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 appear in raw materials, tastes, cooking methods, and eating habits. varying degrees of difference. 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 food concepts

Compared with Chinese food that focuses on "taste", the West has a rational food concept. 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 compatible 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. Even 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" and why is "good" "Eat" and "delicious" are probably not easy to explain 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 concretize this "realm", I am afraid it will still be Hard to cover.

The key to the unique charm of Chinese food 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, and 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 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. And Chinese cuisine is about "taste", so Chinese cooking also shows great arbitrariness in the ingredients used: many things that Westerners regard as discards are excellent raw materials in China, and foreign chefs cannot handle them. Once in the hands of a Chinese chef, everything can turn decay into magic. This shows the wide range of randomness in the ingredients used in Chinese food.

According to a survey by Western botanists, Chinese people eat more than 600 kinds of vegetables, which is six times more than in the West. In fact, in Chinese cuisine, vegetarian dishes are common food, and meat dishes only enter the daily diet structure during holidays or when the living standard is high. Therefore, there has been a saying of "vegetable food" since ancient times. Vegetable food plays an important role in the daily diet structure. dominant. The Chinese's preference for plant-based dishes is inextricably linked to the advocacy of Buddhists. They regard animals as "living things" and plants as "inanimate", so they advocate vegetarianism.

When Westerners introduce the dietary characteristics of their own countries, they feel that they pay more attention to the reasonable combination of nutrition than China. There are relatively developed food industries, such as canned food, fast food, etc. Although the taste is the same, it saves time and They are well-nourished, so people in their countries are generally physically stronger than Chinese people: tall, long legs, broad shoulders, and well-developed muscles; while Chinese people appear to be thin, with narrow shoulders, short legs, and weak complexion. Based on the obvious differences between Chinese and Western diets, some people call Chinese people plant character and Westerners animal character.

3. Differences in dietary styles

There are great differences between Chinese and Western dietary styles, 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 sits around and enjoys a meal. The banquet uses a round table, which creates an atmosphere of unity, courtesy, and fun. Delicious food is placed in the center of a table. It is not only an object for people to appreciate and taste, but also a medium for emotional communication among people at the table. People toast each other, offer each other food, and persuade each other to eat. In the face of beautiful things, they embody the virtues of mutual respect and courtesy between people. Although this way of eating has obvious shortcomings from a hygienic point of view, it is in line with the general mentality of our nation's "happy reunion" and reflects the influence of the category of "harmony" in classical Chinese philosophy on the thoughts of future generations. It facilitates collective emotional communication, 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 a banquet is friendship, which is achieved through conversations with neighboring guests. If the sociability of a banquet is compared to dance, then it can be said that a Chinese banquet is like a group dance, while a Western banquet is like a ballroom dance between men and women.

It can be seen that the purpose of socializing in Chinese banquets and Western banquets is obvious, but Chinese banquets are more about socializing among all the guests, while Western banquets are mostly about socializing between adjacent guests. What is even more obvious about the difference from Chinese eating styles is the popular buffets in the West. This method is: display all the food one by one, and everyone can get what they need. They don’t have to be fixed in their seats to eat, and they can move around freely. This method facilitates emotional communication between individuals. It is not necessary to put everything on the table, but also to express It has improved Westerners’ respect for individuality and self. But everyone eats their own food and doesn't disturb each other, which lacks some of the Chinese people's mood of having fun and having fun.

So, in the final analysis, it is the difference between sensibility and rationality. However, this difference seems to be blurring with the development of science. More and more Chinese people no longer only pay attention to the color, aroma and taste of food, but pay more attention to its hygiene and nutrition. Especially after experiencing SARS. Also, because people are increasingly busy with work, they feel that it is too troublesome to prepare Chinese food, so it is better to have a hamburger to wait for it. As a result, the difference in diet is not clear.