Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional virtues - Why do people in China use chopsticks and westerners use knives and forks?

Why do people in China use chopsticks and westerners use knives and forks?

Chopsticks and knife and fork cultures in the East and the West are the products of social development.

Dialectical materialism tells us that the world is material, the material is moving, the movement is regular and the law is universal. Just like the chopsticks and knife and fork culture we are going to discuss, these are the products of historical development.

Chopsticks, known as chopsticks in ancient China, are an important symbol of East Asian food culture. The reason why people in China use chopsticks is simple. First, because China is the hometown of bamboo, there are so many bamboos that it is very convenient to make chopsticks. So over time, bamboo chopsticks in daily life have been formed.

Second, because of the culture of China people. In China, no matter what you do, you pay attention to the word "harmony". Peace is the most important, and unity is the most important. Everything should be considered as a whole, differences should be properly resolved, and external contradictions and internal reality should be combined to form * * * knowledge. Harmony embodies the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation. The ideology and culture in life gradually influenced the diet. For example, China pays attention to unity, while westerners emphasize individuality and self.

When using chopsticks, we should pay attention to the coordination of two chopsticks. The direction of the force is from the outside to the inside, and two people work together to grab food. This is a cultural symbol of cohesion and cooperation. Therefore, food culture is also a part of China people's ideological culture.

Western thinking, different from China's, emphasizes the jungle law of "natural selection, survival of the fittest". Therefore, when they solve problems, most of them pass on their own contradictions to others. Just like the inertia thinking of westerners, "use your own knife, give your own plow and find living space." Therefore, the knife and fork are forced from the inside out, the left hand presses the fork, and the right hand cuts with a knife.

In addition, China people like to eat whole grains since ancient times, and eating with chopsticks is the most convenient; Similarly, westerners use more meat, and knives and forks are obviously the most suitable. This is why people in China use chopsticks, while westerners use knives and forks.