The Differences Between Chinese and Western Dietary Cultures.doc

The Differences Between Chinese and Western Dietary CulturesDiet is actually the contents of our daily lives, but why we call it culture? That is because the diet has special status in the Chinese culture, and it also has a great distinction between China and the west. 1. Differences on the conceptsThe diet is the most basic human activities, but if the problem mentioned why to eat, how to eat levels, it is embodied as a consciousness or idea. The West has the obvious difference with diet.In west, it is a rational scientific eating ideas. They emphasize the nutritional value of diets and take attention to the number of protein fat calories and vitamin, but not the color smell taste and shape. What the western eat is nutrition. They hardly or even never link the diet with the spirit of enjoyment. That reflects a strong practical and utilitarian purpose in the diet. Such as the Westerners do not eat animals offal. Also, in the cooking skills also appears on mechanical: The steak is steak, chicken is chicken, vegetables are never mixed other things. They won't make some tricks on food making. And the levels about eating rely on tableware, environment, food raw materials in shape and color to match the difference. However, the Chinese food is just the opposite.Chinese diet emphasizes a emotional and artistic ideas, caring more about the taste and feel of food without attention to foods nutrition. Chinese like to evaluate eating quality by the color taste shape or other aspects which is an indescribable mood. Simply speaking, its the taste that makes Chinese food good or bad. "Taste" is the charm of the Chinese diet.Chinese cooking often take many kinds of raw materials together so that they almost lost their own respective, but they can get a new complete delicious taste. Such as a famous dish “Fotiaoqiang(佛跳墙)”in Fujian includes chicken, duck, abalone, sea cucumber, tripe, shark and several kinds of vice materials. From this dish we cant simply taste the flavor of these kinds of food, but the taste is another delicious food. This also is Chinese dietary deficiencies. Chinese eating care too much about taste and the spirit of the meal, but ignore the reasonable collocation of nutrient. The Western diet pays more attention to scientific analysis and nutrition. Although its mechanical a little, it is fundamentally a positive development on the maintenance of human health. Therefore, Chinese should learn from the western "science" concept, learn from each other, making it more perfect.2. Differences on the contentDiet content is the question of what to eat, which rooted in ethnic differences in cultural background. Westerners eat more meat and take more attention to get animals protein and fat. In their diet, the meat is primary, like beef, chicken, pork, mutton and fish. It contacts with the western nomadic ethnic cultural. Because of Sailing, fishing and hunting and nomadic farming as the main activities, it determines the main of source of their food is animal. Not only is the diet, many other aspects of their lives need animal, too. While the Chinese is influenced by the agriculture civilization. In its traditional diet, the main food is grain, the second is the vegetable or less meat. Usually only in the new year Chinese family can add meat dishes. This diet is influenced by of the Buddhism culture, making it more obvious. Buddhist thought, animal is "the life", while the life cant be killed. Also, Taoism dont eat fish and meat, resulting in the China a vegetarian eating habit. On the other hand, it also promotes vegetable and fruit planting cultivation and cooking technology to develop, especially the technology development of beans.However, with the development of living level and the popularization of the concept in nutrition, it gradually increases the proportion of meat. For the same reason, in the Western diet, vegetables are also significantly increased, which means the Western diet structure has been gradually merged. They are influencing each other all the time.3. Differences on the patternsDietary patterns are the problem about how to eat. At this point, there are obvious differences in the west and China. In China, no matter whether it is family dinner or a formal banquet, people always share one seat. People toast each other, advising others eating vegetables, which reflecting mutual respect and harmonious atmosphere, particularly in various festivals. Banquet uses round table, which has created a unity of form, Main food are in the center of the table. It is the objects for people to appreciate and taste, and it is also an intermediate of communication. Although from the health point of view, this approach has obvious deficiencies, but it is in our national "happy" mentality, it reflects “the classical Chinese philosophy area of "and" impact for future generations”. It is helpful to facilitate the collective emotional exchanges and consequently difficult to reform.The western-style banquets, although the food and wine are very important, but in fact they are not that important. The core of Banquet is friendship, by the conversation with the guests who sitting next to achieve the purpose of recreation. If comparing between the banquets and dancing, it may be said that the Chinese banquet is like group dance, and the western banquet is like men and women dancing. This shows that communication purpose of Chinese banquet and western banquet are very obvious. Only the Chinese banquet is more popular in the communion, but western banquet shows guests reflected in the friendship between neighbors.The western-style banquets, although the food and wine are very important, but in fact they are just foil. The core of Banquet is friendship, by the conversation with the guests who sitting next to achieve the purpose of recreation. If making an analogous compare between the recreation of the banquets and dancing, it may be said that the Chinese banquet is like group dance, and the western banquet is like men and women dancing. This shows that communication purpose of Chinese banquet and western banquet are very obvious. Only the Chinese banquet is more popular in the communion, but western banquet shows guests reflected in the friendship between neighbors.The more obvious differences between Chinese and western dietary patterns is buffet dinner which is popular in the West. This method is to display all food, and everybody is picking not fixed in his or her places to eat. They walk freely. This approach would provide the emotional interaction between individuals. This also shows a western personality and self-respect. However, all the eating without jamming lacks the real affective tone like the Chinese people. Some people want to put the buffet in the Chinese food, but I think it is not feasible. The Chinese people are drinking around the table to show harmony and unity, but the buffet has broken such pattern. It raises the personal independence and self-mentioned at the first place. This is the opposite of the scale of the great unity of all Chinese traditional culture.4. Differences on the Dining etiquetteOn etiquette, there are more significantly different between Chinese and western. In ancient, Chinese dines in a complex process, which is an unnecessary and over -elaborate formalities. This is What is written in a old Chinese book：when people are eating together, you cant just care about yourself. If people eat meal with the others, you must check if your hands are clean. Dont put your redundant rice into the pot. Dont usurp food. After the meal, guests should be up and take the dishes from the table to master. Then master can be up, tell the guests they dont need to work, and then the guests to sit down again. These rituals in some modern are also necessary.In the Western banquet, the owner only need to give the guests one dish. In the rest of time, the guests can have food by themselves. If the guests do not want to eat anymore, the master wont advised them to eat. But in China, Master frequently ask the guests to drink and eat. In the Western you cant make noise when you are eating, and the guests should pay attention to appreciate the master preparing meals for them. If you want to talk, you can only choose the adjacent seat to talk. Don't talk to people who have long distance with you.5. Differences on the tablewareThe Chinese people's tableware is chopsticks, and a variety of shapes, cups, plates, bowls and dishes. Chinese cooking pay attention about the coordination of tablewares shape, size, color and dishes. The diet is treated as art. Not only making a real treat for people, but also by this kind of beauty making people to enjoy this art. Westerners like to use metal knifes and forks. Also, they use stainless steel or silver plated, sterling silver tableware, and a variety of cup, plate, cup, and dish, which all cant be mixed. But not like China, western on a plate adapter dont stress the beauty of art. The types of tableware, the shape of the dishes are rather monotonous. In short, the Westerners focus on the contents of the food, Chinese people emphasize the form of dishes and gain feelings from they.In summary, there are a variety of differences between Chinese and Western diet in many ways. Of course, these differences are relative, and the increasingly exchanges between East and West cultural have also contributed to the continued integration of Chinese and Western food culture. Globalization under the cultural communication makes food culture complementary and compatible. The exchanges of food culture are present in our daily life and continue to serve as the global economic and cultural “transmission belt" between different cultures. Cultural communication in the cultural differences of diet will allow people to enhance understanding to each other, and enjoy the different feelings of different diets, which promote cultural exchanges and integration.