Chinese Food and Culture
Introduction
China is a nation that pays attention to cuisine culture and to courtesy. Food in the Chinese culture dates back to the history of China, and Chinese people value their culture. As a guest or a visitor in China, it will be noted that table manners are emphasized that adds up to distinctive courtesies (Kissinger 491). The whole experience adds up to the meal enjoyment and keeping individuals in high spirits. Chinese cuisine is complex just like the Chinese philosophy and detailed along diverse Daoist principles of change and the opposition. This paper identifies with the Chinese food and culture and how they interrelate to bring out the whole experience (Anderson 99).
Main body
Daoist principle was originally developed by Chuang-Tzu and Lao-Tzu that advocated for non-interference with the natural events and the same time advocating for honesty. Cold is balanced with hot, mild is balanced with spicy and cured is balanced with fresh. Chinese people are indirect communicators, hence can be a challenge to the people from the West who practice direct communication (Aihwa and Donald 117). A Chinese may offer conflicting information due to indirect communication.
Difference between Southern China and Northern China in regards to food
Cooking at Sichuan Province is characterized by using hot peppers; this is part of the central Chinese culture. Considering the Lush Southern interior of China, the region value fresh ingredients; an indication that Chinese culture has diversity in regards to the cultural practices and choices of food (Morton and Lewis 271). Chinese people value food and the relationship between man and food dates to past centuries; Human beings cannot do without food, and that food has continuously evolved from the conception of a basic need, form of enjoyment, form of entertainment and a form of satisfaction (Wallis 138).
It has been noted that Chinese culture display diversity in food habits, considering different food styles in China, diverse manifestations in the variety of food in small ranges emanate in diverse social contexts. Chinese people of different occupations and social classes have their own eating habits. Different contexts among the Chinese people mean different eating habits, some of the common occasions identify with; mourning, festive seasons and in day to day routines. Chinese culture is characterized with different natural conditions that govern the eating habits (“CCTV-Documentary”). An example is the difference between the Southern China and the Northern China. Eating habits in China vary with regions, hence value different staple food, different staple food in the Northern China and in the Southern China shape the eating habits of the residents.
The staple foods have influenced diverse feelings of the Chinese people towards one another; the four major reasons identify with richness, health, enjoyment and fulfillment. Northern Chinese people highly consume flour which is a product of powdered cereals. The coarse grains are sieved from the raw materials, which is then used in making the staple food. Northern part of China is dry, hence lacking the leafy green vegetables. The region has limited rivers and highly mountainous. Flour has a variety of uses in the societies living in the Northern region of China; the diverse delicacies are used in reminding the Chinese people in the region of the rich imaginations and on the nimble fingers of the King. Surveys have indicated that one of the common flours among the northern region of China has its roots to Xi’an and ‘Mo’ and it is a common bun that is baked.
Chinese Cuisines
Source: (Google.com)
Marinated meat is made together with buns that are baked and then subjected to juicy gravy. The product comprises of diverse seasoning numbering to more than thirty, it is then subjected to gentle heat where the mellow meat expresses the plain taste associated with the buns. The perception of cereals in China has been changing with time as the country face modernization. Common cereals in China identify with rice, millet, broomcorn millet, wheat and beans (“Kaleidoscope” par. 9). Common cereals in the twenty first century are wheat, rich and corn. Production of the three cereals has seen on an upward trend in the recent past as demand for the cereals gets high. Status of rice among the Chinese people has remained ever high, this is despite the changing times (Juling and Jiamo par. 5). Rice is considered the staple food for Chinese people in the Southern region. Surveys have indicated that more than sixty five percent of the people in China consume rice.
Noodles
Source: (Google.com)
Reflecting on seven thousand years ago, China has a history of planting paddy rice, which makes China one of the earliest nations to have planted rice at that time. The Yangtze River region was known for the mass production of paddy rice. This is a contrast to the Northern China that highly depends on flour as the staple food. Rice among the people in the Southern China prepare diverse cuisines depending on the dining habits of the people from southern China. In the United States, rice is also part of the staple food as more and more people consume it, but it has not reached the level of China where rice is made into different cuisines (Neville 296). A popular product of rice is the noodles, milled fresh rice is dipped into rice milk, the milk is then scooped out, the rice is then steamed over water that is boiling and finally the rice is subjected to air drying.
Source: (Google.com)
The resulting product is rice noodle that is ready to eat. The rice in most cases is white as jade and it is believed that the resultant product preserve the unique smell associated with rice and also preserves the warmth associated with rice (“Kaleidoscope” par. 5). Visitors enjoy diverse cuisines served in the Chinese culture, Chinese cuisines have their uniqueness as compared to cuisines from other nations (Wang 81). Chinese food culture is pegged on the unity of spirit and form, which is part of a culture that dates back to thousands of years ago. Chinese cuisines are evaluated in accordance to taste, physical pleasure and the diversity of the flavors (Ostrowski and Penner 109). Chinese people value diversity of colors, the same concept is transferred to the food, where aesthetic pleasure is highly valued. Food among the Chinese people is a source of happiness and contentment (“CCTV-Documentary”).
Considering functions like weddings and the like, Chinese people serve air dried Chinese date, melon seeds, longan and peanut as a hope that the couple will have children of their own. Chinese food is very different from the foodstuffs served in the Western world, the Western world is full of fast foods that are associated with chips, crisps, juice, eggs and sandwich among others. An example of a well established fast food store is the KFC and McDonald. American culture is associated with fast food, and in some cases referred to as the junk foods. American culture relates to efficiency and speed which is unlike the Chinese culture that contribute a significant time in preparing and serving food (“Super Size Me”). American culture has integrated technology in their lifestyles to an extent that everything is interconnected and really fast; talk of microwaves, fridges, juicers and the like.
Chinese people are distinguished with the eating habits of different parts of China, this is different from the United States that has uniformed eating habits of fast foods. Food among the Americans is just a source of energy and entertainment while food among the Chinese people express their culture (Anderson 53). Food is attached to feelings and emotions among other aspects. In Chinese towns, fast foods are easily taken over the eating habits of the Chinese people. It has been noted that people in China are becoming busy and busy, to an extent that the economic reasons are demanding for efficiency and speed in the preparation and in the consumption of food. Chinese people believe that they are a reflection of what they eat, in which the eating habits are intertwined into the culture (Wertz 259).
Chinese people attach philosophical attributes in preparing foods, which is a part that ensures harmony exist among the people. Diverse flavors are categorized into five areas namely; sour, spacy, sweet, salty and bitter. Modernization has done less to erode the five flavors in the Chinese cuisine (Zang 99). Chinese people from the Northern China and people from the Southern China value their distinctive differences and respect for one another. Cuisines in China are attached to seasons, feelings, emotions and festivals. Cuisines are attached to expression models that people recall, mediate and offer an expressive aftertaste to the Chinese people. Achieving balance between flavors sends particular signals to the people dining as Chinese people interpret things differently (Chang par. 11). Chinese people value indirect communication, which can be a daunting task for visitors in the region. A ‘no’ may mean a ‘yes’ depending on the context. Staple foods in China identify with rice, noodles, soybeans, wheat, vegetables, seasonings and herbs.
Eating Habits of the Chinese People (Reasons for eating almost everything)
Surveys show that Chinese people eat almost everything, and it is acceptable within the Chinese culture, it has been noted that rats, snakes, crabs, dogs and crocodiles among others as part of the human meal. There is a debatable saying among the Southern Chinese people eat everything that fly except an aircraft and everything that has legs except a chair. Reflecting back at the Chinese culture, it was noted that Chinese people had compassion and respect for the nature and that human beings were connected by values; a model valued in cultural heritage, religious beliefs and acting as the guiding principles (Kissinger 376). History indicated that the concept of living in harmony with the immediate nature was expressed in literature, art and in people’s ways of life.
Things started changing in the recent centuries when China faced diverse wars, civil conflicts, foreign wars, beliefs, occupations and the Mao political movements. The trust, empathy and compassion between people started to fade away, to an extent that in the twenty first century, there is no dominant religion among the Chinese people. The current society is highly concerned on monetary values, an indication that people have lost concern for the environment and to other people within the society (Perry and Selden 255). The same concept has been transferred to animals, where people have less concern for animals. The southern Chinese people have developed a concept of eating anything that is in sight as a result of the alienated perceptions of nature and other human beings. The southern Chinese concept of eating anything in sight has taken over a significant portion of the Chinese population.
Chinese travelling to the nations with weaker laws and orders continue with their culture of eating anything on the site (Aihwa and Donald 219). In China, there is no law that protects cats and dogs and the like. It is true that Chinese people will eat everything on site, although the concepts are slowly changing with modernization. In Mao regime, more than thirty million persons passed away, the famine also contributed to the omnivorous nature of the Chinese people. The omnivorous nature of the Chinese people dates back to ancient emperors, who were characterized by trying anything and everything in their site as meals, the practice was done in an attempt of making them remain vigorous and young; which is also believed as a way of finding the secret behind immortality.
Chinese ancestors were concerned with preventing diseases and in restoring health, therefore, eating habits were considered critical in the practice (Anderson 61). Research has indicated that Chinese medicine was from exotic and rare animals, of which were set aside wholly for the rich. The poor people in the society retaliated by finding solutions from the local animals and plants. A move that facilitated the nature of being omnivorous, some of the common food cuisines in China are snake banquet, lobsters and civet cats among others.
Chinese Cuisine
Source: (Google.com)
The foods were considered a threat and a boost to the spirits, and that eating wild animals is believed to enhance life, which was part of the medical stuff. This relates to the traditional people who ate the hearts, lungs and brains of their aggressors; in the same concept, Chinese people have found it comfortable eating anything on their way as their culture, particularly people from Southern China (Chang 221).
Daoist Principles on Chinese Cuisine and Chinese Philosophy
It was noted that Chinese cuisines are organized along Chinese philosophy that is tied along change and opposition. It has been noted that cold is balanced with hot, cured is balanced with fresh and mild is balanced with spicy. Daoism is a major religion in China as part of the indigenous practices. Daoism principle works as the primary belief in practicing and learning with the intent of delivering ultimate truth. ‘Dao’ means the way; Daoim is also referred to as the Taoism and was traced back to the sixth century with Laozi who was a Chinese philosopher. Laozi published the book touching on the tenets of Dao, the book was known as Dao De Jing.
Surveys indicated that Zhuangzi was the successor of Laozi, who went ahead in introducing the Daoism principles, this dates back to fourth century BC when Zhuangzi expressed on his transformational experience in the butterfly dream. Zhuangzi indicated that he dreamt as a butterfly but was disturbed by the notion of whether the butterfly dreamt as if it was Zhuangzi. Daoim religion took shape in one hundred AD, when Daoism sect was formed by Taoist hermot Zhang Daoling, the sect concentrated on Celestial matters. The religion codified diverse Daoism aspects.
Daoism principles have stood the test of time over centuries, and have greatly influenced the culture of the Chinese people for more than two thousand years. The practices of the Daoism principles have generated martial arts in China such as Qigong and Tai among others. The same has resulted to diverse eating habits, way of life and aspects of healthy living such as taking exercise and eating vegetables. Daoism principles incorporate the Chinese views on behaviors and morality regardless of the prevailing religion. In the same way, Chinese culture is indirect in nature and many Western greetings and way of life is considered rude and insensitive. Traditional Chinese believed in interlocking hands during handshakes, this has changed with modernizations and it’s mainly practiced in festivals, birthdays and at weddings (Kissinger 167). Ways of communications are considered as normal among many cultures, but facing someone from a different culture, one may be misunderstood or misinterpreted.
Indirect speech among the Chinese people is confusing, just like the Chinese cuisine and Daoism philosophy. There are diverse factors that shape the patterns used in the communication. Some of the factors shaping the mode of communication identify with the geographical background, social background and identity. It has been noted that speaking indirectly portrays power on the side of the person delivering the message and that it does not correlate with the subservient. Indirect communication in China is a show of sophistication, just like the diversity in cuisines. Indirect communication means that the messenger has total control over the situation, and that he or she may choose to be direct if needs arise (Aihwa and Donald 249).
The Chinese people consider indirect communication as a model of acting with empathy, kindly and in expressing superiority. Authoritarian speech is considered as a direct speech while friendly speech is considered as indirect speech in China. In the same context, the more a cuisine is complicated, the show of power and sophistication that the cook displays, hence sending diverse signals to the guests (Moss par.16).
Characteristics of Chinese Food
Chinese food or Chinese cuisine includes diverse styles that originate from different parts of China. Chinese food also incorporates styles of food from other Chinese people outside the borders of China. Chinese cuisine history dates back to thousands of years before, and has considerably changed with times. Different regions of China have different food cuisines depending on the imperial fashions, climate and the preferences of the local people (Temple 164). That is why the food cuisines in Northern China are different as compared to the food cuisines in the Southern China. It has been noted that ingredients and cooking techniques has evolved over time, where cuisines from other cultures of the world is playing a critical role in the current cuisines in China (Chai and Chai 285). Cuisines has experienced both internal and imperial expansions due to modernization, China is one of the fastest growing economy, an indication that the nation has diverse visitors from all over the world, a fact that has contributed to the changing nature of the Chinese cuisines (Juling and Jiamo par. 7). Tastes and styles in the Chinese cuisine vary by region, class and ethnic backgrounds. A factor that has contributed to unparalleled change in techniques, ingredients, dishes and eating habits, a model commonly referred by the term Chinese food that incorporates the Chinese food culture (Chang 187).
Source: (Google.com)
The Eight Culinary Traditions of China identify with Fujian, Anhui, Cantonese, Szechuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan and the Shandong cuisines. Considering outside China, the common Chinese cuisines identify with the Singaporean Chinese cuisine, Malaysian Chinese cuisine, Indonesian Chinese cuisine, Indian Chinese cuisine and the American Chinese cuisine. It is worth noting that wherever there are Chinese people in the world, there will find a joint offering the Chinese cuisine. Traditional Chinese people valued medicines from herbs, an indication that the Chinese people have a strong belief that food has a healing power. Most of the Chinese culture dated back to the North China Plain where crops were first domesticated. This is where evolution of the Chinese cuisine was initiated.
Chinese cuisines are different depending on the styles and the target market. Some of the common Chinese cuisines identify with Shandong cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Szechuan cuisine and the Jiangsu cuisine. Among the Jiangsu cuisines, it has been noted that the Huaiyang cuisine is the most common. Differences in styles are a result of climate, geography and the readily available resources. Other factors identify with the history, lifestyle and the cooking techniques (Chang par.16). It has been noted that one cuisine may favor excessive shallots and garlic while the other cuisines favors something different like spices and chili. Some of the cuisine favors fowl and other meats in preference for seafood while others favor seafood.
Taking a critical look at the Jiangsu cuisine, it has been noted that it favors stewing and braising as the cooking techniques. Taking a look at the Sichuan cuisine, it has been noted that it favors baking. Shanghai on the other side has a preference of hairy crabs, since crabs are easily available within the locality. Outside China, Peking Duck is a popular dish particularly in the United States of America. Depending on the raw materials and the ingredients available, different Chinese cuisine is guided by the cultural differences and on the preparation techniques. Chinese cuisines have a variety of textures and colors depending on the jurisdictions within China (Liu 77).
Traditional cuisines rely heavily on the traditional methods of preparation identifying with pickling, drying, salting and fermentation among others. Modernization has evolved the methods of cuisine preparations. Desserts are mostly seasoned fruits that are consumed just after taking supper, Chinese desserts are characterized with sweet dishes and foods commonly served with tea. Desserts are offered along with the meals are served just after the meals (Chang 308). End of the meals is served with Chinese cuisine.
In the cities, there are diverse Chinese bake products that are available as boiled, steamed, deep fried or in baked forms. Common snacks are red bean paste pancake, moon cake and sun cakes among others. Chinese sweets and candies are made of honey, cane sugar, malt sugar, fruits and nuts. Guo or Gao characterized the snacks made from rice, where normal or glutinous rice is baked. Chinese people value ice creams; Baobing is a common cold desert among the Chinese people. It has been noted that Chinese jellies are collectively referred to as the ices, although the jellies are commonly offered alongside the contemporary desserts. Delicatessen identifies with cold dishes, soups, Chinese pickles, Chinese sausage, Tofu products and snacks. Drinks taken by the Chinese people identify with tea, liquor, herbal drinks and milk among others (Kissinger 402). Recent trends among the Chinese people have been significantly influenced by modernization (Kohn 199), considering the imperial China, consumption of animal products and meat has been very slow considering other cultures of the world.
Most of the traditional meals were made of starch such as rice and flour. Southern China values rice which was used in making noodles and dumplings as the staple food. Northern China valued green vegetables, soy products and peanuts as the staple foods in the region. Sugars and fats were not easily available to the ordinary people in the streets, and were a reserve of the wealthy people in the society (Chang 99). People’s Republic of China has been involved in unending debates on issues of modernizing Mainland China in terms of productivity. People involved in agricultural practices have had different opinions, at one attempt; it led to the 1958-1961 famine, a period that was referred to as the Great Leap Forward.
Technology and modern practices have constantly improved the eating habits of the Chinese people. The reforms date to the 1970’s under the rule of Deng Xiaoping in the economic reforms. Chinese foods in the twenty first century have fats, meats and sugar than it was before. Surveys done by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has indicated that China is the most populated nation in the world and that its food consumption has been increasing on daily basis, considering the per capita food consumption of China as a nation. Chinese government has been sensitive on the agricultural practices and trade as a way of sustaining the food supplies of the highly populated nation (Aihwa and Donald 19).
Influence and Purport of food for Chinese people and visitors
China as a nation values courtesy and respect, this is unlike the western nations. Visitors finding their way in China experience diversity in the way the way Chinese people carry out their day to day activities. A visitor in a Chinese restaurant or home will have to obey to the table manners as part of the Chinese culture. Respect comes first among the guests, aged and teachers among others (Chang 401). Children too must be taken good care while taking meals. Chinese people spend substantial time while taking meals, since meal time is associated with different cultural meanings. Senior members of the family are served the finest foods and the rest follows. Chinese people are friendly and hospitable to visitors, and they expect the same respect among them.
Source: (Google.com)
Guests are expected to greet the Chinese people as a way of acceptance; visitors should avoid eating until the host offers a green light. Otherwise Chinese people take it as a displeasure and disrespect to their culture (Shambaugh 401). Hosts place dishes on the table by arranging systematically, main courses are placed at the center and the supporting dishes are placed at the periphery. Decorative dishes are placed on the table while facing the guests, which is a show of respect and virtue. Different occasions have different meals as guided by the Chinese culture. Chinese cuisines and culture is considered one of the oldest and diversified; a visitor is expected to learn on the best models of dealing with the Chinese people to avoid cases of misunderstanding (Chang par. 9).
Conclusion
Chinese food and culture has been in place for centuries, it is important for visitors in China to have a guide to Chinese geography, Chinese cuisines, Chinese national identity, Chinese history, Chinese beliefs, Chinese religions, Chinese medicine, Chinese ancient architecture, Chinese ethnic groups, Chinese education, Chinese literature, Chinese arts and crafts and Chinese holidays in getting acquitted with the ways of life of the Chinese people (Louie 349).
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