The Differences between Chinese and Western Food Cultures

毕业设计（论文）开题报告

助学点：外语系专业：英语（外贸英语方向）

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毕业设计（论文）中期报告

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The Differences between Chinese and

Western Food Cultures

中西饮食文化差异

摘要

饮食文化是人类文化的重要组成部分，它直接关系到人类的身心健康。中西文化之间的差异导致了中西饮食文化的差异,而这种差异来自中西不同的价值观、思维方式和处世方式。本文对饮食观念、饮食结构和餐桌礼仪三方面的饮食文化内涵进行了研究,并分析了中西饮食文化的对立统一性,以及二者相互融合的趋势。了解中西饮食文化, 可以提高我们的跨文化交际意识和能力，可以避免跨文化交际过程中由于不同的饮食文化和观念而产生的矛盾和冲突,增进双方的了解和沟通。

关键词：跨文化交际，文化价值，饮食文化，对立统一

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The Differences between Chinese and Western Food Cultures

ABSTRACT

Food culture is the key part of the human culture, which is directly related to human beings’ physical and mental health. Cultural differences between China and western countries create the differences of food cultures, which come from the different cultural values, ways of thinking and philosophy. By comparing the different cultural values between China and western countries, the paper mainly makes a research on the differences of Western and Chinese food cultures from the aspects of food conception, structure and table manners. It also states the food cultures opposites in unity between these two kinds of countries and inevitability of their blending together. Understanding their differences and rectifying the attitudes towards the inpidual culture will enhance our communicative awareness and competence and avoid the contradictions and conflicts brought forth by different food cultures and values, and thus promoting culture exchange and development.

Keywords:cross-cultural communication; cultural value; food cultures; opposites in unity

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Acknowledgements

With the completeness of my thesis, I feel very excited. My deepest gratitude goes first and foremost to Ms , my supervisor, for her constant encouragement and guidance. She has walked me through all the writing of this thesis. Without her constant and illuminating instruction, this thesis could not reach its present form.

I am greatly indebted to authors and writers for their allowing me to have access to their books pertinent to this dissertation.

I also thank those who help me in course of the writing and whose names I can’t list here one by one.

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CONTENTS

摘要.................................................................................................................V ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................V I

1 Introduction (1)

2 Main Differences between Chinese and Western Food Culrures (2)

2.1 Conceptual Differences (2)

2.2 Different Manners (4)

2.3 Different Characteristics (7)

2.3.1 Different Dinner Service (7)

2.3.2 Different Cookbooks and Reasons (8)

3 The Unity of Food Cultures as Two Opposites (10)

4 Conclusion (13)

References (14)

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1 Introduction

Culture has a long history, and it still is being studied nowadays. Culture is something that originated with the emergence of man. Sir Edward, the British anthropologist, says that culture is that complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, and moral, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. (Harris, 1987, 2) Different regions, different races and different countries all form their own culture. Different regions and different living environments make them have different backgrounds. Different backgrounds affect different appearance of cultures. Food culture is the basic culture for a nation. Food cultures can show differences and characteristics of different nations or countries.

As an important aspect of culture，Food culture can be defined as the sum of material and spiritual phenomena in the catering activities. With the emphasis on a healthy food, many Chinese and foreign scholars are studying the nutritional food in order to find a more reasonable food. Differences of food cultures in different countries are a phenomenon of cross-cultural communication. Studying these differences can train people’adaptability in cross-cultural communication. Cross-cultural communication in the situation of globalization makes the different food cultures complementary and integrated.

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2 Main Differences between Chinese and Western Food Culrures 2.1 Conceptual Differences

Differences between American and Chinese food culture reflects two different food concepts and values. Chinese people are always upholding “People regard food as their heave, taste is the essence of food” .the eight major cuisines of china reflect the rich connotations of Chinese food culture. From this, we can know that the food is in a very important position in minds of Chinese people. Chinese food culture concerns the meaning of material and has a trend of achieving a mental need. Chinese food cult ure’s great sentiment is well established, so it has the very high prestige in the world. The Chinese people think that it is reasonable to eat three meals a day. Eating can relieve thirst and appease hunger, but it has some meanings. For example, when a child comes into the world, the relatives often eat the red-painted eggs. These kinds of eggs contain their wishes and their expectations. Life can be continued and the great expectations can be passed down from generation to generation. When a child is one year old, their family will hold a party to celebrate it and to eat many kinds of food. When people want to have a marriage, they also want to have a lively banquet to celebrate it. Seen from the surface, these kinds of eating are only satisfy physical needs. In fact, they have ulterior motivations. They want to take advantage of this kind of form to express one kind of psychological connotation. Eating has a very profound and significant position in the society.

Through the Chinese and the Western association, our food culture has merged into some new characteristics. Besides the quality, fragrance and flavor, food should concern the nutrition. This is a progressive expression of the Chinese food. The basic connotation and inspection of the Chinese food culture not only can be helpful to deepen the food cultural theory, but can occupy the world market. It can make the Chinese food culture have the profound and positive sense. It may have four characteristics: refinement, beauty, feeling, courtesy. The four characters have reflected the food activities, and have processed the food quality, the esthetic experience, the emotional activity, the social function and so on. They also contain unique cultural implication. They reflect close relation between the food culture and the outstanding traditional culture.

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Chinese food culture attacks great importance to the food’s fine beauty and making devices.

First, “refinement” can be used to summarize the intrinsic quality. Confucius said that the good food can be shown from the beautiful appearance, and we consider the minced meat to be good because of its thin. This reflects that the ancients have begun to concern high-quality food. Certainly this is possibly limited to certain aristocrat. But this kind of high-quality food can show one kind of cultural spirit. More and more cultural spirit has permeated the entire food activity. Choosing the material, the cooking, and the food atmosphere all manifest this characteristic of refinement.

Second, “beauty” manifests the food culture’s esthetical characteristic. One important reason why Chinese food can conquer the world lies in its beauty. This kind of beauty refers to the Chinese food can unite the form of action and the perfect content. People can enjoy this kind of happy spirit. The first reason for making people to taste the food is the beauty of the food, anther criterion for judging food is the technique of cooking which can make people have an esthetical feeling.

Third, “feeling” can be used to summarize the function o f satisfying psychological need of Chinese food culture. Eating and drinking cannot simply reflect it. In fact, feeling is a medium that can make people exchange the emotion. It is one kind of entirely new social activity. At the same time, while eating a meal, people also can chat with each other. They may do business, exchange information and have the interview. The friends’ meeting and parting and seeing off the departing people are the sentimental disturbance.

Fourth, the Chinese food can show the court esy of Chinese people. The “refinement”, “beauty”, “feeling” and “courtesy”, can be used to summarize the basic conations of Chinese food culture. In the other words, these four aspects are the organic constitution of Chinese food culture. The refinement and beauty stress on the food image and the quality. The feeling and courtesy can lay emphasis on the view of food. These four characteristics can show the prevailing customs. They are the special characteristics and can make the Chinese food culture be different from Western food culture.

Western food cannot have these characteristics like Chinese food. It concerns more nutrition of food rather than other aspects. The Western people have a very scientific view

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of food, but they may have less attention to the flavor of food. The Western people just

consider the food as a fuel of bodies. They just want to live by eating the food, and eating the food is to live and to keep healthy.

2.2 Different Manners

First, there are different arrangements of seats.

Chinese and western all concern the arrangement of seats at a formal banquet.

In China, etiquette on food has a very long history. It is recorded that in Chou Dynasty, had formed a set of perfect systems. Especially, since Confucius praised the etiquette, the etiquette has become an important part for every dynasty to show its mightiness, kindness and civilization. As a traditional etiquette, it has its process. Traditionally, Chinese people often use the old fashioned square table or round table for eight people. The host invites people to have the dinner. When some guests come, the host often let them have a rest in the drawing room and drink some tea. The host could let all the guests take their seats in the dining room when all the guests arrive. The left place is the respectful and is considered the first place. Then the seat near to the first seat is the second. They usually let the guest who is in the high rank take the left seat and then arrange the others’ seats one by one. After the guests all took their seats, the host should toast and let the guests eat more foods. In China, it is a good and polite way for the host to treat the guests in this way. The host should let the guests feel at ease. Sometimes he or she can pick up the food and put in to the g uests’ plates. However, this action cannot be done excessively, and it will let the guests feel embarrassed. The reason is that sometimes it is very hard for the guests to deal with their excessive foods. Until Qing Dynasty, the Western food was brought in to China. Some Western countries’ etiquette also went into our country. Some changes have taken place in our traditional etiquettes. Nowadays, etiquette on Chinese food has developed on the basis of keeping traditions and consulting Western countries’ etiq uettes. The order of seat is that the right is considered as the first place and respectful position. The main host takes the seat facing to the door. The first and second important guest should sit on both sides of the host. The second guest also can seat near the first important guest.

When the Western people have the dinner, they often use the long and square table. The

host and hostess take both sides of the table, and then arrange the guests of honor.

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