中西饮食文化差异

Difference in Diet Culture between China and WestClass: D NO: 6 Name: 范静仪Abstract:Diet is absolutely necessary in the life of mankind, and even in the existence or development. Because of the differences cultural traditions, 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.Key words:diet culture; etiquette and form; concept; structure; cuisineIntroduction:Diet culture is an essential part of intercultural communication nonverbally. Diet is closely associated with culture, relatively various depending on living area, climate, customs and habits of different ethnics. Western countries share traditional a nimal husbandry and marine culture, while china farming and land culture. These two kinds of dissimilar culture reflect the diversity of human life style, and that of diet profoundly reveal its own culture background.Briefly, there are considerable kinds of difference in detail, but here we discuss about the four major ones as follow:1.The differences in dining etiquette and formSince ancient times, China etiquette has been interwoven with sense of harmonious interpersonal relationship which is embodied in the family dining throughout the history, a distinct demonstration of Chinese traditional dining etiquette.Chinese dinning system has lasted for thousands of years. In China, any banquet, only will have one form that everybody sits in a circle all round. The banquet must use the round table, this formally has created one kind of unity, politeness, altogether the interesting atmosphere.A luxury of palatable food is placed in the center not only for people to taste and appreciate but also a table of person sentiment exchange intermedium. This conforms to the general attitude of union which never be overemphasized in China.In the west, due to the far-reaching influence of Christian, the devotion and respect for the Virgin May is extended to the social life, thus forming a respect for women in society.Consequently, Westerners treat with a long table, men and women sit in the owner at both ends, and then the guest of honor men and women in the press and the general order of the guests seating arrangements. Ladies first and the respect for women have been recognized as a standard. If man and woman attend the dinner simultaneously, man is supposed to open the door for woman following the principle of “lady first”. When the hostess lead the female guests into the hall, the host should invite the first one to come to the table, and pull the chair for her for seating, and finally the hostess comes in with the other male guests.2. The differences in diet conceptThe key why Chinese cuisine has its own unique charm lies in its taste. On tasting dishes, they will criticize them straightforwardly. But if you want to further ask for the explanation, I'm afraid it is difficult to get it across. This shows that Chinese's pursuit of food is a kind of indescribable artistic conception. Even to crystallize the generally-called sense of color, aroma, taste, shape, it remain hard to cover all their implications. In China, the pursuit of beauty of diet outweigh overwhelmingly that of ration. These differences in value philosophy formulate Chinese character of overstress on food color, fragrance and taste. This diet concept chime with Chinese traditional philosophy. Regarded as the representative oriental philosophy, Chinese philosophy significantly features macrograph, intuitive, fuzziness and subtleness. Method for making China dish is to reconcile, to reconcile a betterfinal taste. Actually is all out time, overall coordination.Contractively , the West focuses on a rational eating. The Western attitude to food mainly adhere to the practical characteristics, starting from the nutritional point of view, the importance of food to the health of human body, and rarely pay attention to the shape and any other function. They think that "eating" is just adding the fuel to a biological machine for its normal operation and function. They care about how many calories, vitamins, protein should be taken. They eat to stay healthy and stay away from pathogen attack, without particular care to other aspects. Therefore, eating from their perspectives is a life sustaining activities. Especially in such western countries renown as paradise of delicacy as French, they desire for nutrition of high quality. French cuisine stresses flavor on the premise of nutrition. In modern western society, in addition to the nutritional needs, but they also attach great importance to health, truly people-oriented.3. Difference in diet structureThe western people pay more attention to the balance of nutrition, however, Chinese people have too much vegetables.According to the statistics, the population of eating vegetables in China is over 600, more than six times as much as the west. In the daily diet, Chinese vegetable dish enjoys a dominant position while meat is served as a part of daily diet when in festival or on the occasion of higher living standard. The traditional diet, mainly have all kinds of connections and contact with Buddhist preaching, they regard the animal as "the people", and that plants “without spirit", so, Chinese traditional culture advocates the vegetarianism.On the contrary, western countries subservient to the culture heritage, they live on fish hunting and cultivation with an animal food-driven diet custom traditionally. Because majority of western countries are located rather high latitude, some even go with the challenge of everlasting snow, which result in popular preference to meet. And Westerners pay due attention to nut rition in a combination of “raw” and “cooked”. Vegetable generally is serves as the appetizer in the form of salad.The difference in difference in lifestyle and diet culture of every nation. In their opinion,one should choose his food only according to his need as an independent individual and the balanced requirement of all kinds of nutrients for each part of his body.4. Difference in cuisineWestern cuisine follows the norms, with a strong belief that science and nutrition is top priority. In the Western recipes, things are measured by gram. The menu seems to be scientific, in fact, this kind of scientificity, also has its drawbacks, the lack of features. In addition, the standardization of the ingredients for cooking or even is required to be accurate to seconds. Furthermore, in the west, a dish in different areas, different seasons, and before different people, are the same in taste, without variation.They are convinced that food is to satisfy the hunger, so they eat a large piece of “hard food” su ch as meat, chicken, instead, Chinese relish in flavor.Chinese cuisine goes for randomness and characteristics, so in some way westerners cannot understand China cuisine not going after accurate normalization, but highly randomness. A spoon, half bowl, a spoon, can meet the eye everywhere, how big the spoon and the bowl are, how much is a little, there is no specific criteria. China diet tends to artistic, prominently characterized by randomness. For instance, different processes can be operated on the same dish, as a result of different regions, functions, and grades. Take braised fish in brown sauce for example, color and flavor is subjective to be heavier in winter while lighter in summer.For the people from Jiangsu and Zhejiang area, the braised fish in brown sauce should be seasoned in sugar, such as Chuanxiang customers, should in more pepper.So China cooking also show great arbitrariness in the use of materials: many disposable things seen as a waste by westerners, in Chinese are excellent raw materials. What foreign chefs cannot handle things, can be turned into goal in a Chinese chef hands, This utterly incarnates the arbitrariness and capriciousness in the use of material. Westerners maintain that they put a higher value on the reasonable collocation of nutrition than the Chinese in the description of diet characteristics of their own. They have relatively developed food industry, such as canned food, fast food, despite of the sameness of flavor, the food really save the time and rich in nutrition. Thus they are taller, longer in legs, broader in shoulder andtheir body shape generally is more robust than Chinese, higher-developed muscle. Oppositely, Chinese has rather thin and small figure, short leg , narrow shoulder and seem yellow on face, apparently very tender. According to the evident variation in object between Chinese and Western diet , Chinese are called “the plant character”, Westerners “animal character”.5. ConclusionCulture is a kind of spiritual product in economic development. Diet culture, to some extent, offers us an insight into people’s daily life and local custom an observance.Research on difference of diet cultural difference in intercultural communication will enable people to enhance mutual understanding, enjoy the different feelings of different cuisine, promote the exchange and integration mutually, and intensify the understanding between people and appreciation.References[1]徐文苑.中国饮食文化概论[M].清华大学出版社;北京交通大学出版社,2005.[2] 林语堂.生活的艺术[M]北京:外语教学与研究出版社,1998 (45)[3]蒋艳.中西饮食文化差异的原因分析及其研究意义[J]湖北教育学院学报,2007(04):61.[4]杜莉,孙俊秀.西方饮食文化[M].中国轻工业出版社,2006.[5] 赵荣光.中国饮食文化概论[M].北京:高等教育出版社,2008:1[6]张宇光.中华饮食文献汇编[G].中国国际广播出版社,2009.[7] 胡文仲.跨文化交际学概论[M].北京：外语教学与研究出版社,1999[8] Samovar. L. A, & Porter, R. E. & Stefani, L.A. Communication Between Cultures. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2000.[9] Kittler, Pamela Goyan. Food and Culture. Australia: Wadsworth Publishing, 2001.[10] Edward, T.Hall. The Silent Language. . 1990。