CHINESE FOOD

Chinese food

Chinese are famous for their cuisine. Chinese are the ultimate gourmet. Especially in south China, they would say they’d eat everything that has four legs besides the dinner table, everything that has two wings besides a plane. Many of the dishes served in China may really surprise newcomers. And many of these dishes are so called medicinal dishes believed to have extraordinary nutritional value, including Shark Fin, Swallow Nest.

Snake soup is among the most treasured soups in China. Then there are also snake gall and blood mixed in liquor which supposedly will brighten your eyes. Some “westernized” Chinese would suggest that if Adam and Eve had been Chinese we humans would still be in the Garden of Eden as they would have eaten the snake.

Chopsticks are the main table utensils in China. Chinese children starts with a spoon but will adapt to chopsticks as early as when he just turns one. As a gift chopsticks symbolize straightforwardness, because of its shape. Chinese chopsticks don’t have pointed tip, unlike the Japanese style that is refined to pick out the bones for their main diet, fish. Chinese chopsticks are mostly of bamboo, but today there are more and more wooden ones and plastic ones.

Foreigners are not expected to use chopsticks proficiently, but if they do, they will give a mighty impression. Therefore before you go to China, go to the local Chinese restaurant, if not to find authentic Chinese food, at least you can practice the use of chopsticks. If in your first meal in China you don’t have to use chopsticks, then if you still can’t handle the two sticks to pick up a big shrimp in your tenth meal, you show your incompetence in learning and the willingness to learn.

China is very famous for its food in the world. There are many kinds of food in China. They’re Cantonese food, Sichuan food, Shanghai food, Hunan food and so on. Generally speaking, Cantonese food is a bit light, Sichuan food is very hot, Shanghai food is rather oily, and Hunan dishes are very spicy, having a strong and hot taste. Mapo Beancurd, steamed fish sweet and sour pork ribs, spring roll and many Chinese dishes are very delicious. In the north of China, people eat a lot of noodles and dumplings. In the south of China, people eat a lot of rice and seafood. Chinese food is good in color, flavor and taste. So I like it very much.

Diet Culture difference between China and America

The main difference between Chinese and America eating habits is that unlike, where everyone has their own plate of food, in China the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares. If you are being treated by a Chinese host, be prepared for a ton of food. Chinese are very proud of their culture of food and will do their best to give you a taste of many different types of cuisine. Among friends, they will just order enough for the people there. If they are taking somebody out for dinner and the relationship is polite to semi-polite, then they will usually order one more dish than the number of guests (e.g. four people, five dishes). If it is a business dinner or a very formal occasion, there is likely to be a huge amount of food that will be impossible to finish.

A typical meal starts with some cold dishes, like boiled peanuts and smashed cucumber with garlic. These are followed by the main courses, hot meat and vegetable dishes. Finally soup is brought out, which is followed by the starchy “staple” food, which is usually rice or noodles or sometimes dumplings. Many Chinese eat rice (or noodles or whatever) last, but if you like to have your rice together with other dishes, you should say so early on.

Fast food in China

As an import, fast food has come to China since last 80s. Now, fast food is becoming more and more popular in public, especially children, teenagers and travelers. It has become the first choice for their outside repast.

Why has fast food done so well only through 20 years? I think there are several reasons for its popularity. In the first place, fast food is really very fast as its name indicates. Some world-famous fast food chains, like KFC and McDonald’s, restrict the time for preparing food. In the next place, it is cheaper than restaurant while cleaner than small eateries. Thirdly, fast food chain can provide food of relatively uniform size, volume or even shape all over the world because of its strict standard. Last but not the least is fast food chain often uses some finesse to attract customers, for instance, presenting food or toys with suit, providing all kinds of vouchers, etc.

However, there’re also deficiencies restrict fast food’s further development. The most vital question is fast food containing high caloric and inadequate supplying of nutritive elements according to the healthy food’s requirement. So, if fast food could provide better food and better service, meanwhile make up its deficiency, the Chinese market—the largest in the world—will open up more broad prospects for its development.