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1、 Contrast between Chinese and western eating habitsAbstract: Food plays an irreplaceable role in the development of society and the progress of human civilization. It is an essential prerequisite for human existence. However, different nations have different food and food habits. That is because the
2、y have different culture, especially food culture. Only within the context of each individual culture can food and food habits are best understood. This thesis expounds the important function of food culture between different countries cultural communication by analyzing Chinese and Western food cul
3、ture. By examining these differences, we can improve our ability in cultural communication.Food culture is a special cultural phenomenon. By the process of peoples studies, people know food culture from one side to the study of different culture backgrounds, customs and historical environments. This
4、 thesis endeavors to analyze the cultural differences and their root causes in Chinese and Western food cultures from the perspective of concept, etiquette and content, and points out that with the development of cross-cultural communication, more communication and interaction will arise between Chi
5、nese and western food cultures and they will develop together.Key words: value conception; feature; etiquette; Chinese food culture; western food culture1. IntroductionCulture is a historical phenomenon. It is the summation of civilization and a mental picture which can be created in the progress of
6、 a nations development. This thesis expounds the important function of food culture between different cultures by analyzing Chinese food and Western food. By examining these differences, we can improve our ability in cultural communication.The contact between different countries becomes much tighter
7、 through the incorporation of a global economy. At the same time, the cultural communications become more important in the big distance between these two cultures. The distinction between cultural communications become more and more evident and the study of Chinese and Western food culture is an imp
8、ortant part of it. Food is a special phenomenon, people having knowledge of food from one side of the study of different cultural backgrounds, customs and historical environment by study.We all know that different nations have different cultures. This thesis focuses on the different food cultures in
9、 Chinese and western countries. Chinese food culture in this thesis mainly refers to the one in the Han nationality. As we know, China is a nation with 56 ethnic groups, each of which has its own unique food and food habits. The Han nationality and its culture are the mainstream in China due to hist
10、orical, political and economic reasons. Western food culture in this thesis is mainly concerned with the British one due to the fact that its cultural pattern and influence have become dominant in the west, which is generally recognized by the world. 1. Different Values in Chinese and Western Food C
11、ulture1.1 Collectivism in Chinese food culture1.1.1 Collective orientationIn China, collective orientation with deep roots can be traced back to ancient time. Confucius points out, “If one wants to establish himself, he should help others to establish themselves at first.” in which collectivism is a
12、ppreciated. “Even the dog swaggers when its master wins favor” shows the fact that everything in China is branded with collectivism. In such collectivistic culture, a “we” consciousness prevails, and people are expected to be interdependent and show conformity to the groups norms and values. Group g
13、oals usually take precedent over individual goals, and the primary value is to seek harmony with others. Actually, group harmony is so highly valued that obedience to, and compliance with, in groups pressures is routine. 1.1.2 Collective orientation in Chinese food culture This collectivistic orient
14、ation also plays an important role in Chinese food culture. Normally, Chinese people would like to take the style of “sharing” when they have a dinner together, whether at home with family members or outside with friends. As Vera Y. N. Hsu describes, “The typical Chinese dining table is round or squ
15、are. The tsar dishes are laid in the center, and each participant in the meal is equipped with a bowl of “fan”, a pair of chopsticks, a saucer, and a spoon. All at a table take from the tsar dishes as they proceed with the meal. Good eating manners require each participant take equally from the diff
16、erent tsar dishes, so that all will have an equal chance at all the dishes.” (Chang, 1977:304) When the dinner starts, the host usually shows a menu to guests asking them to order the dish they like before making the final decision. When a dinner comes to an end, participants always strive to pay th
17、e bill unless someone has claimed it in advance. The “truth of sharing” reflects almost everywhere from the dinner start to the end. 2 Individualism in western food culture2.2.1 Individualistic orientation It is well known that Great Britain tends toward individualism. Individualism refers to the do
18、ctrine, spelled out in detail by the seventeenth-century English philosopher John Locke, that each individual is unique, special, completely different from all other individuals, and “the basic unit of nature”. Therefore, in individualistic culture, an “I” consciousness prevails, and emphasis is pla
19、ced on an individual goal over group goals. This value orientation stresses individual initiative and achievement, and individual decision-making is highly appreciated.2.2.2 Individualistic orientation in western food cultureWestern food culture is characterized by the “separated style because of th
20、e great influence of the individualistic orientation. It is contrary to the “sharing” style in Chinese food culture in many ways. For example, westerners do not take the tsar dishes from the public plate, but have separate individual plates. The way of “going Dutch” is widely taken when the bill is
21、to be paid, which means everyone pays his own share. The role of individualism in Western food culture is obvious and its influence is self-evident.3. Different Features in Chinese and Western Food Culture3.1 Extravagance in ChineseChinese food culture is probably much older than any other kind of f
22、ood cultures. Few cultures are as food oriented as Chinese culture. The most common example is the greeting used among Chinese people when they encounter:” Have you eaten?” food plays so important a role in peoples daily life that it inevitably becomes an ostentatious way because of face ， so the ex
23、travagance e and exquisiteness become the main features of Chinese food.Face in China involves a claim for respect and dignity from others. Losing ones face is one of the worst ways to injure ones self-esteem. The banquet is also influenced by the “face” system. They are no longer a social occasion
24、just for meeting or eating, but to some extent, a good chance for the host to show off his power and earn his face. The more expensive or precious the food is, the more dignity the host has, the more the quantity of dishes in a banquet, the warmer hospitality can be shown, and the more “face” he can
25、 earn. In this sense, formal banquets in China have one thing in common: there should be more than enough food on the table. Otherwise the host will lose face. That leads directly to the extravagant food culture. 3.2 Simplicity in western food culture Compared with extravagant banquets in China, the
26、 scale of banquets in western countries is much smaller. That is because the belief in food in western countries is mainly focused on function as necessity for human beings survival or a way of communication. For example, in a party, the host usually does not prepare food and drinks and serves some
27、simple food only like cheese, sandwiches, fruits etc. For most Westerners, this is a good opportunity for communication and reunion, or a great occasion where they can strengthen relationships and make new friends. What they actually care about is the casual, harmonious and joyous atmosphere, the ma
28、ximum freedom and relaxation they can enjoy at the banquet.4. Different Etiquette in Chinese and Western Food Culture4.1 Different time-conceptions in Chinese and western food culture4.1.1 “M-time” and “P-time”Edward T. Hall, who is well known for his discussion of time across cultures, proposes tha
29、t cultures organize time in one of two ways: either monochromic or polychromic .He also points out that M-time is the characteristic of people from western countries, while P-time is the characteristic of people from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The two conceptions are incompatible. We can see th
30、e sharp contrast between P-time and M-time from the lateness in Chinese food culture and the punctuality in western food culture.4.1.2 Lateness in Chinese food culture People in the P-time cultures do not emphasize scheduling by separating time into fixed segments. They treat time as a less tangible
31、 medium so that they can interact with more than one person or do more than one thing at a time. Therefore, in these cultures, personal interaction and relationship developments are far more important than making appointments or meeting deadline.China is a country with P-time. Chinese people are usu
32、ally a little later than what is scheduled when participating in some activities like banquets. Normally, they would be half an hour late. The host will arrange some entertainments, such as playing cards or chatting. Tea and various desserts like candy, cakes etc. are served for the guests who have
33、arrived on time to kill time. Both the host and guest get used to that and would not interpret this kind of lateness as an impolite behavior.However, this conception changes sometimes. With the development of cross-cultural communication, more and more Chinese people, especially the young, are gradu
34、ally influenced by the M-time in western countries.4.1.3 Punctuality in western food cultureUnlike Chinese people, people in M-time cultures tend to follow precise scheduling. Once the time is set, it is rarely changed, and people should take it seriously. Usually, everyone is supposed to arrive on
35、time when attending a formal meeting or banquet. It is also acceptable that people can be a little late sometimes, but no more than 10 minutes, otherwise this behavior will be regarded as inappropriate by both the host and other guests, and one will have to give a proper explanation. The one who vio
36、lates the rule of punctuality shall be punished seriously in M-time culture.4.2 Different seating arrangement Samovar pointed out that “Culture influences even the manner and meaning in seating arrangement”. So seating arrangement is an important means of giving different explanations on social stat
37、us or interpersonal relations. With regard to seating arrangement in a banquet, there exist some major distinctive disparities between Chinese and Western food culture.4.2.1 The South and north seating arrangement in Chinese food cultureIn China, the seat facing south in a banquet is usually regarde
38、d as the most important, while the seat facing north is comparatively less important. It is because of traditional Chinese culture. China is an old country with a long history of more than five thousand years. There used to be many dynasties. Whatever the dynasty, the emperor always sat with facing
39、south during the ceremony of the royal inauguration or in the process of discussing governmental affairs with ministers. On the other hand, the ministers were all facing north when they met the emperor. Gradually, the word “south” has been elevated into a position relatively high in Chinese peoples
40、minds, and it symbolizes the supreme authority, power and position. By contrast, the position of the word “north” is much lower. Therefore, in a formal banquet, the seats that face south undoubtedly will be reserved for those who are respectable or powerful4.2.2 The right and left seating arrangemen
41、t in western food culture In Western countries, the seating arrangement is quite different. In the past, the most distinguished guest was seated on the left side of the host. The reason is that in ancient times there were many assassinations for political and social reasons, and assassins held dagge
42、rs in their right hands to attack. It was convenient and easier for the host to protect the guest who was on his left hand when the assassin attacked. However, with the development of civilization, this old style of assassination has been extinct for a long time and the seating arrangement also chan
43、ged. Nowadays, what Westerners are most concerned about is the perspective of psychological need instead of physical security when they arrange seats in a banquet. The result is that the seat at the right side of the host is more honorable than the one on the left side in the widely recognized rule.
44、5. Different Consents in Chinese and Western Food Culture5.1 Different drink in Chinese and western food culture 5.1.1 Liquor and tea in Chinese food cultureLiquor and tea are two kinds of main drinks in Han nationality. It is known to all that China is the hometown of tea, and one of the countries
45、which invented the earliest brew technology in the world. Wine culture and tea culture have long history in China and they have become an essential part of Han national food culture in the past thousands of years. They greatly influence other countries all over the world.There are many kinds of tea
46、and liquor in China. Different kinds of tea and liquor have different functions, so people drink different tea and liquor in different seasons to keep healthy. Normally, people drink three kinds of tea in four seasons. In spring and autumn, people drink tea, which was made of various flowers to make
47、 them more beautiful and active. In summer, green tea is the best choice. It is a special kind of healthy drink and has many unique functions, such as refreshing one, removing strain, preventing heatstroke, cooling, caring for eyes etc. Most people choose black tea in winter because it is fermenting
48、 and not belonging to cold. It can not only foster your stomach, promote digestion and your appetite but also help to strengthen the cardiac muscles.Chinese people always drink beer in hot summer and liquor in winter. Liquor has thousands of years history in China and it creates a unique style in th
49、e world. It is fragrantly pure and has flavors. Drinking a small cup of liquor everyday could promote digestion, whet appetite and 5.1.2 The wine and beer in western countriesThe grape wine and beer are common drink in western countries. People in some cold area even drink sherry everyday to keep themselves warm. In Britain, bars meet your eyes everywhere on the streets and become second living rooms. The British are experts in drinking and beer is their favorite drink. Normally, there
