中西方饮食文化对比研究(英语专业毕业论文)

.

……………………………………………………….......... ....................5

4. Table Manners……………………………………………………................. ..............................7

4.1. Differences Between Chinese and Western Table Mann ers…......……....................…….....7

4.2. Characteristics of Table Manners…………...……………………………....................… ...7

4.2.1. Characteristics

of Table Manners in China ………………….................... ...................8

4.2.2. Characteristics of Table Manners in the West...... .................................................. ........8

5. Conclusion................ .................................................. .................................................. .................9

Bibliography........ .................................................. .................................................. ........................10

III

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

1. Introduction

Diet is not only the premise of social development, but also the paramount material base for

human to survive with good health condition. In the early stage of barbarism, like other animals,

looking for food to survive is just the instinct for human beings. But when man began to use fire to

cook food and they entered the age of civilization, especially the time of cooking with the pottery,

the food became the creation made by the human own wisdom and their technology. Then there is

the

essential

difference

in

diet

between

human

beings

and

animals

that

the

diet

has

its

cultural

nature. Thus the history of

human diet is

to be this kind of history

that human adapt to nature,

conquer

and

reform

nature

to

survive

and

develop

in

the

nature,

and

the

human

dietary

culture

gradually comes into being in the course of this progress. As an important part of human culture,

the

dietary

culture

has

a

generalized

meaning

and

a

narrowed

meaning.

This

thesis

discuss

the

dietary culture in this narrow sense which is the total of material wealth and spirit wealth created

and accumulated in the long-term progress of food consumption, and it is the knowledge about

what to eat, how to eat and why to eat, including dietary object, dietary tableware and so on.

China

has

profound

cultural

heritage

of

dietary

culture

and

diet

play

a

foremost

role

in

people’s

daily

life

so

that

dietary

culture

take

a

huge

proportion

in

Chinese

culture.

Facing

the

dietary culture from other countries, we should accept or reject them based on ourselves condition.

We can’t only chase for enjoyment in taste, because it is harmful to our physical health if we eat

too much foreign food which is belong to the high calories food. However, it is obvious that we

shouldn’t

aimlessly

reject

all

the

new

objects.

Under

th

e

influence

of

entering

the

WTO

and

globalization, the international connection has become closer and closer so that the collision and

fusion in the dietary culture always happen between Chinese and westerners. Granted, it takes a

long time for two different cultures to merge and coexist and there must be an aspect that both

sides can’t adapt to each other. If this phenomenon occurs, we should try our best to understand,

respect and tolerate another culture in right manner.

The

difference

of

dietary

culture

between

Chinese

and

westerners

will

arouse

culture

misunderstanding in certain extent. For example, many Chinese think that Hamburger, KFC and

McDonald’s are the typical food in American. But it is not the fact. The fact is American food is

very complex.

1

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

Therefore,

in

this

thesis,

we

discuss

the

difference

of

dietary

culture

between

Chinese

and

westerners

from

dietary

concept,

dietary

object,

cooking

utensil,

dietary

tableware

and

table

manners.

Through

the

study,

it

is

beneficial

for

both

sides

to

strengthen

the

communication

in

culture,

and

more

able

to

eliminate

the

obstacles

and

misunderstanding

when

two

nations

are

communicating,

so

that

people

can

have

in-depth

understanding

about

the

dietary

culture

from

China and western countries. To study both pa

rties’ dietary culture difference from various aspects,

it can not only help us to strengthen the awareness and adaption in the culture communication, but

also

can

enhance

our

understanding,

tolerate

and

accept

the

foreign

culture.

Then

this

makes

Chinese and western dietary culture can mutually develop and fuse in communication, which it

plays a remarkable role in boosting the development of culture in the whole world .

2. Dietary Concept

Diet

is

absolutely

necessary

in

mankind

’

s

life,

and

even

in

the

existence

or

development.

Because

of

the

differences

between

Chinese

and

English

cultural

traditions,

the

Chinese

and

English dietary cultures are different in concept.

2.1. Chinese Dietary Concept

In

Chinese

dietary

culture,

people

play

more

attention

to

pursuing

the

taste

than

to

emphasizing the nutrition. They consider that the nutrition is less important if the food is delicious

and good-looking enough. The reason why there is a unique dietary culture that eating is on top of

the

list

in

Chinese

nation

is

that

productivity

has

been

always

under

the

average

level

for

thousands of years and people have not enough food to eat. People often say the taste is the most

important in the whole of color, aroma and taste. In addition, the key of special charm in Chinese

diet is nothing but its taste. Chinese think a lot of art and sensibility, so the pursuit of delicious

taste

is

always

the

highest

meaning

in

dietary.

However,

a

part

of

the

nutrition

may

lack

in

pursuing the deliciousness in Chinese diet. The shape of the food is the external thing while the

taste is the internal thing. Emphasizing the inner and not decorating painstakingly the external, or

emphasizing the taste rather than showing off the form of the dishes, is the paramount expression

in

Chinese

dietary

concept.

But

it

does

not

take

any

count

of

the

collocation

of

nutrition.

The

medicated food appeared in the Tang dynasty and now there is a formulation that “diet therapy is

better than medical treatments”, which all reflect that Chinese pay attention

to the collocation in

2

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

dietary

nutrition

since

ancient

times.

However,

the

traditional

nutrition

theory

only

has

a

vague

concept without specific data analysis as westerners to figure out what kind of food is good for

health with nutrition. Chinese people are thinking highly of eat. Bread is the staff of life, this old

adage explained that we see eating as important as days. Because our national for thousands of

years are in the low level of productivity, people always do not have enough to eat, so they would

have a unique food culture that eating is very important. I think this is probably from a survival to

needs. Li Xiaohong pointed out: If a culture put ate as primary, so it will appear two phenomena:

on

one

hand

will

put

the

food

function

to

acme,

not

only

survive,

but

also

use

it

to

maintain

healthy, this is also the culture basis that ―diet cures more than the doctors. On the other hand,

the excessive attention to eat, it can make the person praise highly of delicious pursuit.

2.2. Western Dietary Concept

In

western

dietary

culture,

eating

like

a

biological

machine

add

fuel,

especially

about

the

food's

nutrition

composition,

protein,

fat,

carbohydrates,

vitamins

and

all

kinds

of

inorganic

element

content

,

people

play

more

attention

to

pursuing

the

nutrition

than

to

emphasizing

the

color, aroma and taste. The western diet is a kind of rational diet so that they devote particular care

to the nutrition and collocation. They treat dietary as a science with a realistic attitude to lay stress

on dietary nutrition and as a result, the pursuit of nutrition becomes the highest meaning in diet.

The core standard in evaluating food in westerners is whether it is reasonable in dietary nutrition

and whether it accord with the scientific demand. Westerners often think that food is just a means

of survival so that they pay more attention to dietary nutrition and supply condition of energy and

they

seldom

connect

dietary

with

spiritual

enjoyment,

which

reflects

a

strong practicability

and

utilitarian.

For westerners, the only thing they care is not what the food color, aroma, taste and

shape is, is the nutrition must be guaranteed. Then they spend time on paying attention to how

many

calorie,

vitamin,

protein,

etc.

should

be

absorbed

a

day

with

neglect

of

color,

aroma

and

taste. Even if the taste may be the same, even compared with Chinese food, or as dull as cardboard,

but

the

sense

push

them

to

eat

because

it

is

nutritive.

For

another

word,

it

just

like

refuels

the

machine. As to westerners, the taste is the secondary. If heating up the food will cause the loss of

nutrition, they prefer to eat the half-baked, even raw food. Therefore, the western dietary can be

summarized with convenience and practicability. There is a case in point that a nutritive breakfast

can be simply made of a combination of some bread, jam, cheese, butter and fresh vegetables.

3