People from different countries speak different languages, keep different value systems, and have different ways of looking at things. So does in food dietetic culture. It is upsetting to find people who behave different from us. We may, at first, assume that something is wrong with them. While different cultures may have different ways of responding to compliments. Culture differences are also subtle and often unrecognized or overlooked. So learn about other cultures can help you avoid misunderstandings. Let me talk about its difference of food dietetic culture between Chinese and western countries.
Because of the difference of value system between Chinese and western countries, the western people insist that science is the most importance in food diet. It means that they think highly of nutrition. So keeping a balanced and nutritious diet is the western people’s highest principle. Eating is like a living machine bEing added fuel, especially the nutrition of food. Whether fat, protein, carbohydrate, and vitamin are fit together and the sufficient calorie offering are quite a big deal for cooking. Side effect and unabsorption are unacceptable no matter how delicious the dish is. Appearance, fragrance and taste involved in the dish is just the second choice of the western people while Chinese are very keen on that. Although there are something common in food diet of France and China, the nutrition is expectation.
We can understand the cultural character of our ethnic better from seeking the common ground while accepting the exsiting difference. And then, we can improve our intercultural communication skill which can help us understand the western people’s idea easily and impress them. Cross-cultural communication in the early days people often feel the power of cultural conflict. Through studying the difference of food dietetic culture between Chinese and western countries, we can avoid many misunderstanding efficiently while communicating with the western people.
Another different food culture between China and western countries is about food etiquette.Etiquette is an important aspect that should deserve our enough attention in both Chinese and Western food cultures. However, because of disparities between Chinese and Western cultures, different food etiquette consequently manifests different features. Therefore, a comparison between different etiquette in Chinese and Western food cultures will not only help us better understand those culturally rooted causes, but also improve cross-cultural communication. In this chapter, the following two aspects of etiquette in Chinese and Western food cultures will be discussed: different tableware and seating arrangement.
(ⅰ)Different tableware: chopsticks vs. fork and knife
In China and some eastern countries, when people have meal they use chopsticks, but use a knife and fork generally by western people. Chopsticks, knife and fork played a very important role in the development of respectively social culture, including bright but special cultural breathing. (ⅱ) Different seating arrangement
Due to cultural differences between China and Western countries, the seating arrangements of guests and the host also vary in organizing the banquet, for example: South and north vs. right and left, Men first vs. Ladies first. These two points are expounded respectively as follows. In China, the seat facing south in a banquet is usually regarded as the most honorable, while the seat facing north is comparatively less in importance.
However, in Western countries, the situation is quite different. In ancient times, a person used to hold a dagger in his right hand to carry out his assassination .Only when the guest was arranged to sit on the left side of the host, was it inconvenient for an assassin to perform the action, but much easier for the host to subdue the assassin and protect the guest(毕，1999:
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6). Therefore, the most distinguished guest was arranged to sit on the left side of the host.
Men first vs. Ladies first
When the seating arrangement for the male and the female in a formal banquet is concerned, China and Western countries have respective principles to follow. In China, particularly in ancient times, the image of the female was hardly found in any formal banquets, which accords with the Chinese traditional belief that men are expected to be dominant in the society. In Western countries, however, the principle of "Ladies first" is thEir traditional belief as well as an important social manner
The last difference is on contents in Chinese& Western food cultures
Apart from the differences on concepts and etiquette discussed in Chapter Two, China and Western countries also demonstrate some disparities in many aspects of the contents in each food culture, such as cuisine and cuisine naming. In this chapter, the following two points will be compared and discussed: exquisiteness and taste vs. nutrition and balance, and different cuisine naming. Through comparison and analysis, it may help us realize not only the disparities but also the similarities in certain aspects
1. Exquisiteness and taste vs. nutrition and balance
The Chinese pay attention to exquisiteness and taste, but the westerners pay attention to nutrition and balance. The concrete aspect is as follows
1.1Exquisiteness and taste in Chinese food
As we all know, China enjoys a good reputation for its plentiful and splendid cuisine. So far, China has developed four major cuisine groups, based on the localities of their origins: Su (Suzhou, Yangzhou and Hangzhou)group, Yue (Guangdong) group, Chuan (Sichuan) group and Lu (Shandong) group(孙，2004:2
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5), or more precisely,eight cuisinesystems, namelyShandong Cuisine,Sichuan Cuisine, Guangdong Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine; Jiangsu Cuisine，Zhejiang Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine, and Anhui Cuisine. In short, in the eyes of Chinese people, cuisine is not merely to satisfy the stomach, but also to the eves, the nose, the imagination, the mind and the soul.
Meanwhile, the taste, another essential feature of Chinese cuisine, is also stressed. Chinese people do not mind the nutrition of the food as much as its taste. Savoring food is more important to them. In other words, for a Chinese, having a tasty feast is the happiest thing in the world. The Chinese idea of happiness is, as I have noted elsewhere, being `warm, well-filled, dark and sweet’-referring to the condition of going to a bed after a good supper. It is for this reason that a Chinese poet says, “A well-filled stomach is indeed a great thing; all else is luxury” (Lin, 1998:
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5). Traditional British or American cuisine is boring and limited, and many foods or cuisine were actually introduced from other countries. For example, tomatoes were introduced to Europe in 1523 from the New World (Pamela& Kathryn, 1998:1
60); chopped beef steaks were introduced to the United States from the German city of Hamburg in the late nineteenth century (ibid，
1). Besides, as far as cooking methods or skills are concerned, Western countries are too far behind to catch up with China. Because of different factors, the features in Western cuisine are quite different from those in Chinese cuisine discussed above.
An interesting phenomenon in Western countries is the nutritional information on the food label, from which people's concern about nutrition is clearly reflected. A look at the information, like the number of calories per serving, grams of fat, sodium, cholesterol, fiber and sugar content will make you more knowledgeable in selecting foods to reduce your nutritional health risk.
By the comparison and analysis we have made so far, one conclusion may be drawn that on the one hand, it is the difference hidden in the deep structure of Chinese and Western cultures that leads to those disparities reflected in each inspanidual food culture, and on the other hand, food culture of Chinese and Western country is nEither superior nor inferior to the other, they do not exist in isolation. In fact, more and more cross-cultural contacts have brought many changes and new elements into the development of one culture or another, food culture is a good example. However, during this process of exchange, one culture usually adopts only those elements of another culture that are compatible with their values and beliefs.
Another important factor stimulating and accelerating the process of exchange between cultures is globalization. Due to the open policy, Chinese people and Chinese culture have more and more chances to contact with foreigners and foreign cultures, through which people of different cultures can learn from each other. In brief, learning food culture can help us know cultures about other countries and is better for cross-cultural communication.
Bibliography(参考文献)
[1]Bian Haoyu, Gao Yongchen. A Comparative Study of Differences Between Chinese and Western Food Cultures. Journal of Nanjing Forestry University（Humanities and Social Sciences Edition）,1999
[2]SunTao.GaoFeng. Differences Between Chinese and Western Dietetic Culture and Their Implications for Kitchenware Design. Journal of Southern Yangtze University,1998
[3]Teng Yanjiang.Wang Yong. A Cross-cultural Constrastive Study between the National Culture Psychology and the Convention in Food and Drink. Journal of Weifang University,2000
[4]多晓萍: 从饮食角度浅析中西文化 兰州工业高等专科学校学报,1995
[5]刘桂华: 论跨文化交际中的中西文化差异.华北水利水电学院学报（社科版）,2003
[6]单士坤: 王敏 民族文化心理与中西饮食文化之对比.山东省农业管理干部学院学报，1997
[7]张吴湖: 筷子与刀叉:中西文化符号的比较.河南科技大学学报（社会科学版）,1996中国wWw.LWlm.coM
（李宝玲：1981年，女，汉族，籍贯周口，郑州交通学院人文社科系助教，本科，研究方向为英语教。）
