The Different Dietary Culture between China and Western Country

1、中西饮食文化差异the different dietary culture between china and western country abstractchina has rich and profound food culture. western nation has exquisite and self-system food civilization. the collision, the exchange as well as the combination between china and western food culture fill and color the u

2、niverse civilization. the people regard food as of fundamental importance. china owns its unique and profuse food culture traditions, nowadays, besides chinese traditional nosh; western-style food has been here and there in china. kfc and mcdonalds are childrens favorite food, highlevel restaurant a

3、nd cafeteria are the place that white collar get together. western food has been penetrated into chinese life.this thesis mainly introduces the differences between chinese and western culture from culture and differences. meanwhile, the developmental history of chinese and western food culture descr

4、ibes the differences cultural processes of china and american respectively. it appears differences due to their various cultural backgrounds. this thesis mainly involves different conceptions, different banquet manners and some combinations. at last，it presents that western-style food influence chin

5、ese food, including the positive side and the negative side.realizing the differences between china and western country , chinese accept and combine the acceptable part that makes our daily for food ampler, but chinese must never lose own characters, which is the correct attitudekey words: culture,

6、conception, banquet etiquette, manner 摘 要中国有灿烂丰富、博大精深的饮食文化；西方国家则有精巧专维，自成体系的饮食文明。中西饮食文化的碰撞和交流丰富了全球的饮食文化。民以食为天，中国有自己独特的饮食文化底蕴，然而，今天除了中国的传统小吃外，西方的食品在中国也是随处可见了，肯德基，麦当劳已经成为小朋友的最爱，高级的餐厅，咖啡馆也成了白领的聚集地，西方饮食已经进入了中国人的生活中了。本文主要介绍了中西饮食文化的差异，从文化和差异两方面叙述。中西饮食文化的发展历史分别叙述美国和中国的文化历程，由于两方面的不同的文化底蕴，在饮食上出现的差异，本文主要从观念上的差

7、异、宴会礼仪的差异，中西饮食文化的融合等方面展开论述。最后介绍了西方饮食对中国的产生的影响，从正反两方面论述。了解中西饮食文化差异的同时，接受可以接受的部分并与中国饮食相融合，使我们日常生活中的饮食更加丰富，但有不乏自身特色。这才是我们正确对待中西饮食文化的态度。关键词：文化；观念；餐饮礼节；方式contentschapter one: introduction .4chapter two: differences in diet concept .5 1.1 sensibility and practicality .5 1.2 complexity and simplicity .6cha

8、pter three: contrast of culinary cultural differences .7 2.1 culinary cultural characteristics of china .7 2.2 culinary cultural characteristics of western countries .8chapter four: diet of the different ways .10 3.1 table manners .10 3.2 table-wares: chopsticks and forks .11chapter five: conclusion

9、 .13bibliography .15acknowledgements .16 chapter one: introductionthe diet is the first need of human survival and development, and is also one of the fundamental forms of social life. however different cultural background has different diet idea and custom, which finally forms different dietary cul

10、ture. the difference between chinese and the western culture leads to the diversity between chinese and the western dietary culture. the difference comes from the different way of thinking and philosophy of life between china and the west. the western diet is a rational and science-fastidious diet i

11、dea, while chinese diet emphasizes the perception and artistry, and pursues the dietary taste. nowadays, lots of people are holding the curiosity to taste different national food. china has rich and profound knowledge of the dietary culture; meanwhile western countries own the self-made systems diet

12、 civilization. the dietary culture of a country is often the enrichment of culture of the countryin recent years, with the rapid development of the chinese economy and the influences of entering the wto (world trade organization), diet has played an important role in the international communication.

13、 not only can it promote the trade exchange and more friendly cooperation and intercourse among different countries, at the same time, it also has built advantageous environment for our countrys opening and promoted the economy development. it can train peoples adaptive ability in trans-culture comm

14、unication, and effectively avoids some misunderstandings produced from the cultural difference. in order to enhance cultural exchanges between the different countries, it is necessary for us to know more differences of dietary culture between china and the western countries. chapter two: differences

15、 in diet conceptbe an important component part of the culture, the difference of the dietary culture between china and the western countries involves many ways, but the most important is the different dietary ideas. the dietary idea of china is to pay attention to experience and harmony, the dietary

16、 idea of the western countries is rational and personalities. there are obvious differences between the two sides, and the separation of nature and human, which is exactly the essential distinction between chinese and western culture.1.1 sensibility and practicalityin china, diet has developed to a

17、very important part in peoples life. it is almost beyond any other material and spiritual forms, and this has been apparently reflected in peoples daily life. the seven so-called basic daily needs: firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauces, vinegar, tea, all have deep relations to diet. eating goes through

18、a mans whole life. when one was born, his parents would hold a birth celebration. later when he was one month old or one year old, the family would get together and have a party again. when growing up, he would have birthday parties, wedding party and even funeral dinner held for him by his descenda

19、nts when he passes away. when a visitor comes, he would prepare for the guest a formal dinner, which is called welcome dinner. he would invite friends to have dinner together when he moves into a new house, is promoted in his company or has solved a serious problem. all these show that people in chi

20、na like eating with much emotions, for dinners have provided them lots of chances to show their love for friends, and exchange information. even some emotional turmoil would be calmed down during the dinner time. behind the form of eating, there are a profuse psychological and cultural significance,

21、 as well as peoples recognition and understanding of society, which embody a more profound social meaning. eating not only has some original communication function, but has already transformed into an adjustment of social life and psychology.in britain, u.s.a. and other english countries, eating is

22、regarded as a way of communication and a necessary survival means. american psychologist abraham maslow divides humans needs into five levels in his famous theory law of demand. eating is classified into the first layer, which is the lowest level of human requirements. lin yutang, a famous chinese a

23、nthropological scholar, once said, “the diet concepts of people 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 re

24、sist diseases, they care little about other problems. therefore, in the minds of the english people, eating plays an important role in their life. we can see clearly that the english people would not assign more important missions to eating, which has been done by the chinese people for a long time.

25、1.2 complexity and simplicitythere is a fundamental difference between chinese and english countries banquet concepts. chinese people pay much attention to the dinner itself and its arrangement. they provide profuse wine and courses, including ten main courses at a formal banquet, besides snacks, de

26、sserts, rice or noodles in the whole procedure of a dinner. the more sumptuous dishes the host prepares, the better the hosts hospitality and guests social status are reflected.in english countries, grand banquet is usually no more than six dishes and much simpler when it is only a kind of common di

27、nner. sometimes friends in the united states would all contribute to a dinner, which is called potluck, and means that each person has taken a dish for sharing. it is evident that it creates opportunities for friends to get together and exchange ideas. it is reminiscent of friendships and provides a

28、ccess for them to get information. it is subject to the concept of english countries banquet that the most important thing of a banquet lays not in the dishes themselves, but in the diversifying form of liberalization. the owner should try to create a relaxing, harmonious and cheerful atmosphere, le

29、t the guests enjoy the freedom of a wonderful time. generally, that is the first purpose of a banquet in english countries. chapter three: contrast of culinary cultural differencesthe question has often been asked as to what we eat. the answer is that we eat all the edible things on this earth. it i

30、s useless to logical reasoning in the matter of our food, which is determined by prejudices and history. in fact, the importance of food in understanding human culture lies precisely in its infinite variability that is not essential for species survival. for survival needs, all men everywhere could

31、eat the same food, to be measured only in calories, fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins. however, people of different backgrounds eat differently. the basic stuffs from which food is prepared; the ways in which it is preserved, cut up, cooked; the amount and variety at each meal; the tastes

32、that are liked and disliked; the customs of serving food; the utensils; the beliefs about the foods properties -these all vary. the number of such “food variables” is great. 2.1 culinary cultural characteristics of chinathe seriousness with which we regard eating can be shown in many ways. anyone wh

33、o opens the pages of the red chamber dream or any chinese novel will be struck by the detailed and constant descriptions of the entire menu of what daiyu had for breakfast or what baoyu had at midnight. zheng banqiao apotheosized rice congee in his letter to his brother:on cold days, when poor relat

34、ives or friends arrive, first hand them a bowl of fried rice in boiling water, with a small dish of ginger or pickles. it is the most effective means of warming up old people and the poor. in your days of leisure, swallow cakes made of broken rice, or cook “slipslop congee”, and hold the bowl betwee

35、n your two hands and eat it with shrugged shoulders. on a cold frosty morning, this will make your whole body warm. alas! alas! i think ill become a farmer for the remainder of my days!the chinese accept food as they accept life in general. no great english poet or writer would condescend to write a

36、 cook book, which they regard as belonging outside the realms of literature and worthy of the efforts of aunt susan only.there is a belief in a balance that governs all of life and naturethe yin and yang. originally, yang meant the sunny side of a hill and yin the shady side. yang is the bright, dry

37、, warm aspect of the cosmos. males have more yang quality. yin is the dark, moist, cool aspect. female have more yin quality.the chinese case is distinctive for its underlying principles. the bodily functions, in the chinese view, follow the basic yin-yang principles. many foods are also classifiabl

38、e into those that possess the yin quality and those of the yang quality. oily and fried foods, pepper-hot flavoring, fatty meat, and oil-rich plant food like peanuts are yang foods. most water plants, crustaceans, and certain beans are cooling yin foods. when yin and yang forces in the body are not

39、balanced, problems result. proper amounts of food of one kind or the other may then be administered to counterbalance the yin and yang disequilibrium. if the body was normal, overeating of one kind of food would result in an excess of that force in the body, causing diseases. chinese people emphasiz

40、e the aesthetic aspect of cooking and eating. they think that a proper dish should appeal to the eye as well as to the palate. for example, intricately carved vegetables are a common decoration.mixing of flavors is another principle of chinese food culture. we eat food for its texture, the elastic o

41、r crisp effect it has on our teeth, as well as for fragrance, flavor and color. the matching of nutrition does not exist in the traditional view of chinese culinary culture; only keep in good health exquisitely. it is just the yin-yang principle. chinese regard diet as a kind of art, enjoying them w

42、ith the romantic spirit. 2.2 culinary cultural characteristics of western countriesthe danger of not taking food seriously and allowing it to degenerate into a slipshod business may be studied in the english national life. if they had known any taste for food their language would reveal it. “the eng

43、lish language does not provide a word for cuisine: they call it just “cooking”. they have no proper word for chef: they just call him a cook. they do not speak about their menu, but know only what are called “dishes”. and they have no word for gourmet: they just call him “greedy gut” in their nurser

44、y rhymes.”(wang,2001:18) the truth is，the english do not admit that they have a stomach. no stomach is fit for conversation unless it happens to be “sick” or “aching”. the result is that while the frenchman will talk about the “food” of his “cook” without impairing the beauty of his language. when h

45、ard pressed by his french host he might be willing to mutter between his teeth “that pudding is awfully good” and there let the matter rest. all the english are interested in is how to strengthen themselves against influenza, as with bovril, and save the doctors bills.modern science civilization in

46、western countries has made a great influence on the forming of western culinary custom. due to the developed science in the west, analyzing the composition content of the food, grasping concrete requirement to nutrition, it is just a piece of cake. westerners pay attention to what nutrition does it

47、have, what energy can be produced at first, taste and flavor is less important. if heating and cooking will cause nutrition losses, then even half cooking and eat simply. westerners regard diet as a kind of science, paying attention to the culinary function with the realistic attitude. chapter four:

48、 diet of the different wayscultural can be understood as a particular way to satisfy our human needs. every cultural has its own way of doing things in daily life, such as ways of eating, drinking. cultural differences can be reflected and understood in details of lifestyle, which i think is a bette

49、r way to peer into the complicated topic than read books. you have instances where two people living in cities 50 km apart speak different languages and eat different food. chinese culture emphasizes collectivism while western cultureairs individualism. its hard to express the difference exactly in

50、language but i believe thats part of the truth. from small things, really we can find a lot of differences.3.1 table mannersthe main difference between chinese and western eating habits is that, unlike the west, where everyone has their own plate of food, in china the dishes are placed on the table

51、and everybody shares. if you are being treated by a chinese host, be prepared for a ton of food. chinese are very proud of their culture of food and will do their best to give you a taste of many different types of cuisine. among friends, they will just order enough for the people there. if they are

52、 taking somebody out for dinner and the relationship is polite to semi-polite, then they will usually order one more dish than the number of guests (e.g. four people, five dishes). if it is a business dinner or a very formal occasion, there is likely to be a huge amount of food that will be impossib

53、le to finish.traditionally speaking, there are many taboos at chinese tables, but these days not many people pay attention to them. however, there are a few things to keep in mind, especially if you are a guest at a private home. 1) dont stick your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. instead, lay t

54、hem on your dish. the reason for this is that when somebody dies, the shrine to them contains a bowl of sand or rice with two sticks of incense stuck upright in it. so if you stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it looks like this shrine and is equivalent to wishing death upon a person at the tab

55、le! 2) make sure the spout of the teapot is not facing anyone. it is impolite to set the teapot down where the spout is facing towards somebody. the spout should always be directed to where nobody is sitting, usually just outward from the table. 3) dont tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. beggars tap on their bowls, so this is not polite. also, in a restaurant, if the food is coming too slow people will tap their bowls. if you are in someones home, it is like insulting the cook. in china if you invite people for meal, the person who invited