On the Differences of Dietary Cultures between China and the West.docx

1、On the Differences of Dietary Cultures between China and the WestOn the Differences of Dietary Cultures between China and the West1. IntroductionIn our daily life, we often hear a saying “Food is the first necessity of the people”. So food is an indispensable condition for human survival and develop

2、ment. The diet is actually in our daily lives, but why do we call it culture? This is because the diet has a special status in Chinese culture. America famous newly chemical representative figure White is called “father of cult urology”, he put the culture as a kind of special and objective social p

3、henomenon, and as a complete system (White, 1949). It also has a big difference between China and the West. China has a long and rich history on its culture. In China almost everything is closely related to eating. While dietary culture in west is not as well-developed as that in China. Besides, wes

4、tern countries are not particular about cooking as China. Knowing the differences of dietary cultures between China and the West is good for English learners to have more complete understanding of both eastern and western cultures. It also promotes cultural communication between China and the West a

5、nd helps people avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. As Chinese culture is one of the ancient civilizations in the world, Chinese dietary food is almost as long as the history of Chinese civilization. Chinese and Western food culture have different characteristics. Concept, raw materials, pattern, a

6、nd serving dishes of the differences reflect the different food culture characteristics in different states. After knowing these cultural differences, we can know the significances and find right ways of communication between China and the West. It may be a great help in the exchange of Chinese cult

7、ure and Western culture. 2. Chinese and Western Food Dietary Culture 2.1 Characteristics of Chinese Food Dietary Culture China is one of the oldest countries in the world. It has a long history of 5000 years, which has created the glorious civilization. In this culture, it enables the Chinese to con

8、tain more broad and profound diet. It has experienced several thousand years of development history and has become one of the most important parts of the Chinese traditional culture.Because of the difference of regions in China, China gradually forms the four major cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Guangdon

9、g cuisine, Shandong cuisine and Chaozhou cuisine. The four major foods have different characteristics, and the method is very complex. There are great diversities in taste and cuisine, which is amazing. Because China has a vast territory, abundant resources. There are differences in climate and cust

10、omized products. For a long time, food has formed a lot of flavors. Our country has been the saying of “south rice north noodles”. Among the tastes, it has the differences that “sour in east, hot in west, sweet in south and salty in north. It mainly has four flavors about Basho, Quilt, Haiyangn and

11、Yuemin. (Qilu Haiyangn Zou any instructor, 1998) on the other hand, eating different food in different seasons of the year is Chinese cooking characteristic. In the process of long-term development, Chinese form gradually its own unique custom in many aspects with evolution and accumulation, such as

12、 structures: diet, food production, food and food nutrition healthy aesthetic. It creates a diet of the unique flavor in the Chinese diet culture, making China become a pearl of world culture.2.2 Characteristics of the Western Food Dietary CultureRational westerners pay more attention to nutrition a

13、nd survival. Because the China and west hold different opinions of diet. Westerners believe the highest principle is scientific and nutritional. Eating like a biological machine add fuel, especially about the foods nutrition composition, protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and all kinds of inorgan

14、ic element content. (Dang Binghua, 2010) Caring more about the calorie supply, synthetic nutrient is fully absorbed. The presence of other side effects, food color, fragrance, and taste is the second requirements. Although the French chef likes to pursue delicious food, they adhere to the premise nu

15、trition. Whats more, they do not agree with the sacrifice of nutritional food for delicious needs.In the dietary culture, westerners have the culture of nomad and sailing nationality, they are hunting, breeding and aiding by acquisition and cultivation. They eat more meet and their eating, wearing a

16、nd using are taken from animals, even the medicine is made from animals. Paying more attention to animal protein and fat intake, in the structure of diet, which are also animal figures in the majority. It is many dishes, like beef, chicken, pork, mutton and fish. Western food is made primarily of me

17、at. So the carnivorous ratio is very high in total. In modern times, planting proportion increases continuously, but the proportion in the meet is sill higher than China.3. The Differences of Dietary Cultures between China and the West 3.1 Differences in Dietary ConceptsChinese diet is a sense of be

18、auty. People are thinking highly of diet. There is an old saying “Bread is the staff of life”. It tells us that eating is important in peoples daily lives. I think it results from a need of survival. Li Xiaohong pointed out: “If a culture put ate as primary, so it will appear two phenomena: on one h

19、and will put the food function to acme, not only survive, but also use it to maintain healthy, this is also the culture basis that “ diet cures more than the doctors”. On the other hand, the excessive attention to eat, it can make the person praise highly of delicious pursuit.”(Li Xiaohong, 2010: 33

20、) Chinese diet emphasis on emotion and the pursuit of diet taste without paying attention to nutrition of food. People evaluate the quality from the color, smell, flavor and tasteSimple to say，the Chinese people enjoythetasteThe purpose of the Chinese diet not only satisfies his hunger but also meet

21、s the need of delicious food and physical and mental pleasure. The essence of Chinese culinary art is the beauty of harmony. For example，a famous Chinese dish, Buddha Jumping Over the Wall, (seafood and fowl cooked in earthen jar) is specially prepared from high-quality ingredients. Such finished pr

22、oducts personality is fully buried while the whole is shining, which shows the Chinese character, a middle course, humble personality, and focus on average. Chinese diet stresses the sense of smell, the spirit of enjoying dinner, and ignoring the nutrition analysis. Western diet is a rational concep

23、t. Except the color，flavor and shape of food, nutrition must be assured. The diet focuses on scientific analysis and nutrition. Although its mechanicalness and foundation, it maintains the healthy development of the human body. They stressed that the nutritional value of the diet, paying attention t

24、o how much protein, fat, calories and vitamins contained in food, especially the nutrient content of the food with the supply of calories. Westerners think the diet is only a means of survival to fill their stomachs. Because it takes a more scientific and reasonable way as their primary and secondar

25、y schools has a nutritionist ensure full nutrition of young people. It is worthwhile to take in the western food as its science and ration. At the same time, all requirements make western food on the selected materials under limits. Westerners do not eat animal organs and they think all the things n

26、ot nutritional. Cooking skills also appears to be mechanical, steak is steak, and chicken is chicken. A great variety of vegetables will not reconcile with and the entire flavor is also simple and clear. Lin Yutang (1999), a famous Chinese anthropological scholar, once said, “The diet concepts of pe

27、ople from English countries are different from those of the Chinese. They think that eating is just an act giving your body nutrients, like injecting fuel to a machine, to ensure its normal operation. As long as they are healthy enough to resist diseases, they care less about other problems.” Theref

28、ore, eating just plays an essential role in their life of people in the west. We can see clearly that the western people would not assign more crucial missions to eating, which has been done by the Chinese people for a long time.3.2 Differences in the Use of Raw MaterialsChinese cuisine is the taste

29、 of Chinese cooking in the selected materials, which is also revealed a great deal of randomness. Westerners think the dishes are to fill their stomachs, so they eat a large piece of meat, chicken and other hard vegetables. Many Westerners regard others as wasted things.According to western scholars

30、 survey, vegetables that Chinese people eat have more than 600 specious; it is six times more than the west. In fact, in the Chinese dishes, vegetarian dishes are common food, only in holidays or some important occasions, it can enter the usual diet. Since the ancient times, we have a saying of food

31、 feed; food feed is the dominant statement in our usual diet. The Chinese make plant as the main dish, and has a lot of contact with the advocacy of Buddhism. They think the animal is the life, but plants the laws of nature not to work, therefore, advocates the vegetarianism. (Yang Naiji, 1993)Chine

32、se peoples main meal is grains and their products such as wheaten food, and non-staple food is vegetables, supplemented by meat. According to Western zoophytologists survey, 600 Chinese people eat vegetables, six times more than in the West. In fact, in the traditional Chinese dishes, vegetables is

33、the usual food, meat is only appeared in the holidays. Today, as the peoples living standards improve, meat is more common in everyday life, but as the leading vegetable is still rooted in peoples minds.Westerners main meal is meat, and milk. Adhering to sailing nations cultural, they are to mainly hunt and fish, supplemented by co