The?Differences?in?Food?Culture?between?China and?Western?Countries

【Abstract】Food plays an important and indispensable role in our lives.Its not only the necessary thing in our daily life ， but also a pattern of manifestation of cultural features.This article is food culture differences between China and western countries.Food culture may reveal one aspect of cultural diversity. Discussing about the differences of food culture can help people to know more about each culture and lead to a successful communication and development between two cultures.

【Key words】food cultures； China and Western； cross-culture； diversity

【作者簡介】廖紫锐，成都实验外国语学校（西区）。

As far as we know， Chinese food culture provides a tricking contrast to that ofWestern countries. On account of different history， traditional culture and surrounding circumstances， as one of the most basic elements， diet differences seem more and more marked. There are some main differences between Chinese and Western food culture.

I. The differences in types of materials

Materials for eating are decided by different geographical environment. China is located in Eastern hemisphere and has a lot of land resources.It also has developed agricultural production.From the early ancient time，China depended on its traditional crop production， which decided on today's Chinese eating habit .Chinese people are keen on crops. Western countries are located in the Western Eurasia. Because of the special geological features，they mainly developed animal husbandry and their staple food are beef， mutton， wheat and reprocessed food.

The materials for Chinese dishes are varied. Something that cannot be food or dish in Western countries can be choices for Chinese people. Chinese like trying various kinds of fanciful food，they always make a groaning board to show off the luxury of the meals. For example， they used to eat different seafood and sometimes eat the purtenance of animals. But for Westerners， they only choose the usual and basic materials to make a meal， such as beef， mutton， carrots， cauliflowers and so on，they hardly eat some of the food which Chinese people like.What is clear that they may think all these usual things can satisfy their demand for food.

II. The differences in ways of cooking

There are various ways of cooking in China. In China， cooking is an art affected by traditional Chinese poems， music and paintings. Chinese way of cooking reveals unique Chinese characteristic. In Chinese paintings and calligraphies， empty part， ‘liu bai in Chinese， is one of the most important techniques of Chinese traditional art. We use empty spaces in the scene of rivers， clouds and fogs to show how wide the world is. The same idea is true of the Chinese cooking. There wont be a plate full of things for a big meal. Chinese cooks take the alignment as a pretty important part of cooking. All thoughts of ways are used in Chinese cooking， for instances frying， deep frying， scrambling， boiling， steaming， stewing， simmering etc.

On the contrary， Western way of cooking is limited because Western food procession started late. In the distant past， Chinese people have already learned to use porcelain. Although Western people tried to learn it too，their poor technique didn't make sense， only with the development of smelting technology did Western people start food processing. Therefore， Western people like to use simple ways to cook， such as boiling， stewing， frying.

And in another aspect， Chinese people are used to cooking some different food altogether to mix each special flavor.The reason why Chinese food is special is that it focus on its cuisine.They always fuse the original taste of food and the fragrance of various seasonings， which is our idea of the harmonization of tastes in ancient time. But Western people would like to cook them separately before putting them in the same container to keep the original taste.

III. The differences in habit of eating

Because of different regional features， climates and customs， the eating habit of Chinese and Western people is inevitability different. In China， people are always seated together in a round-table， which embodies the harmonious and happy atmosphere. They exchange toasts with each other， and even pick up the food for others， which may seem unsanitary for Western people， but this habit of eating accords with the traditional Chinese idea of ‘family reunion. After the meal， the host would like to pay for the whole meal to show their generosity.

On the contrary， Western people usually sit along a square table and everyone eats the food in their own plate separately. After the meal， they split the bill or pay their own dishes .

With cultural accumulation， this traditional Chinese culture has deeply stamped in every Chinese person's heart， has been a part of our modern social life. Eating for Chinese people means making friendly contacts and communication， which is going beyond the original definition of it.But for Western people， the meal seems more peaceful and free. During the meal， they only help with their own need， but they won't disturb others. If necessary， they choose to speak in a very low voice in order to respect others. They won't let the knife or fork make a sound， fully giving others personal spaces.

From another aspect， Chinese people focus on the ‘flavor of the food. Their interest in delicacy reaches the acme. In most cases， they will ignore the nutritional value， while western people are keen on the nutrition. Chinese people prefer hot food while Western people are crazy about cold food. From Chinese point of view， hot food means “lively atmosphere”， and the hot food can bring people sense of warmth， which seems very important for Chinese tradition. In Western countries， to keep nutrition of the food， they just do some cold-forming on them.

And there is another phenomenon in China， people of different areas have their own tastes： people in the north seem to like pasta dishes better，and prefer light food.But people in the south are keen on sweet food and spicy food.Western people's taste maybe more simple and accordant with the country.

IV. Differences in table manners

The table manners for Chinese people are pretty strict from the early ancient time. The most prominent characteristic for Chinese table manner is about declining modestly. At every banquet， you'll probably see people declining a seat or arranging the seat order， because in Chinese people's eyes， the central seat goes to the most exalted people while the other seat order rests with different identities and status.And during the whole banquet，there are lots of regulations to follow，for instance， you'd better not move your chopsticks to pick up dishes until the most respectable people do . But Westerners treat the seat order in another way： all the people are took into consideration and ladies usually go first. All the people in the presence of the banquet are equal to each other， so the seat order doesnt matter that much.

V. Summary

Due to the differences in the geographical environment and history between China and Western countries， the differences in diet are inevitable. But these two cultures are not completely unblendable，all we need to do is to remain our own unique and monolithic features， absorbing the other excellent cultures to develop the vitality of our culture.

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