China element in Japanese diet

Japan is a neighbor separated only by a strip of water. Since ancient times, Japanese culture has been deeply influenced by China. There are many similarities between Japanese diet and China, but there are also great differences.

As we all know, Chinese and Japanese cultures have deep roots. As the basic culture of China, food culture has a special influence on neighboring countries and even the whole world. As the saying goes, "Food is the most important thing for the people", since the Tang Dynasty, Japan has carried out a lot of exchange activities with China. It was from this time that China's food culture also had a far-reaching impact on Japan, and the use of chopsticks was handed down from China. Even Japanese food customs and seasoning methods at the age of 20 are inseparable from the spread of holiday customs in China. Therefore, there are many similarities between Japanese diet and China. For example, Japanese and China people have basically the same tableware, using chopsticks, bowls, plates and so on. Secondly, both Japanese and China people are very enthusiastic. However, there are great differences in food culture between China and Japan.

There are some differences in the importance of diet between China and Japan. Japanese people don't pay much attention to diet. In the traditional Japanese thinking, talking about diet is considered low and filthy. In Japanese mythology, many parts about diet are related to body parts. From thousands of years ago, there appeared a typical banquet form in which women are superior to women, and it still appears in high-level clubs in big cities such as Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka. Therefore, from the deep-rooted culture, the Japanese believe that it is unclean to pay too much attention to diet. In addition, when China Thought was introduced to Japan, it also accepted Mencius' idea that "a gentleman cooks far away", which made the taste of gender differences in diet more intense.

China, on the other hand, has a deep obsession with diet. There is a saying that "the belly of a gentleman is not for the purpose." Every meal in China takes a long time to cook, especially at banquets, where dishes are a great symbol of the host's family and status. In festivals, the preparation of traditional food is sometimes more concerned than traditional celebrations, and festivals without specific food cannot show the atmosphere. For example, on the Dragon Boat Festival, after rowing the dragon boat, it is absolutely necessary to divide zongzi. Even students living in universities will buy zongzi to celebrate the festival, without paying attention to the dragon boat race. Other festivals also have corresponding food. This is quite different from the activities that the Japanese pay more attention to during the festival. In order to better develop the food culture, many different competitions have been held in China. In areas with local characteristics, there are also exclusive names of cuisines, such as Cantonese cuisine, Sichuan cuisine and Shanghai cuisine.

The ways and concepts of hospitality between the two sides are quite different. China people like to "leave more and leave less" when entertaining guests. It seems that the more food left on the table, the more hospitable and kind the host will be. Even if there are a lot of leftovers on the table after dinner, the host will repeatedly apologize: "There is nothing to eat, I am really sorry." When the Japanese entertain guests, the number of "dishes" will be just right, which will not only make the guests full, but also leave no leftovers, otherwise it will be considered too wasteful. And the tableware used by the Japanese is also very particular. They often choose different utensils according to the types of dishes, and put some flowers and plants on the dishes to increase the sense of nature.

Food also needs wine, and China and Japan drink differently. China has a long history of wine and tea. Since ancient times, people have had an indissoluble bond with wine. The so-called no wine is no feast, no wine is no ceremony, no wine is no joy, no wine is no respect. When China people treat them to dinner, they should not only prepare sumptuous meals, but also set good liquor, persuade them to drink freely, and even force them to get as drunk as a fiddler to show their sincerity. There are many kinds of liquor in China, which can be roughly divided into liquor, yellow wine, beer, fruit wine and cooking wine, and there are countless specific varieties. There are more than 300 kinds of famous wines alone.

There are many wines in Japan, and sake is even more famous. From the taste point of view, there are two kinds of sweet and spicy; From the level, there are three kinds: super, first and second, all of which are about 15 degrees. The most famous sake are' Daguan',' Chrysanthemum Authentic' and' Fu nine niang'. The' laurel tree' in Kyoto,' infatuation' in Hiroshima and' Taiping Mountain' in Akita are also good. Japanese people like drinking very much, especially at night. After work every day, most of them have a drink and then go home. People who go straight home also have a drink at home, often eating and drinking at the same time as people in China. Many employees of Japanese companies have to stay out late into the night three or four days a week, and then go home like a tired bird. So there is a saying that there is no modernization in Japan without wine. The role of wine is more reflected in the trading hall. Drinking is just a form and means, and the real purpose is to talk about business.

The difference in diet will also be reflected in the way of hospitality. People in China are very hospitable and often hold dinner parties in turn. When it's time to eat, if someone says, "Let's go to the restaurant!" " People are often invited to pay the bill, and the time at the dinner table is often two or three hours. In Japan, even if someone says "Let's go to dinner" on the same occasion, they often go Dutch and don't greet each other. In addition, the Japanese pay attention to the speed of eating. Even the boss of the company usually only eats a bowl of noodles or "box lunch" for lunch.

The ingredients in Chinese and Japanese diets are also very different. China is mostly land-based, while Japan is a typical country born around the sea. Although the coastline of China is very long, there will be a lot of seaweed in the offshore area, but it is essentially different from Japanese cooking.

China's staple food is grain, flour, rice and other foods processed from rice and wheat are in the north, and rice is in the south. The raw materials of dishes are mostly vivid plants on land and fish in rivers, seas and lakes. In Japan, the raw materials of dishes are mostly rice, fish and seaweed, which is very different from China. Each person can eat about 70 kilograms of fish on average every year. When preparing fish food, Japanese people use more cold dishes in order to keep the umami flavor, which means that Japan mainly has a cold and light diet. This has a profound conflict with China's deep-rooted concept that food must be cooked before eating.

China's food civilization promoted the formation of Japanese food style. On the other hand, once the Japanese get something hard-won by others, they are absolutely unwilling to give up. Since the Meiji era, with the introduction of western food, not only the face of Japanese cuisine has changed greatly, but also the western civilization in the field of food culture has begun to take root, blossom and bear fruit on the Japanese archipelago. This makes the overall quality of Japanese food culture not only the beauty of the East, but also the nutrition of modern people. Thereby forming its own characteristics and reaching a higher cultural taste. The differences between Chinese and Japanese food culture have both historical reasons and cultural differences in different countries. The two countries should respect each other, communicate with each other and learn from each other. We should "play our youth and seek friendship from generation to generation".