Chinese Food is Love

“Chinese Food is Love”

Steamed buns (Bao zi)

            “Food is love.”  This expression exists in most cultures and I have discovered that Chinese culture is no exception.  For the last month I have been teaching writing for professional purposes to third year students at Jiaotong University.   They are all English minors and with majors in various sciences or social sciences.  This past week we discussed “comparison and contrast” essays.  I gave them three different prompts.  They could compare the major they chose with the major they almost chose, the pluses and minuses of meeting a new romantic partner on-line or in person, or finally, compare a very focused feature of Chinese culture with American culture.  Comparing and contrasting American and Chinese food turned out to be a favorite topic.  Three interesting themes emerged in their papers: sharing is paramount in Chinese food culture; certain foods in each culture vividly reflect some aspects of that culture’s personality; food could play an important role in cultivating a friendly relationship between America and China.  

I have been to several banquets with Chinese friends since arriving in Xi’an.  The experience of dining in a private banquet room, sharing food, toasting each other, laughing and having fun are among my sweetest.  My students describe it well.

“Americans and Chinese are different when eating with friends. In China, people share the same dishes and like to put things on others’ plates in order to show their friendliness and enthusiasm. However, Americans use their own dish and eat individually. They like eating buffet and choosing food freely.” (Sharon) 

“Chinese restaurants always look lively. They use round tables to receive guests. Round tables help put more delicious food and grab more dishes. Round tables also have the meaning of reunion and warmth. Americans always use square tables. Square tables will improve space utilization. Young people tend to choose square tables.” (Shell)

“Different cultures make our table manners different. Americans serve dinner by courses and one course is served after another. Chinese culture has the foods served very much at the same time and they are not served separately to each individually. Therefore, in a Chinese meal, the foods are shared among the people at the table.” (Wilson) 

“Another different is about the way of eating. In Chinese, people usually gather and share the whole food served on the table. In America, people also gather together at dinner. However, they have their one plate and their own meal. They don’t have the habit that everyone shares each of the plate.” (Beatle May)

I think they felt a little sorry for Americans who don’t get to share their food and have to sit at square tables.  

I love the idea that certain foods can very concretely reflect the personality of a culture.   My student Esther expressed this very well!

“The last difference between American and Chinese food is the appearance of the food, which is a little tricky to explain. The foods I am talking about are some specific foods made by flour and other ingredients, including steamed stuffed buns and dumplings in China, and pizza, sandwiches and burgers in American. A comparison of these foods in the two countries reveals that Chinese prefer to keep the fillings hidden from view, while Americans prefer to lay out the ingredients for others to see. For these Chinese snacks, you can't know what's in it until you break it open. Some even break open also do not know; must have tasted it to know what the filling is exactly. The ingredients of American food are clear at a glance. I think the difference may have something to do with the culture of the two countries. Chinese people emphasize modesty and don't show off, so the ingredients of Chinese food are hiding in the flour. On the contrary, Americans like to show off themselves, so the foods also “show” themselves.” (Esther)

I had my first Mid-Autumn Festival in China this past fall and I received many beautiful mooncakes and other gifts from generous Chinese friends from all over the country.  I was moved by how much they wanted to share these delicacies with me.  These festival foods give further insight into the depth and beauty of Chinese culture.  I will let my student Flash explain this further:

             

“To get a grasp of the difference between two cultures, you have to dig deeper into the diverse festival delicacies. Moon cake, a pastry with all kinds of fillings, is the most common mid-autumn treat across the country. It used to be the indispensable tribute to the Moon God, placed on a raised structure with other round-shape fruit like watermelon and grapes, etc. Now, they have taken bigger parts among all the other festival food, becoming more and more fashionable and stylish. A box of beautifully packaged moon cake can double even triple the regular price, managing to get themselves onto the list of fine presents. Osmanthus cake, Chinese mitten crabs and other seasonal food take the rest of the table.”

Although my students naturally prefer Chinese food, I was happy to see that they would be willing to learn more about American food

“In a word, Chinese food and American food are quite different in many aspects. And they are both delicious indeed. As one Chinese, I usually choose the traditional Chinese food. However, I will be glad to reach American restaurants when convenient.” (Shell)

“In all, there are many differences between Chinese culture and American culture. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. Because I enjoy the cheerful atmosphere of gathering and the delicious food, Chinese culture may suit me better. Otherwise, if you want to be healthy, American culture is your best choice. The two cultures are learning from each other. I believe they will become better and more people will enjoy them in the future.” (Wilson)

Finally, I am touched by my some of my students’ wish that American and Chinese food might somehow merge to become a kind of culinary Esperanto and function to bring us closer together. 

“Though Chinese and American have different eating habits, health and nutrition are their same goals now. More and more Chinese eat healthier food like salad in daily life. On the other hand, some Americans enjoy food in Chinese restaurants. There are also some new kinds of food, which combine eastern and western characteristics, giving us surprise continuously.” (Sharon)

“To conclude, there are obvious contrasts between American food and Chinese food. The ingredients, the tastes and the culture behind the food makes each style of food unique. They're both delicious and I love them very much. I hope one day there will be a blend of them, which must be the best food ever.” (Lemon)

Steamed dumplings

“Generally speaking, although Chinese and American foods are very different, they each have their own characteristics and strengths, and they are very popular with their people. In the tide of globalization, more and more Chinese restaurants will enter the United States, and more and more American restaurants will enter China. It will be a great promotion to the progress and development of global delicious food.” (Steven)

Teaching’s greatest pleasure comes from what my students teach me.  Not only have my Chinese friends shared their food, their hospitality and warmth, they have also shared their most personal thoughts.  My students have taught me through their observations about American and Chinese food culture that although there may be superficial differences between us, but we are all united by a common humanity.  Esther is right when she says that Americans may be more open and boastful like a pizza pie and Chinese are more reserved and modest like a steamed dumpling.  I want to believe that going forward we can learn to appreciate and respect each other.  Finally, my wish is the same as Steven’s: we should recognize that with globalization we are all one people and that we should work together to develop friendly relationships and global delicious food.

Mitten crabs

Hello Kitty Moon cakes

Osmanthus cake