上海海洋大学
题
目：学 院：专 业：班 级：学 号：姓 名：指导教师：完成日期：
学 期 论 文
浅谈中西方饮食文化差异 外国语学院 英语 13英语 1361322 马梦雅 Alan
2015年12月15日
CONTENTS
1.General differences between Chinese and Western diet habits………………………………………………………… 1
2.Differences in cooking methods.…………………………
4
3.Differences in table manners……………………………
5
4.Differences in tableware…………………………………
7
5.Differences in tea drinking………………………………
Differences between Chinese and Western diet habits
I.General differences between Chinese and Western diet habits.
Chinese diet focuses on“flavor” while Western diet cares more about “rational concept”,which means that Western food not only emphasizes the color,smell,taste,shape of food,but also pays attention to taking in proper nutrition ,even strees on the calories, vitamins, protein, etc.in each meal.Although the taste is similar, they often force themselves to eat——because food is rich in nutrition.This idea of diet is relevant to western philosophy,meta-physic,the main characteristic of western philosophy,which promoted the western culture’s development in some degree.However,philosophy also had side effect on diet culture.Though westerners focus on the choice of tableware,the use of spices,the quality of service,and no matter how high-grade and luxury the food is,generally speaking,beef is almost the same from London to New York.
In the other word,Chinese diet seems more complex.The vast
2 land,abundant resources,different climates in north and south are all resulted in completely different flavors of Chinese food.Chinese people in different places like sweet,salt,sour,spicy food,so it gradually formed four main cuisines：Sichuan,Qilu,Huaiyang,and Guangdong.Besides,eating different food in different seasons also is a characteristic of Chinese diet.Chinese pay attention to intake in proper time,for insurance,drink mung bean soup in summer to clear away heat rather than drink it in winter.
Western meals generally includes appetizer,soup,salad,seafood,meat,deert,despite also a little differences in French,Ruian,Italian,British diet habits.Meat, poultry dishes are the fourth western dishes, also known as the main dish.Meat dishes come from cattle, sheep, pigs, and other small parts of veal, the most representative is beef or steak.Beef can be divided according to their location:Sirloin steak (also known as sirloin steak), Philip steak, \"T\" type bone steaks,etc.Cooking methods commonly are roasted, fried, grilled, etc.Sauces of meat dishes are mainly using red wine sauce, black pepper sauce, mushroom juice.Salad,which are vegetable dishes in western food, described as a garnish.Salads usually with
3 lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, asparagus and other production.The main salad vinegar sauces are:French sauce, dry island juice, cheese salad juice and so on.After the main dishes,that is deert.Strictly speaking,it can be counted as the sixth dish.From the real sense, it includes all the main course after the food, such as pudding, pancakes, ice cream, cheese, fruit, etc.
If we metaphor banquets to dance,Chinese banquet is group dance and western banquet is social dance.It directly indicated that Chinese banquet put strength on whole table oriented while western banquet pot strength on the respect to individual.As we all know buffet,this kind of popular french dining form,it is convenient for one to one communication and it shows the western’s people oriented tradition.
II.Differences in cooking methods.Chinese cooking is an art,same to music, dance, poetry, painting.There are many cooking methods in Chinese cuisine: slip, stew, roast, boil, steamed, fried,, braised, grilled, stewed, caerole, etc.Chinese cooking methods are very complex, some dishes need a very long time to cook.For example,stewing chicken soup,which is a soup seems easy but if you want to cook it
4 well,it is difficult.First,the choice of chicken is neceary;then,how to wash the chicken and put what kind of spices also important;Finally,control the cooking fire properly.Paying attention to these three steps still does not means you can cook nice chicken soup,you should focus on every proce of dealing with the chicken.In contrast,western cooking methods seems easier than us,they usually roasted,boiled and fried,nothing else special.
Westerners love sugar, especially deerts.The amount of sugar use are often the same amount with flour , it is fearful,no wonder incidence of obesity in western countries much more higher than us.What’s more,the amount of sugar,flour and butter are clearly stated how many grams，even has the limitation of an egg’s size.The water put in food should be measured strictly by measuring cup.In western cuisine,the usage of salt is le than us.Instead,there is no general consolidation of flavor in China:southern people like sweet food,northern people like salt food,eastern people like spicy food and western people lie sour food.
III.Differences in table manners.
5 Though Chinese and westerners all eat food beside table,actually it has rather obvious differences.In China,people often gather around a table to have a meal no matter family daily diet or formal banquet.Proposing a toast and using chopsticks to pa food to guests are common behaviors to show respect in China,especially in some important traditional festivals,people more prefer in these way to celebrate, like Spring Festival,Mid-autumn Festival.Sitting around a table,sharing dishes are main characteristics of Chinese table manner.It makes some foreigners surprised even unacceptable to this tradition when they first came to China.In China,the position you seat indicates how important you are.Guest often seated on the seat opposite to the door,which is a respectable seat.And do not touch chopsticks before all people seated for it is impolite to eat in advance.If there are ladies together to eat,men should wait and sit until ladies sit down.Chinese and western banquets all emphasize seating arrangement.
Neverthele,in western countries,people used to aigning food firstly,each one has the same dish.In Western banquet, while everyone also sitting around a table, but everyone\'s food dish is in a single dish.No fixed seat, you can move around freely, not
6 only can fully meet the individuals’ food preferences, but also to facilitate the social relations, emotional and information communication.This habit fully reflects Westerners self-respect and emphasizes the individual\'s independence and autonomy.
IV.Differences in tableware.Comparing to Western tableware,Chinese tableware seems monotonous,main includes cups, plates, bowls, plates, chopsticks, spoons, etc.Western tableware are various：knife, fork, spoon, plate, cup,besides, knife divided into food knife,fish knife, meat knife,butter knife, fruit knife;fork divided into the food fork, harpoon, lobster fork.
The most basic differences between Chinese and western tableware are Chopsticks and knives,forks.Knives,forks and chopsticks, not only resulted in the differences in eating habits, but also affect the East and West people\'s life idea.Knife and fork influenced the group diet habit from the beginning,so westerners pay attention to independence, and their children often live alone when they grow up.Furthermore,Chinese used to eating with bowl to contain main food while westerners prefer
7 plates.In contrast,we use plates to push different dishes,they like used bowls to contain appetizers.The usage of plates is really wide in west,including main dish,deert.
In short, the westerner care more about food itself, while Chinese emphasize the form and the feeling of the dish.In recent years, with the improvement of life quality, Chinese catering equipment is becoming increasingly profeional, diversified, combine.
V.Differences in tea drinking.Tea originated from China,the earliest written records of tea can be traced back to second Century BC, then introduced to the west.Since 17th Century, tea had become popular among British aristocracy.After that, the British people took unique afternoon tea culture into china.However, tea drinking still has different customs in different culture background.
As everyone knows,tea is not the dominion of Chinese,westerners like tea too.However,there are very big differences:British people like putting sugar and milk into tea while Chinese people love drinking pure tea,no others
8 contained.In general,British people like to drink black tea and Chinese people like to drink green tea.Chinese and Western diet culture difference is obvious, and each has own advantages.With the acceleration of economic globalization and information exchange, Chinese and Western food culture will be integrated in the collision.
There are big differences in tea sets.Chinese tea sets often are ceramic products,such as,Pu\'er teapot（red-ware teapot）is breathable,it acquires boiled water to brew Pu\'er Tea,so red-ware teapot is the best choice of tea brewing.But western tea prefer silver products to brewing.The tea strainer is a neceity of western tea drinking.
