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论中西饮食文化差异ON THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHINESE AND WESTERN FOOD 内 容 摘 要摘要:饮食是人类生活、生存与发展的必需,可是由于中西方文化传统的差异,导致了中西方饮食文化在观念、对象、方式、归属与性质方面产生了差异,研究这些差异,找出可以融会贯通的地方,促进中西文化交流。台湾张起钧教授说过“古语说饮食男女人之大欲存焉。由此赋予饮食以丰富的文化内涵,虽然饮食文化在西方不够发达,但这种不发达本身也是一种文化发展的结果,所以对中西饮食文化的比较仍有意义。通过对中西饮食文化差异的分析,我们可以了解中西方各自的文化传统;同时能对中国文化进行改善与创新。 关键词: 饮食文化 文化传统 差异Abstract Diet is absolutely necessary in the life of mankind, and even in the existence or development. Because of the differences between Chinese and western cultural traditions, the Chinese and western dietary cultures are different in concept, target, pattern, attribution and nature. We study these differences and then find out the points that can be digested, in order to facilitate the communication about cultures between China and the west. Taiwan Professor Zhang Qijun said, “The old saying, Eat, drink, man, woman who wishes greatly. Thus the diet is rich in culture. Food culture in the west is not developed enough, but this underdevelopment itself is the result of the development of a culture, so it is still significant to study the dietary cultures of Chinese and Western diet. By the analysis of the differences between Chinese and western dietary cultures, we can comprehend the respective cultural traditions of China and the west. And we can also improve and create the culture of ChinaKey Words: dietary, culturecultural, tradition differencesContentsPartI Introduction. . 5Part II The differences in concepts.52.1 Cultural differences.62.2 Comparing with the Chinesediet, western diet tastes.Stereotyped.6 Part III Chinese diet is a sense of beauty diet.73.1 This dish is delicious. .73.2 Differences in targets all diet cannot be done without. vegetables. 8Part IV Westerners do not seem to have such a good habit. .84.1 There are more meat dishes in western lives. 8PartV The cultural behaviors. 105.1 The difference cultural behaviors in western and Chinese.105.2 Difference in Diet Attribution There are differences between. .Chinese And western diet attribution.125.3 Differences in Dietary Patterns.13PartVI Conclusion.14References.1512On The Cultural Differences Between Chinese And Western FoodPart I IntroductionOnce there is a saying that Food is eating well-deserved for human life”, so food is an indispensable condition for the survival and development of human beings. . There are two desires in life: one is feasting them to survive; and another is the lust of men and women, which can help the mankind to carry on the family line. Facing the two desires, China pays more attention to the former, while the west tends to the latter. Such phenomenon affects the cultural trend. Diet is actually the contents of our daily lives, but why we call it culture? That is because the diet has special status in the Chinese culture, and it also has a great distinction between China and the west. As one of the world ancient nations, Chinas diet has a history almost as long as that of Chinese civilization. But in western countries, ancient thinkers devoted less attention to the food problem than the Chinese philosophers did, and there is even not aware of it to the heaven degree. Receiving the influence of respective cultural tradition, the Chinese and western dietary culture has had different characteristicPart II The differences in concepts Targets, patterns, attribution and naturead reflected the different dietary culture in the different state characteristic;such characteristic has enriched the research value of dietary culture2.1 cultural differences We can find out a joint enhancing the communication between China and the west through a comprehensive study of the subject. It may be a great help to the communication of the Chinese and western cultures. I. Differences in Concepts First, the Chinese and western diet have the differences that cannot be ignored in concepts. Nobody will deny that the Western diet is a rational concept, regardless of the color of food, incense, flavor and shape, but nutrition must be assured. It cares about the intake of calories, vitamins, protein and so on during a day.2.2 Comparing with the Chinese diet, western diet tastes stereotypedAs simple as chewing the candle, but the sense tells them: We must eat them all because of the nutrition. And then they put it bluntly, just like refueling machine. The concept of western diet is compatible with the whole western philosophy. Metaphysics is the main feature of western philosophy. Such kind of philosophy brings vitality to western culture, so the natural sciences, psychology and methodology achieve a rapid development. In some other aspects, such philosophy proposition is a significantly obstacle, such as the dietary culture, which is the inevitable thing to drop behind, and just the metaphysics of methodology marks everywhere. In celebration, it stresses tableware, stresses the staple, stresses the servings, and stresses the color and shape mix of raw materials. But no matter how luxurious the grade is; from Los Angeles to New York, only one taste of steak, it is no art to speak of. And as dishes, the chicken is chicken; steak is steak, even in groups, which are also conducted in a shallow dish. In a dish of French Muttonchops, one side is potato mud, and muttonchops sits next to it, another side is allocation of cooking beans, and plus a few tablets of tomato. Color is on clear, but the tastes of the various materials are separated, not to reconcile, and the entire flavor is also simple and clearPart III Chinese diet is a sense of beauty diet3.1 This dish is delicious When people sample dishes, they often say this dish is delicious, and that dish is not delicious.But if you ask what is meant by delicious, why tasty and what are the aspects of delicious, I am afraid that it will be difficult to answer. This shows that which Chinese people hanker on a diet is just the “mood” that is difficult for one to say anything. Even using the color, flavor, shape and implement which people often said to make the realm reification, I am afraid it is still difficult to crown allIt contains a wealth of dialectics of Chinese philosophy, and all these depend on the degree of the wonderful flavor and harmony of dish. The ever-changing within degrees decides the changeable of Chinese food, and it also decides the characteristics of Chinese food as well as the characteristics on each of thechefs. 3.2. Difference in targets all diet cannot be done without vegetables The word dish is for the sound in China, and it always has something to do with the plants. According to a survey of western plants scholar, there are 600 varieties of vegetables, six times more than in the west. In fact, the Chinese dishes, vegetable dish is usual food. Meat dish entered the normal diet only on holidays or higher living standards, so since ancient times, and there was a saying of fresh vegetables. Mandarin language: Common people eat fresh vegetables, fish only offered in the worship. It is said that fresh vegetables are mainly to the civilian in general, only being able to eat meat only in worship. Vegetarian diet takes the dominant position in the normal structure. Chinese people consider the vegetables as the main dish; it has inextricably linked with the advocacy of Buddhists. They deem animals as people and plants have no soul. So, they advocate vegetarianismPart IV Westerners do not seem to have such a good habitThey up hold a cultural origin of nomadic, seafaring nation. Living mainly by fishing and hunting, collection and planting are just the complement. There are more meat dishes in their lives.4.1 There are more meat dishes in western lives Feeding, clothing, and using are taken from the animals, and even Western medicine is derived from animals. When the westerners introduce the diet characteristics of their countries, they always feel that their diet is more reasonable on the mix of nutrition than China. The food industry is more developed, such as cans, fast food, although the taste is monotonous, but it saves time, and it also has good nutrition. Therefore, in their countries: people are generally healthier and taller than Chinese, and the people have strong shoulders and developed muscles; but Chinese people look short, their shoulders narrow and legs thin, their skin yellow and their body weak. The differences between Chinese and western food for Westerners to judge the merits of the two diet is not justified. Mr. Sun Yat-sen had profound study of the culture of food and incisive exposition. In his composing The Scheme for National Reconstruction, detailing the differences between Chinese and Western diet phenomenon, he concludes: Chinese ordinary people drink green tea, and eat simple food such as vegetables and tofu for meal. Such kinds of food are the most healthy and beneficial according to the research of hygienist.Therefore, the remote people in china, whose diet are far from meat and wine, always live a long life. Also China has a big population, and Chinese people have enormous power to resist disease, but they never try the non-diet. “He added: The Chinese vegetarians all eat tofu. Tofu is expected as the real meat in plants, as it has the nutrition that meat has. It is the meat without toxic materials. So the Chinese are vegetarian used to be a custom without the promotion of scholars. It is also a custom that the European and American drink thick Wine, eat meat and fish. So there was science promotion before and a severe law later, such as the United States Prohibition. And the transfer will not carry out in a short time.Mr. Suns words tell out the scientific benefits of Chinese diet and disadvantages of Western diet. According to the characteristics of the significant differences between Chinese and Western diet targets, the Chinese character is called the plant character, while the Westerners is animal character.Part V the cultural behaviors5.1 The difference cultural behaviors in western and ChineseWesterners love adventure, exploration, conflict; but the Chinese people only like to live banallyAccording to American expert on folklore Ruths opinions on the cultural pattern theory, Chinese culture is quite similar to the classical world Apollo-type character and Westerners is similar to the modern world Faust-type. Indeed, the Westerners such as Americans in the development of the west, they put the whole family on the truck, and go out of the city in amid rumbling with the supplies. The Chinese people are always thinking about home and roots, despite the promotion that young people should take the world as home. But after a few decades, the overseas Chinese will come back to the mainland with crutch to seek their roots. This concept of return and such human spirit that can only be said to cooperate with the accumulation in the diet. Then it brings cohesiveness to the Chinese nation and then makes the human folk full of energy. Differences in Dietary Patterns The Chinese and Western dietary patterns can be very different, and these differences affect the national character. In China, a celebration, no matter what, there will be only one form, as sitting together, sharing one feast. Banquet uses round table, which has created a unity of form, which is courtesy, comity atmosphere. People toast each other and share the vegetables, which reflect the mutual respect between people in the face of the good things, also show the virtues of comity. Although from the health point of view, this approach has obvious deficiencies, but it is in our national happy mentality, it reflects the classical Chinese philosophy area of and impact for future generations. It is helpful to facilitate the collective emotional exchanges and consequently difficult to reform.The western-style banquets, although the food and wine are very important, but in fact they are just foil. The core of Banquet is friendship, by the conversation with the guests who sitting next to achieve the purpose of recreation. If making an analogous compare between the recreation of the banquets and dancing, it may be said that the Chinese banquet is like group dance, and the western banquet is like men and women dancing. This shows that communication purpose of Chinese banquet and western banquet are very obvious. The more obvious differences between Chinese and western dietary patterns is buffet dinner which is popular in the West. This method is to display all food, and everybody is picking not fixed in his or her places to eat. They walk freely. This approach would provide the emotional interaction between individuals; they never need to put every word on the table. This also shows a western personality and self-respect. However, all the eating without jamming lacks the real affective tone like the Chinese people. Some people want to put the buffet in the Chinese food, but I think it is not feasible. Zhang Qijun in the Principles of Cooking tells us the main reason: First, buffet is not like drinking tea. it, it is cold yet. Chinese cuisine will serve hot, if cold, nothing to eat. Secondly, buffet dishes only can do hard dishes and beneficial dishes. Then you can access for large plots. And those most representative of the Chinese culinary arts, such as the tender and lighter dishes, are not in this show. Third, the buffet can do stewing pot; it means a big pot in terms of food. Any sophisticated cooking of a dish can only be cooked in a pot at two most, and it is not able to cook the dish for dozens of people. So it will not be delicious, never talking of the taste.Under such circumstances, it is clear that the use of buffet dinner will deny Chinese culinary arts. The Chinese people are drinking around the table to show harmony and unity, but the buffet has broken such pattern. 5.2. diffrence in Diet Attribution There are differences between Chinese and western diet attribution.Western diet tends to be scientific and rational, but the Chinese diet tends to be art and sentimental. During the underdevelopment era of diet, these two trends have only one aim to live and never be hungry.5.3. Differences in Dietary PatternsThe Chinese and Western dietary patterns can be very different, and these differences affect the national character. In China, a celebration, no matter what, there will be only one form, as sitting together, sharing one feast. Banquet uses round table, which has created a unity of form, which is courtesy, comity atmosphere. It is the objects for people to appreciate and taste, and it is also an intermediate of communication Although from the health point of view, this approach has obvious deficiencies, but it is in our national happy mentality, it reflects the classical Chinese philosophy area of and impact for future generations. It is helpful to facilitate the collective emotional exchanges and consequently difficult to reform. The western-style banquets, although the food and wine are very important, but in fact they are just foil. The core of Banquet is friendship, by the conversation with the guests who sitting next to achieve the purpose of recreation. This shows that communication purpose of Chinese banquet and western banquet are very obvious. Only the Chinese banquet is more popular in the communion, but western banquet shows guests reflected in the friendship between neighbors. The more obvious differences between Chinese and western dietary patterns is buffet dinner which is popular in the West. This method is to display all food, and everybody is picking not fixed in his or her places to eat. They walk freely. This approach would provide the emotional interaction between individuals; they never need to put every word on the table. This also shows a western personality and self-respect.PartVI ConclusionHowever, all the eating without jamming lacks the real affective tone like the Chinese people. People want to put the buffet in the Chinese food, but I think it is not feasible. Zhang Qijun in the Principles of Cooking tells us the main reason: First, buffet is not like drinking tea. In the course of development it absorbs a lot of different cultures. Moreover, now China does more efforts to draw all the outstanding achievements in the World. Chinas reform and opening up policy create the conditions on international relations and cultural exchanges. 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