Dissertations on the Differences between Chinese and Western Dietary Cultures

In all fields of society, people will inevitably contact or use papers, and with the help of papers, we can achieve the purpose of discussing problems and conducting academic research. How to write a paper to avoid stepping on thunder? The following is my collection of papers on the differences between Chinese and western food cultures, which are for reference only and I hope to help you.

Cultural Differences between Chinese and Western Cuisine Paper 1

Abstract:

This paper expounds the cultural differences between Chinese and Western cuisines, and analyzes the differences in philosophy system, values and ways of thinking, so as to promote the integration of Chinese and Western cultures and let more people know the culture behind the diet through diet.

Keywords:

Chinese and Western cultures; Food culture; Comparison of differences

When it comes to food culture, people always think of "eating" first. Yes, food is indeed the first need for human survival and development, and it is one of the basic forms of social life. However, with the addition of the word "culture", diet is not only as simple as "eating", but also includes the whole diet culture, which is the creative behavior and achievements of human beings in diet. All thoughts, consciousness, concepts, philosophy, religion and art related to human diet are within the scope of diet culture.

1. Differences between Chinese and Western food cultures

The most obvious difference between Chinese and Western food cultures is the food utensils used. Westerners use knives and forks as utensils, and it is obvious that different specifications of knives and forks are used in different ways and occasions, and they cannot be mixed.

The dining table of China people is not as complicated as that of westerners. Although it is a simple pair of chopsticks, it plays a very important role in the food culture: chopsticks can be our cooking tool and also the agitator of every household. Chopsticks are undoubtedly needed to crack an egg and make a drink. Compared with such strict norms in the West, chopsticks in China are indeed much more casual.

under the influence of scientific guidance, the whole process of western cooking must be strictly in accordance with scientific norms. The cooking process and method of each dish are almost identical, and the seasonings used will be accurate to grams, and the cooking time will be accurate to seconds.

Westerners are very standardized in the selection of food. They mainly eat meat. When cooking, they often use a whole piece of meat or a whole bird as the main food, and they don't eat internal organs, thinking that internal organs are discarded materials. The choice of vegetables is also relatively simple, and vegetables are used as decoration AIDS in the diet, so vegetables are mostly decorative tools in the diet of westerners.

Compared with westerners, people in China are much more casual in their food choices and cooking methods. Chefs in China can also turn it into a delicious dish, and such dishes abound, such as stir-fried pork loin, bad pork belly, fried pork liver with leeks, and so on. When it comes to cooking methods, it is endless. Different from westerners' "accurate to the gram" and "accurate to the second", China people have always been "arbitrary", emphasizing to grasp the results by experience. People in China like vegetarianism, and the types of vegetables are far more than those in the West, so the collocation of ingredients is varied. Take fried pork liver as an example, it can be fried pork liver with green onions, fried pork liver with green peppers or fried pork liver with leeks, and each dish has its own flavor.

Westerners pay attention to the nutritional value of food in their diet culture, so they advocate eating raw food. They think that high-temperature cooking will destroy the nutrition of food itself, and only raw food can preserve the natural attributes and original flavor of food to the greatest extent, so the nutritional value they pursue can also be well preserved.

China's food culture pays more attention to the taste of food, and "delicacy" is the first meaning of China's food culture. Therefore, China people will make their food delicious by all technical means, cooking methods and seasoning methods. In China, frying, boiling, stewing, stewing, roasting, steaming, frying, frying, stewing and frying are very common cooked foods.

Second, the cultural roots behind the differences

(1) Philosophical system: metaphysics and the principle of moderation

The main feature of western philosophical system is metaphysics, that is, looking at the world from an isolated, static and one-sided point of view, thinking that everything is isolated and will never change; If there is any change, it is only the increase or decrease in quantity and the change in place. The reason for this increase or decrease or change is not inside the thing but outside it. Reflected in the food culture, what you see is what you hear. No matter the menu or the decoration and setting of food, it is presented to people in the most direct way, pursuing authenticity, without gorgeous embellishment, and only reflecting the original attributes of food, which coincides with the principle of doing things in the West. Under such a philosophical background, it has contributed to the idea that Westerners regard "nutritional value" as the first meaning of diet, regardless of the artistry, creativity and clear goal of diet.

Different from westerners, one of the most striking features of China's traditional philosophy is vagueness and unpredictability. Unlike western metaphysics, it does not pursue the objectivity and authenticity of things, and emphasizes that what you hear is what you see. Instead, it emphasizes moderation, overall coordination and a "degree". Reflected in the food culture, China people regard "delicacy" as the first meaning of food. In cooking, China people pay attention to the integration of the whole, without the accuracy of westerners. What they pay attention to is to coordinate all parts of a dish by experience to form a delicious dish. The experience is vague. The same dish, the same chef, may make different flavors every time. By relying on experience, we can grasp the whole dish and pursue the randomness and artistry of cooking technology. This is the traditional philosophical concept of China people-fuzzy and perfect.

(2) Values: Individualism and Collectivism

Westerners admire the values of individualism, and personal goals are higher than loyalty to groups. That is to say, everyone only needs to be responsible for himself, does not need to obey any other collective, and can choose his favorite group according to his own preferences and needs, but this choice is not permanent, and he can make a new choice at any time because of the change of his own needs. Such as changing the church of prayer, changing employers, and so on. Reflected in the food culture, the most remarkable thing is that westerners practice the system of separate meals.

In contrast, China people advocate collectivism. In China culture, people admire modesty and courtesy, and don't like to be competitive. The social atmosphere often bans individuals who are too prominent. As the saying goes, "People must be above others." In the food culture, this collectivism concept is really influenced by China's traditional thought. People in China like to use round tables for banquets, which formally embodies the atmosphere of unity, courtesy and enjoyment. Delicious food is placed in the center of the table, which is not only the object of appreciation and tasting, but also the medium of exchange of feelings. In such a banquet atmosphere, diet is no longer the main purpose of the banquet, and emotional communication is the center of the banquet. Different from westerners' straightforward communication style, China people's dietary purpose depends on the emotional touch, communication and singing of a large group of people.

(3) mode of thinking: individuality and wholeness

Westerners pay attention to the development of individuality and emphasize the maximum display of individuality in the collective. They pursue differences, seek differences in everything, think that everyone is unique, emphasize that everything in the world is an independent individual, and there is no connection between them. They think that individuality and individual independence are one of the driving forces for the development of human society. Therefore, their views and considerations on things often start from individuality, and westerners place the development of unique personality under the premise of all behavioral activities. This is undoubtedly reflected in their food culture. Although the distinct dishes and decorations are on the same plate, they are really independent with outstanding personality. There is no reconciliation. Meat is meat, vegetables are vegetables, and potatoes are potatoes. They have distinct personality and clear taste, and they will not affect each other and mix with each other. In cooking, different ingredients in the same plate are also processed separately, and they will not be cooked together, which shows Westerners' respect and attention to individuals and personalities everywhere. China people pay attention to the overall development, emphasizing a complete and integrated way of thinking and ideas. I don't like too bright personality, which is more obvious in cooking. No matter what kind of ingredients are poured into the pot and cooked with various condiments, even the original ingredients with bright personality and unique taste will not look so sharp under such a running-in. Therefore, Chinese food tastes rich and layered. Looking back at each dish, red is not so bright red, and green is not so eye-catching green, but a kind of harmonious beauty after reconciliation.

(4) Lifestyle and life rhythm

In the West, the repetitive work on the assembly line and the piecework wage system lead to a rapid pace of life. People are consciously or unconsciously influenced by the mechanical dichotomy, and the game and work are clearly divided, that is, work at work and play at game. This lifestyle is very monotonous and rigid, and the mechanical working and living mode gradually affects the demand of westerners for diet, leading to the singleness and simplicity of diet itself.

China people are not. China people's arbitrariness is evident here. They don't like the simple and mechanical working and living mode, and they admire an empirical working mode or like to add their favorite elements or methods to their work. Just like China's cooking, there is instability. This instability refers to the instability of working mode and working method, and also refers to the instability of working results. Just like if a dish wants to make it taste less salty, southerners may choose to dilute the salty taste with sugar, such as the sweet and sour flavor of southerners, that is, neutralize the salty taste of soy sauce with the sweetness of sugar and the acidity of vinegar; Northerners, on the other hand, may add water to this dish to cook the ingredients, which will dilute the ingredients and change the nature of the dish at the same time. It may change from a stir-fried dish to a delicious soup because of different life experiences and living environments. This unstable and empirical way of changing makes the original simple dish become three dishes instead of two, in which creativity and artistry emerge spontaneously.

Third, the current development of catering culture and the integration between Chinese and Western cultures

However, today's catering culture between China and the West is no longer as distinct as it used to be. Chinese food has also incorporated western elements, and western food shows Chinese style everywhere. This is a new type of catering culture model, and the catering culture team combining Chinese and Western cultures will grow stronger and stronger, and people can also understand the world through understanding the catering culture.

references:

[1] Guo Lufang, Jin Huijun. Thoughts brought about by the cultural differences between Chinese and Western restaurants [A]. Business and Economic Culture, 25(5):13-15.

[2] Liu Yansong. Differences in cultural concepts between Chinese and Western restaurants [J]. economic research guide, 21(36):258-259.

[3] Zhao Qizhi. Differences between Chinese and Western food cultures [J]. Food Engineering, 26.12(4):14-15.

[4] Feng Yong, He Huanhuan. Analysis of the differences between Chinese and Western ways of thinking from the perspective of food culture [J] The development history of Chinese and western food culture describes the different cultural processes of the United States and China respectively. Because of the different cultural connotations, there are differences in food. This paper mainly discusses the differences in concepts, banquet etiquette and the integration of Chinese and western food cultures. Finally, it introduces the influence of western diet on China, and discusses it from both positive and negative aspects. While understanding the cultural differences between Chinese and western food, we should accept the acceptable part and integrate it with China food, which will enrich our daily diet, but it also has its own characteristics. This is our correct attitude towards Chinese and western food culture.

Keywords:

Differences between China and the West; Food culture; Catering Etiquette

Different nationalities and countries have their own distinctive catering cultures. It has the characteristics of strong nationality and diversity. The difference of food culture is also one of the factors that affect the communication results in cross-cultural communication. China has a splendid, rich and profound food culture; Western countries have a sophisticated and self-contained food civilization. The collision and communication between Chinese and western food cultures have enriched the global food culture.

first, the differences between Chinese and western food concepts from the perspective of chopsticks and knife and fork culture

Knife and fork appeared because they adapted to the eating habits of Europeans, and it and chopsticks influenced the different life concepts of the East and the West. Chinese diet knives and forks appeared much later than chopsticks. According to Professor You Xiuling's research, the original origin of knives and forks was related to the living habits of ancient European nomads. They immediately lived with knives and often cooked the meat and cut it to eat. Later, after moving towards settled life, animal husbandry dominated Europe, and bread and the like were non-staple foods, which were directly taken by hand. The staple food is beef and mutton, which is cut with a knife and sent to the import. After settling in the city, knives and forks enter the family kitchen, so you don't have to take them with you. It is not difficult to see that knives and chopsticks, as the main tableware in the west today, have very different identities. They can be used for slaughtering, dissecting and cutting the meat of cattle and sheep, and can also be used as tableware when cooked and eaten.

Around the 15th century, in order to improve the eating posture, Europeans used double-pointed forks. It's unsightly to send food into the mouth with a knife, but it's more elegant to send it into the mouth with a fork to hold the meat. Forks are strictly tableware, but the weakness of forks is that they can't be cut in front with a knife, so both are indispensable. It was not until the end of the 17th century that British upper class began to use three-pointed forks, and it was not until the 18th century that there were four-pointed forks. So westerners use knives and forks for only four or five hundred years.

Knife, fork and chopsticks not only bring about differences in eating habits, but also affect the life concept of people in the East and the West. Professor You Xiuling believes that the knife and fork will inevitably lead to the sharing system, and chopsticks will definitely match the family members sitting around the table and eating together. From the very beginning, the west divided itself into two parts, which led to the idea and habit that westerners pay attention to independence and their children will enter the world independently when they grow up. The dining system brought by chopsticks highlights the family unit where the old and the young sit together, thus giving orientals a relatively solid family concept.

Although we can't simply correspond the formation of different traditions with the differences of tableware, there is no doubt that they have adapted to and contributed to this differentiation. Chopsticks are a symbol of cultural tradition. Chinese people go to the United States and Europe, and they still use chopsticks. The culture is deeply rooted, while foreigners learn to use chopsticks in China, and they still have to pick up knives and forks when they return to their own countries.

Second, the differences in cooking methods

In China, cooking is an art, which, like other arts, embodies the unity of rigor and improvisation. Therefore, cooking in China has always been extremely interesting, even with a certain degree of playfulness, attracting China people who take diet as their greatest pleasure in life. Because the development is very mature, it has developed from the method of operating completely according to the menu to a higher stage. Every dish can be developed and changed on the original basis to adapt to the different regions, seasons, objects, functions and grades. For example, beef fried with mushrooms should be darker in winter and heavier in taste, while in summer.