1. Differences in dietary concepts. China people adhere to omnivorism, that is, they believe that eating is not only to keep healthy, but also to pursue a good taste enjoyment. In many cases, people in China like to associate many things with eating. For example, when you meet and say hello, you often ask, "Have you eaten?" ? Get married, get promoted, move, and be invited after dinner. In China, eating is the best way to express feelings. Five main food processing methods and more than ten kinds of knife workers all embody China people's diet view of pursuing beauty. In addition to the above two dietary views, in China, the values of collectivism are also reflected in the dietary culture. For example, when a dish is served, people in China will share it collectively. After dinner, they will also scramble to pay.
Americans believe that eating is just to maintain life. So they have a rational concept of diet, that is, nutrition is the standard to measure diet, not whether food is beautiful or not. Therefore, no matter how much their dishes are mixed, there is basically only one processing method, such as beef. Although this is rigid, it is also a rational dietary concept that considers nutrition and healthy food collocation. In addition, individualism is the main value of the United States, which is also reflected in the food culture. At the dinner table, everyone will have their share of food, instead of sharing a dish collectively. After dinner, we often pay by AA system.
2. Differences in dietary contents. People in China are mainly vegetarians, because agricultural production has long been the main part of people's life in China. Rice and pasta are their main foods, vegetables are common foods, and meat generally only appears in families celebrating festivals or with high living standards. However, with the development of economy, this diet structure is slowly changing. Besides vegetarianism, China people also like cooked food and hot food, because they think these foods are more delicious than raw food and cold food. For three meals a day, China people think lunch is the most important, so lunch is the richest of the three meals a day. For dinner, they think it's good to eat or not.
In the eyes of Americans, vegetarian food can only fill the stomach, and the real nutritional value is meat. Therefore, the diet structure is mainly meat, and the ingredients of many dishes come from cattle, sheep, chicken, fish and so on. I eat beef and drink milk almost every year, so my diet is very simple. But they don't like to eat some parts of animals, such as skin, head, feet, liver and so on.
3. Differences in banquet etiquette.
(1) Dinner time. Whether it is a formal or informal banquet, people in China are used to arriving half an hour later than the invitation time. The host doesn't feel impolite, they are psychologically prepared. So during this period, they will arrange some activities to entertain themselves and enhance their feelings. Such as playing cards, drinking tea and chatting.
In America, all kinds of activities must arrive on time. Being late is considered to be extremely impolite. Especially a formal banquet. Guests should arrive on time or within ten minutes of the specified time. If you can't be present, you should apologize in advance and explain the reasons.
(2) Seating arrangement. People in China like to eat at the round table. Older and distinguished guests should sit in their seats, while others should take their seats in turn. The host should face the door and sit next to the person in the seat. But China used to be a feudal society, so women were not allowed to eat at the table before, although they had to sit in the most inconspicuous place. But now that the society is open, the status of women has greatly improved. They should not only participate, but also have priority.
In America, the host and guests sit on both sides of the dining table in turn, and the hostess and guests sit on the right side of the host and guests in turn. When there are no distinguished guests, women and the elderly have priority. Before eating, the man should take the initiative to pull the chair for the lady. But at large banquets, guests can walk around and clink glasses at will, and their seats can be chosen at will, which is convenient for better communication.
(3) tableware. The typical tableware in China is chopsticks, which is consistent with China's traditional harmonious thought. When using chopsticks, be careful not to insert them into rice or pasta, because it is similar to offering sacrifices to ancestors in ancient times. Besides chopsticks, bowls, plates and toothpicks are also common tableware. Bowls are used to hold staple food. Plates vary in size and use. The big plate is used to put the main course, and everyone will have a small plate, which can be used to put the dishes caught from the big plate.
However, the tableware commonly used by Americans is a knife and fork. This is related to their meat-eating diet structure. Before eating, knives and forks should be placed on both sides of the plate in the order of left fork and right knife. When eating, hold a fork in your left hand and a knife in your right hand. If you want to stop while eating, you should put your knife and fork in a cross and point the knife at you. After eating, the back of the fork is facing up. In addition, spoons and sweet spoons, as well as various wine glasses, are also essential.