What is the difference between Chinese tableware and Western tableware?

The evolution of Chinese tableware

The development history of tableware is like a wheel of the year, the sparse and dense graphic records the splendor and ups and downs experienced in each cycle of its life. If there is such a tree, the tree has been through thousands or even tens of thousands of years. In the meantime, it records the creation, development and change of tableware. The development of Chinese eating utensils, through the primitive pottery stage, the bronze stage, the lacquer stage, the development of the porcelain era reached its peak. (Figure 2-2) Chinese eating utensils are of many kinds, with a variety of shapes, beautiful and symbolic patterns, which in themselves are spiritually pleasing, and the texture is constantly evolving and updating with the times. Moreover, the Chinese people also pay attention to the organic combination of food and beauty, different food with different utensils, not only convenient to eat, but also reflect each other, echo each other. In the perfect combination of the two, so that the beauty of food and utensils themselves can be fully displayed.

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Evolution of Western Tableware

Tableware is a symbol of the progress of human society, as well as a symbol of mankind's progress from barbarism to civilization. However, the speed of progress of civilization has a fast and slow, there are also sequential, as can be seen from the tableware on the Western dinner table, the history of the development of Western tableware is shorter than that of the East, so the Western tableware started later, and the progress is more delayed.

The fork was introduced into Europe in the 12th century, and has since been accepted and passed down. The table knife is another common cutlery on the western table, the role of the table knife is mainly to divide the food into pieces. So much so that nowadays, when eating western food, knives and forks are used together. The appearance of the table knife is very early, about the Stone Age has its prototype. Its main purpose is to meet the needs of primitive people to eat roasted meat, in addition to the function of self-defense. Around the 17th century, King Louis XIII of France decreed that the point of the table knife should be rounded. If the knife is masculine, the spoon has more feminine and maternal qualities. The earliest spoons were round and evolved to be slightly oval for soup.

In the 18th century in France, with the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, the implied meaning of "fork user" was almost equated with "different" as the French aristocracy preferred to eat with a fork with four tines. As the family would not prepare special cutlery for the guests, the aristocrats traveled, guests must have collapsible cutlery, these special order cutlery become the aristocrats to show off the luxury goods, most of them are equipped with coral, ivory, onyx or amber and other beautifully carved handles, and so the fork has become a symbol of the status, luxury, and sophistication. Knives, forks and spoons are really used in sets at the end of the 18th century, so they have become an essential utensil on the table, into the locker of every household. With the process of civilization, tableware is more and more multi-functional, the previous monotonous more and more do not adapt to the development of the times. Tableware as the owner's identity and taste on behalf of the hall of elegance, its design and manufacture flourished. From this point of view, whether in the development of Western tableware or in the early development of Chinese tableware, tableware is generally used by the aristocrats, and it becomes a kind of sign of social class distinction. It was only later that it became commonplace for the masses. In the 20th century, many tableware designs under the modernist movement showed the unique style of the designers. After the war, some Scandinavian designers advocated stripping away the luxury of the Gilded Age and rethinking a return to the original style. Like the Czech designer BorekEipek's design is clean and sharp, he designed tableware series have simple lines and clean block surface combination, with obvious minimalist style and a strong sense of sculpture.

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From the history of the development of Western tableware, with the The similarity of the East is that the development of materials determines the development of tableware. Generally speaking, the western tableware has gone through the following stages: pottery tableware, glass tableware, gold and silver tableware and stainless steel tableware. However, the culture of tableware has been influenced by a number of factors. The reason for this is that there are many philosophical schools of thought in the West, each of which has had its own glorious period in history. Therefore, the development of society has had an important impact, we often think of the West revered science, mainly because of the West's math and geometry development earlier, and faster development of the reason. Western philosophical system is more developed, the development of culture has an important impact, in fact, we usually think that Westerners advocate "idealism". This is also reflected in the design of tableware, Western tableware beautifully decorated, focusing on the mood of the meal. The theme of the philosophical legends and the theme of God and the description of the war theme is more, which is also the objective performance of the Western long-term war.

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In a nutshell, the Chinese are chopsticks, and the Western are knife and fork.