About the difference between western food culture and Chinese food culture

1, the difference between the concept of food

Chinese people eat taste. "Taste" is the charm of Chinese food. The purpose of the Chinese diet, in addition to hunger, but also to meet the desire for delicious, bring physical and mental pleasure.

The West is a rational, scientific concept of diet. Western diet with absolute rationality to regulate human behavior, with "science", "nutrition" to the exclusion of the food can give people the pleasure of enjoyment, although it can meet the physiological needs, but can not make people from the spiritual pleasure, can be described as a shortcoming. Westerners focus on nutrition, so that most of them are tall and strong.

2, the difference in cooking methods

In China, cooking is a kind of art, it is very strong fun, and even with a certain degree of playfulness, attracting the Chinese people to eat for the joy of life. Cooking in China is simply the same as music, dance, poetry and painting, with the great significance of improving the state of life. Chinese cooking methods are numerous: slip, stew, burn, boil, steam, fry, crisp, braised, steak, stew, explosion, stir-fry, casserole, pulling the silk and so on, to make the dishes are dazzling.

Western cooking methods are not as complex as China, the Western-style plate strong sense of three-dimensionality, edible, all the food into the plate the vast majority of food can be eaten, garnish is the main course of the side dishes. Western raw materials to choose fresh, non-polluting, natural, natural operation process, try to play its own flavor, dry raw materials are not used too much, milk is indispensable raw materials in Western cuisine.

3, dining etiquette differences

In terms of etiquette, the Chinese and Western more different. In ancient China, there was a set of red tape in the dining process. "Rituals - Qu Ji" contained: "*** food is not full, *** rice is not to choose the hand, do not put the rice, no solid gain; do not raise the rice, pawn food, the guest from the front of the kneeling, spreading the rice Qi to grant the phase of the master resigned in the guest, and then the guest to sit."

The main idea of this passage is that when people *** eat together, they should not just eat by themselves. If you are eating with others,you must check that your hands are clean. Don't put extra rice back into the pot, don't monopolize the food, and don't bump up the hot rice. After eating, the guest should get up and move forward to clean up the dishes on the table and give them to the host, who then rises and asks the guest not to labor before the guest sits down again. Some of these manners are also necessary in modern times.

In Western banquets, the host generally only give the guest once to clip the dishes, the rest of the guests to eat on their own. If the guest does not want, no longer persuade people to eat, and not according to the Chinese habit of frequent guests to persuade wine, pinch food. No noise is made when eating, but guests should pay attention to appreciate the meal prepared by the host. If you talk to people, you should only talk to your neighbors, not to those who are far away.

4, the difference in eating utensils

Chinese tableware is mainly chopsticks, supplemented by spoons, as well as a variety of shapes of cups, plates, bowls and saucers. Chinese cooking pay attention to the shape of tableware, size, color and dish coordination, pay attention to the "beauty of the tool", the food as an artistic activity to treat. Not only to have a good meal, but also to get a kind of artistic enjoyment of beauty.

Westerners use metal knives and forks, mainly stainless steel or silver-plated, sterling silver and other tableware, as well as a variety of cups, plates, cups and saucers, but also in their respective roles, can not be mixed. However, Western food in the plating orchestration is not like the Chinese so emphasize the artistic beauty of the types of tableware, dishes, are more monotonous.

From the above, we can see that there are various differences between Chinese and Western food culture, of course, these differences are relative. The exchange of food culture exists in our daily life, and constantly acts as a "transmission belt" between different cultures in the process of global economic and cultural integration.