Differences between Chinese and Western diets

(1) jiaozi

Every Spring Festival in China, a plate of hot jiaozi is indispensable, while foreigners, like China people, also eat jiaozi during the Spring Festival, but their practices and eating methods are unique and original. Jiaozi used pork or leek as stuffing in China, and the skin was made of flour and eggs. Jiaozi looks like a moon bud. It can be steamed, boiled, fried, fried, etc., while people in China like to eat steamed dumplings with ginger vinegar. Italian dumpling stuffing is very different from China. Cheese, onion and egg yolk are the main ingredients, and sometimes some spinach and beef are added. There is also a kind of chicken and cheese as the main ingredients, and the main seasonings are butter, onion, lemon peel and cardamom. They wrap hinges by pressing the noodles into a long strip, putting a spoonful of stuffing, dipping the edges of the noodles with water, pressing them together with the same noodles, and then cutting them one by one with a knife. Jiaozi is cooked in the same way as China.

(2) Tea Ceremony

Tea Ceremony, one of China's national quintessence, has a long history in China. Due to the exchange of Chinese and western cultures, tea ceremony has been popularized to western countries, among which it is the most popular in Britain. The greatest enjoyment of tea ceremony in British life is to have a cup of hot tea on the pillow before getting up. The British also ingeniously regard tea party as one of the important forms of gathering. Tea party is not only more economical than banquet, but also more affordable and elegant. When the British invite people to a tea party, they will send out a unique and implicit post. There is a rule at English tea parties: bread and snacks are for yourself, but the teapot is always in the hands of the hostess. In addition to the teapot, there is also a pot of boiling water. When the hostess pours tea for each guest, she will first ask "is it strong or weak". If she answers the latter, she will pour some boiling water and ask "How many pieces do you want?" To show respect for the guests, but remember that there is no burying one's head in snacks or holding a glass of milk at the English tea party. Conversation is the center of activity. At the tea party, the guests should not only be witty, but also avoid preaching and showing off. The hosts should always keep a warm and harmonious atmosphere on the field. Therefore, the tea party can be regarded as the most charming place and an excellent venue for training diplomats. China Tea Ceremony People in China emphasize "elegance" when drinking tea. They rarely add candy to tea like the British. People in China pay special attention to the collocation of tea and teacups. When drinking tea, they sometimes use teacups the size of fists and sometimes the size of bottle caps. People in China rarely hold tea parties. Even if there are, the host pours tea for the guests himself. However, unlike the British, they never meet the requirements of their guests first. Most of them only let their guests taste their own tea to show their tea ceremony skills.

(3) Coffee articles

The characteristic of enthusiastic Italian coffee is reflected in its English name, which is a fast word. You can make it in less than ten seconds and drink it quickly, because there are only two or three mouthfuls. Generally, Italians make a cup of coffee the first thing in the morning, and Italians drink an average of 2 cups of coffee a day. Moderate and sensible Chinese people in China don't drink coffee as enthusiastically as the Italians, nor as romantically as the French. People in China drink coffee rationally and moderately, just like the traditional national character. China people make coffee at home, mostly using simple hot coffee. In addition, the penetration rate of coffee in China is far less than that in western countries.

summary

1. Two different dietary concepts

Due to the influence of regional characteristics, climatic environment, customs and habits, catering products will have different degrees of differences in raw materials, tastes, cooking methods and eating habits. It is precisely because of these differences that catering products have a strong regional character. The differences between Chinese and western cultures have created the differences between Chinese and western food cultures, which come from different ways of thinking and philosophy of life. China people pay attention to "harmony between man and nature", while westerners pay attention to "people-oriented".

Compared with China's diet which pays attention to "taste", the west is a rational diet concept. Regardless of the color, fragrance, taste and shape of food, nutrition must be guaranteed, and how many calories, vitamins, protein and so on should be taken in a day. Even if the taste is the same, you must eat it-because it is nutritious This concept of diet is compatible with the whole western philosophy system. Metaphysics is the main feature of western philosophy. The research object of western philosophy is the reason of things, and the reason of things is often metaphysical, which is coherent with each other and forms metaphysical philosophy. This philosophy has brought vitality to western culture and made it develop by leaps and bounds in natural science, psychology and methodology. But in other aspects, this philosophical proposition has greatly hindered, such as food culture. At the banquet, you can pay attention to tableware, materials, service and the collocation of raw materials in shape and color. But no matter how luxurious and upscale, from L.A. to new york, steaks have only one flavor, and there is no art at all. As a dish, chicken is chicken, and steak is steak. Even if there is a match, it is done in the plate. A plate of "French lamb chops" is served with mashed potatoes, lean against the lamb chops, boiled green beans and a few slices of tomatoes on the other side. The colors are in sharp contrast, but the various raw materials are irrelevant and harmonious in taste, each with its own flavor, which is simple and clear.

China people attach great importance to "eating". The proverb "Food is the sky for the people" shows that we regard eating as important as the sky. Because our nation has been at a low level of productivity for thousands of years, people are always hungry, so there is a unique diet culture that puts food above everything else. I think this is probably due to a need for survival. If a culture regards eating as the first thing, then there will be two phenomena: on the one hand, it will play its function to the extreme, not only to maintain survival, but also to use it to maintain health, which is the cultural basis of "medicine tonic is not as good as food tonic"; On the other hand, paying too much attention to food will make people admire the pursuit of delicious food.

Second, the differences in dietary patterns

There are great differences in dietary patterns between China and the West, and this difference also has an impact on national character. In China, any banquet, no matter what the purpose, will only have one form, that is, everyone will sit around and enjoy a seat. The banquet should use a round table, which creates an atmosphere of unity, courtesy and interest in form. Delicious food is placed in the center of a table of people, which is not only the object of appreciation and taste of a table of people, but also the medium of emotional communication of a table of people. People toast each other, offer each other food, and advise each other, which embodies the virtue of mutual respect and comity among people in the face of beautiful things. Although from the point of view of hygiene, this kind of diet has obvious shortcomings, but it conforms to the universal mentality of "happy reunion" of our nation, reflects the influence of the category of "harmony" in China's classical philosophy on the thoughts of future generations, and facilitates the collective emotional exchange, so it is difficult to reform so far.

Although food and wine are very important in western-style banquets, they are actually used as a foil. The core of the banquet is friendship, which is achieved by talking with the guests next door. If the sociability of banquets is compared with dancing, it can be said that Chinese banquets are like group dances, while western banquets are like social dances for men and women.

it can be seen that the purpose of friendship between Chinese banquets and western banquets is obvious, but Chinese banquets are more reflected in the friendship of the whole banquet, while western banquets are more reflected in the friendship between adjacent guests. The more obvious difference from China's diet is the buffet which is popular in the west. This method is: all foods are displayed one by one, and everyone needs what they want, so they don't have to be fixed in their seats to eat, and they can move freely. This way is convenient for emotional communication between individuals, and it is not necessary to put all the words on the table, which also shows the respect of westerners for individuality and self. But each eats his own food and doesn't interfere with each other, which lacks the emotional appeal of some China people chatting and having fun.