On the Differences of Chinese and Western Food

Culture

II. Definition of Food Culture

Food culture is an important part of human culture .It has two definitions in broad sense and narrow sense .In the broad sense, food culture has something in common with cooking culture, and it is considered as the counterpart of the latter. Generally speaking, cooking culture refers to the total amount of material and spirit treasure which is created and accumulated during the long period of food production and procession by the human being. "It is about what food human makes and how to make ".It includes the food ingredient, cooking tool, cooking skill and so on. In the narrow sense, food culture refers to the sum-up of material and spirit treasure created and passed down in the long period of human eating the food product. It is about what human eat, and how to eat and why eat such food etc. It includes the variety of food, the tool uses in eating, the customs of eating, and the service of eating act. In a word, cooking culture come to birth in the course of food production and procession. It is a production culture, while food culture in the narrow sense is a kind of consuming culture, which comes to birth in the course of food consuming.

The production and the consumption are tightly connected to each other. If there is no cooking culture, they will be no food culture .The first one is the premise of the latter. The latter is derived from the first one .Thus, we usually define food culture in broad sense that is the sum-up of cooking culture and eating culture.

2.1 Chinese Food Culture

Professor Hu Wenzhong stated in his book that Chinese food culture in this research mainly refers to the one in the Han nationality. As we all know, China

is a nation with 56 ethnic groups, each of which has its unique food, food habits, etc. But the Han nationality and its culture are the mainstream in China due to some historical, political and economic reasons, which, however, are not the main concerns of this research. "Besides, the author herself is brought up in the Han cultural background, which is much more familiar to her than that of any other ethnic group".

In nowadays, China’s concept of eating is just like U.S. when people face the tasty dishes, they will say that this dish was "delicious”, or that dish was “delicious". However To further ask what "delicious," why "tasty" and "delicious" Where, it maybe difficult to answer that clearly. This shows that Chinese people's pursuit of the diet is a difficult Yan Zhuan "mood", that is, people often use the word "color, smell, taste, shape” to judge the food.

2.2 Western Food Culture

Pamela and Kathryn studied on western food culture in their food culture research and stated that western food culture is mainly concerned with the one in the English-speaking countries, especially in America and Britain due to the fact that their cultural patterns and influence have become dominant in the West, which is generally recognized by the international community. On the other hand, most of the materials and information on food culture collected by the author are all about American or British people's food, food habits, etc.

No one will deny that the West is a rational concept of diet, whether the food color, smell, taste, shape, and nutrition must be assured that day to stress how much intake of calories, vitamins, protein and so on. Not only size-fits-taste, but also must Chi Xiaqu as nutritious. This diet with the Western concept of the whole philosophy is in line. Metaphysics is the main characteristics of Western philosophy. Western philosophy on the subject by the rationale for things, things often the rationale for the arguments of metaphysics,

metaphysics coherent rationale for each other, they form a metaphysical philosophy. "This philosophy brought vitality to the Western culture, so that in the natural sciences, psychology, the methodology of achieving a rapid development. But in other respects, this philosophy that has greatly hampered, such as food culture". The banquet, the tableware can stress, stress the materials used, stress, stress-shaped dishes of raw materials, with the color, but no matter how high-end luxury, from Los Angeles to New York, steak only a taste, no art at all. As dishes, chicken is chicken, steak is steak, although a match, it is also in the session, a "French Yangpai", side-mashed potatoes, next to Reliance Yangpai, the other side with cooking peas, plus several film Tomato into it. "On the sharp contrast color, but in the taste of various raw materials separate, reconcile, is the entire flavor, simple and clear.”

China pays great attention on “the taste”, while the West focuses on a kind of rational diet idea. No matter food color, smell and tastes, shape how, but the nutrition needs certainly to obtain the guarantee, is fastidious about one day to absorb how many quantity of heat, Vitamin, protein and so on. Even if the taste is stereotyped, must certainly eat, because it has the nutrition. This diet idea is adapts with the Western entire philosophy system. Metaphysics is the Western philosophy main feature.

The western philosophy studies the principle of the thing; principle of the thing often is the metaphysics principle, the metaphysics principle links up mutually, in the process of forming philosophy. This philosophy the culture brings the vitality for the West, caused it in the natural sciences, the psychology, the methodology to realize the development which progressed by leaps and bounds. But in another some aspects, this philosophy advocated that the big earth played the hindrance role, like diet culture. At the banquet, may be fastidious about the tableware, is fastidious about the needed materials, is fastidious about the service, is fastidious about raw material of the vegetable shape, color aspect matching; But no matter how luxurious upscale, from Los

Angeles to New York, the beefsteak only be served as a kind of flavor, does not have art to be possible to say. As the cooked food, the chicken is the chicken, the beefsteak is a beefsteak, even if has matching, that is also carries on the plate, “the Buddhist ritual procedures mutton chop”, puts the mashed potatoes at the same time, side relies on the mutton chop, in addition matches at the same time boils the green beans, adds several piece of tomato then it will become contrast distinctively in color, but each raw material is mutually irrelevant in the taste, is well distributed, each is each taste, simple perspicuity.

III. The Differences between Chinese and Western Food

Culture

“China has a long history of 5000 years, while the west has one of about six hundred years .China has a food culture that is colorful, profound and excellent, while the west has its own special culture”5. Now we’d like to talk about the differences between these two cultures from the following aspects.