Cultural Differences on Food between China and America

羅仕容

Cultural Differences on Food between China and America

羅仕容

“You are what you eat.” Nutrition experts often use this saying to promote better eating habits. What we put in our mouths does become a part of us. But we can look at this statement another way. What we eat refl ects who we are——as people and as a culture. Thus food culture has become a special cultural phenomenon. Under this phenomenon， people in different countries have different concepts of food， share different food structures and enjoy different fl avors and styles of dishes.

food culture concept of food food structure flavor style

一、 Introduction

Food plays an essential and irreplaceable part in people’s life. Since the human being cook with fire for the first time and come to a civilian age， the food we eat has begun to be of cultural property. Food as a category of culture helps us to understand every area of the oriental and occidental world. In this thesis， I’ll endeavor to analyze the food culture between China and America which is a representative of Western countries from the perspective of concept of food，food structure， flavor and style of dishes， so that we can avoid misunderstanding and have a smoother interaction with Americans. （Diet culture in China here mainly refers to the one in the Han nationality， which represents the mainstream of Chinese diet culture nowadays.）

二、Concept of food in China and America

There is a saying in China： Even an iron man cannot live a day without meals——people cannot survive without food.That’s how we recognize the function of food. Actually，Chinese not only have food to survive， but also serve eating as a comfortable enjoyment. Chinese have an emotional concept of food and pay great attention to the color， smell， taste，and shape， which would increase our appetite， and among which taste is regarded as the soul. Although much nutrition is destroyed because of the Chinese complex cooking methods，we enjoy a good reputation for our splendid cuisine.

Contrast to Chinese’s great regard to meal， Americans take food much simple， owing a rational idea that food is to satisfy their hunger and provide energy for human to survive as well as nutrition to keep healthy. So they have a clear cognition of how many vitamins， calories， proteins and carbohydrate should be intaken every day. Nutrition and balance are greatly cared for by Americans when they have a meal. An interesting phenomenon in America is the nutritional information on the food label， by which people’s concern about nutrition is clearly refl ected. A look at information such as the content of calories per serving， grams of fat， sodium， fi ber and sugar will make them more knowledgeable in selecting foods to reduce their nutritional health risk.

三、Food structure in China and America

（一）Staple food in China and America

Staple Food is what human must rely on， provides a signifi cant percentage of the daily calories. In China， people mainly have the fi ve cereals as our staple food. The ingredients used are based on the natural and agricultural products of each region. In Northern China， wheaten food such as steamed bread， noodles， deep-fried twisted dough sticks， steamed stuffed buns， dumplings are the most popular on the diningtable. While in Southern China， people mainly have rice. A bowl of rice can go with all sorts of dishes， supplying almost all of the nutrition that human body needs.

In America， grains， particularly wheat， make up a large part of the American diet，. The two greatest sources of calories in the American diet are grain-based desserts and bread.In addition， Americans eat grains in the form of breakfast cereal and snacks. Americans love Italian pizza， Mexican tacos and Chinese egg rolls. Of course， one of the most common quick American meals is a sandwich.

（二）Ingredients of dishes in China and America

Chinese dish is famous all over the world， but you may be shocked by its surprising range and variety of ingredients if you’ve only eaten in Chinese restaurants. Ingredients of Chinese dishes are various and sometimes shocking to foreigners. They cannot imagine that some unusual ingredients such as snakes， frogs， chickens’ feet， pigs’ ears，entrails are always available in a restaurant. Foreigners quip that Chinese people eat anything that flies except airplanes，anything that moves on the ground except trains， and anything that moves in the water except boats.

Besides some regular vegetables， Americans mainly eat beef， pork， chicken， fish， and turkey， but never the entrails. Poultry is the most common meat on American tables.Beef and pork make up most of the rest of meat consumption.Turkey and fi sh make up a smaller fraction of American meat intake.

（三）Flavor and style of dishes in China and America

1、Flavor and style of dishes in China

China boasts one of the world’s greatest cuisines with countless delicious dishes and fantastic flavor， making both Chinese and foreigners mouthwatering. It’s undeniable that Chinese people are expert in using seasonings to give a richer taste experience. Tastes of Chinese food are traditionally categorized into fi ve fl avors： salty， spicy， sour， sweet，and bitter. Chinese emphasize he harmony of the fi ve fl avors.According to traditional Chinese medicine， the harmony of the fi ve fl avors can not only improve taste enjoyment， but also have the function of achieving balance to promote health， as well as treating diseases and aiding recovery from injury——which we call “ TCM Principle”.

Over China’s vast territory， the flavors of cuisine vary from one region to another， and usually one or two of the five flavors dominate. Flavor preferences can reflect features of geography， climate， agriculture， culture， and history.Due to these reasons， Chinese dishes can be roughly divided into eight styles——we call it The Eight Cuisines. Chuan and Хiang cuisines are famous for their hot and spicy dishes，which cannot only whet the appetite， but also have the functions of reducing internal dampness. Lu cuisine， characterized by its emphasis on aroma， pure and not greasy， tastes salty. Sweet is the main flavor of Su Cuisine， and food is always cooked thoroughly into very soft， which can utterly digest the sweet and delicious sauce.

2、Flavor and style of dishes in America

The United States is also a land of delicious eating from coast to coast. In fact， except for Thanksgiving turkey，it’s hard to find a typically AMERICAN dish. The United States is a land of immigrants， so Americans eat food from many different countries. Italian food differs from province to province. Pork and beef are Spanish introductions redefined to suit the local palate. You can find almost every kind of ethnic food with different flavors and styles in America. We call it diversity.

On the other hand， there is a commonality that we can find among the various American dishes. Americans emphasize nutrition and balance in their diet， so they prepare their food according to scientific instructions strictly without any exception. While the same material and ingredients are cooked in American way， the chef would probably slice the beef and tomatoes， for example， separately and put them in the plate with two potatoes and four vegetable leaves without mixing with each other and thus affecting the taste of each other. So the taste of the steak doesn’t differ from New York to Los Angeles.

四、Conclusion

Chinese food or American food either is different and unique， reflecting its geographical and historical characteristics. But neither is superior or inferior to one another and should deserve the same respect from each other. By learning more about the food culture in foreign countries， we can learn to accept and respect their eating habits， so as to have a better understanding of their civilization and promote international interaction and cooperation.

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四川衛生康復職業學院）