you can pay attention to tableware, materials, service, and the combination of shapes and colors of raw materials; but no matter how luxurious and high-end it is, from Los Angeles to New York, steak has only one taste and no art at all.

As a dish, chicken is chicken, and steak is steak. Even if there is a combination, it is done on a plate. A plate of "French lamb chops" has mashed potatoes on one side, lamb chops next to it, boiled green beans on the other side, and a few slices

Tomatoes are ready.

The contrast in color is sharp, but in terms of taste, the various raw materials are independent and harmonious with each other. Each has its own taste, which is simple and clear.

Chinese people attach great importance to "eating". The proverb "food is the first thing for people" shows that we regard eating as important as heaven.

Since our nation has been at a low level of productivity for thousands of years and people always don’t have enough to eat, we have a unique food culture that values ??eating above all else. I think this is probably due to a

It’s necessary for survival.

If a culture regards eating as the most important thing, then two phenomena will occur: on the one hand, it will maximize the function of eating, not only to maintain survival, but also to use it to maintain health. This is "medicine is not as good as tonic"

The cultural basis of "food supplement"; on the other hand, excessive emphasis on eating will make people admire the pursuit of delicious food.

In Chinese cooking, the pursuit of delicious food is almost to the extreme, so much so that when Chinese people go overseas to make a living, they open restaurants as a career, which has become the foundation for us to settle down and live in the world!

Unfortunately, when we regard the pursuit of delicious food as our first requirement, we ignore the most fundamental nutritional value of food. Many of our traditional foods have to be hot-fried and simmered for a long time to reduce the nutritional value of the dishes.

Damaged, many nutrients are lost during processing.

Therefore, when it comes to nutritional issues, it actually touches on the biggest weakness of Chinese food culture.

There is a popular saying among the people: "Food is the first priority for the people, and taste is the first priority in food."

It is this pursuit of delicious food that makes us ignore the true meaning of eating.

When Chinese people taste dishes, they often say that this dish is "delicious" and that dish is "not delicious"; however, if we want to ask further what is "delicious", why is it "delicious", and "yummy"

Where it is, I'm afraid it's not easy to tell clearly.

This shows that the Chinese pursue an indescribable "artistic conception" of food. Even if we use what people usually call "color, aroma, taste, shape, and utensils" to concrete this "realm", I am afraid it will still be

Hard to cover.

The key to why Chinese food has its unique charm lies in its taste.

The creation of delicious food lies in harmony. It is necessary to make the original taste of food, the cooked taste after heating, the taste of ingredients and auxiliary materials, and the harmonious taste of seasonings, interweave and coordinate together, so that they complement each other, penetrate each other, and blend in water and milk.

,You have me I have you.

The beauty of harmony that Chinese cooking pays attention to is the essence of Chinese cooking art.

The shape and color of dishes are external things, but the taste is internal. Emphasizing the internal rather than deliberately modifying the appearance, emphasizing the taste of dishes without overly revealing the shape and color of the dishes is exactly the principle of the Chinese concept of aesthetic food.

The most important performance.

In China, the pursuit of aesthetic beauty in food obviously overwhelms rationality. This view on food is also consistent with traditional Chinese philosophical thoughts.

As a representative of Eastern philosophy, Chinese philosophy has its distinctive characteristics of being macroscopic, intuitive, vague and elusive.

The method of making Chinese food is to blend Ding Nai, and ultimately to create a beautiful taste.

What this pays attention to is proportion and overall coordination.

It contains the rich dialectical thinking of Chinese philosophy. Everything is measured by the beauty and harmony of the taste of the food. The ever-changing within the degree determines the richness and variety of Chinese food, the characteristics of Chinese food and even the personality of each chef.

Features.

2. Differences between Chinese and Western dietary objects Westerners believe that dishes are to satisfy hunger, so they specialize in "hard dishes" such as large pieces of meat and whole pieces of chicken.