essay of chinese food

CHN/ITAL370W Noodle Narratives- Summer 2019

A CULTURAL EXPLORATION OF CHINA AND ITALY

The Chinese food culture from regional cuisines and its impact on the American food culture

Hong Li and Christine Ristaino

August 09, 2019

The exotic yet such a pleasant scent welcomed me as I opened the door of the restaurant. As I expected from the two Chinese characters “金 佛” on the door, the intense red everywhere inside and the oriental painting on the surface of a wall exuded an atmosphere of the authentic China. The first impression of this Chinese restaurant, Golden Buddha was mostly the same with the image that came to my mind when thinking of a typical Chinese restaurant. However, as I looked around the inside for a moment, I could identify that the customers were from all different countries not just Asians. Since Golden Buddha is a Chinese restaurant, I initially thought that there would be more of Asians than Americans in the restaurant. What is this a new phenomenon? What are the effects that the Chinse food culture had on the American food culture? Based on these two questions, I decided to write my final research paper about ‘The Chinese food culture from regional cuisines and its impact on the American food culture’. The Chinese food culture is manifested itself in the different regional cuisines that have their own unique taste and style. This distinctive food culture of China has fascinated the American people playing a crucial role in shaping the identity of the American food culture.

China is the world’s number one country for its vast territory and huge population. It has twenty-three provinces in total and each region has its own style of living and culture. There is nothing but food that can show the unique style that differs from region to region as it is the only cultural artifact that solely becomes who we are. Then, why are the cuisines different from region to region? What are some of the factors that make such regional differences? To gratify such curiosities, I scrutinized both primary and secondary sources about Chinese regional cuisines and could figure out the four main dividing factors that distinguish from one region to another: Agriculture, climate, palate, geographical isolation, and religion.  

The agriculture is one of the biggest distinguishing factors that affects the regional cuisine. The ingredients that chefs use in making food are dependent on the agriculture and wildlife of that region. This idea can be clearly shown by comparing the Northern and Southern china. In Northern china, where what cultivation is suitable, wheat flour is the staple food for people in that area, so the Northern Chinese people enjoy eating noodles and dumplings. On the other hand, in Southern China, where rice cultivation is suitable due to warm and rainy weather, they eat rice as their staple food.

Another dividing factor is the climate. The climate in China is different regionally and the central and south china are humid. Because of the humidity, the central and south Chinese people usually eat spicy food in the belief that chili peppers in those foods help to move internal dampness and cold.  In ‘Shark’s fin and Sichuan pepper’, the memoir written by Fuchsia Dunlop, she claims that Xie Laoban’s Dan Dan noodles were a potent pick-me-up, a cure for hangover or headache, and the perfect antidote to the grey humidity of the Chengdu climate (Fuchsia 2019).

  The palate is the third aspect of causing difference in regional cuisines. Most of the Chinese people enjoy eating spicy food as their palate is accustomed to it. However, Cantonese cuisine shows that those in the southeast like sweet food, in contrast to a mostly savory palate in the rest of China (Annie 2018).

Geographical isolation specifically indicates why Taiwan food is different from that of other regions. As Taiwan is isolated from China, it has developed its own mixed cuisine blending some cooking styles from Fujian and Guangdong.

Lastly, religion also played a role in making a difference in regional cuisines. The main religious food is the halal food restrictions adhered to by Uyghur and other Muslim minorities in China’s northwest (Annie 2018). These factors ultimately led to the difference in the taste of Chinese cuisine regionally and divided China into five different regions based on the flavor and cooking style: Northern, Eastern, Western, Central, and Southern minority cuisine.  

The Northern China food is most characterized to be salty and simple with less vegetables. The districts that belong to Northern part of China are Shandong, Beijing, and Inner Mongolia. Shandong cuisine is mostly famous for seafood due to its Northeast location along the coast. The Shandong chefs try their best to keep the original flavor of fresh seafood only with simple ingredients and braising. They are also known for making both clear broth and creamy soup. The staple food for Shandong people is wheat, so they serve much more dishes made of wheat compared to other regions resulting in the more consumption of noodles. One of the famous dishes in Shandong is ‘Jyoh-jwan daa-chang’ which is braised pork intestines in brown sauce. It might sound not appealing to people who have never heard about or tried this food before, but the dish is in fact very appetizing as the Shandong chefs skillfully harmonize all the different flavors through a series of cooking techniques. Another Northern district is Beijing, the capital city of China. I am sure that everybody has heard about the dish called ‘Peking roast duck’. This famous roast duck is from Beijing and Beijing cuisine is mostly influenced by Shandong and Inner Mongolia. It is known for its imperial cuisine with strong seasonings like vinegar and garlic. Inner Mongolia cuisine also belongs to Northern China food and as the name suggests, it originates from traditional Mongolian culture. Inner Mongolia cuisine mainly includes dairy products and all kinds of red meat and the representative foods are ‘roasted whole sheep’ and ‘roast leg of lamb’.

The Eastern China cuisine is sweet and light with a lot of fish and seafood dishes. Cantonese and Fujian are the main regions of the Eastern China. Cantonese cuisine that originated from Guangdong province is the most popular style of Chinese cuisine around the world especially in America. It is characterized for mild and sweet taste with less spices focusing more on freshness and natural flavor of ingredients. The dishes from Guangdong are diverse in its kind such as fine seafood dishes, rice dishes, soup, and dim sum. One of the most famous Cantonese cuisine is ‘Slow-boiled soup’, a clear broth made by simmering meat and other ingredients over a low heat for several hours (Annie 2018). Since Chinese herbs and medicines are used as the main ingredients in making the soup, Chinese people believe that a bowl of this soup has the power to heal and strengthen their health. Fujian cuisine is noted for its use of exotic ingredients from mountain and sea. This unusual mixture of various ingredients yields a unique flavor that differentiates Fujian cuisine from other Chinese regional cuisines. The most well-known dish of Fujian is ‘Shark Fin Soup’ that needs a preparation of about three days. It is known for its marine taste and usage of about thirty mostly high-class ingredients, such as abalone, shark’s fin, scallops, and sea cucumber (Annie 2018). 

The Western China cuisine is known for Muslim food from Xinjiang cuisine and Tibetan food from Tibetan cuisine. As many of the inhabitants in Xinjiang are people from Uyghur, the cuisine is mostly based on halal foods as Xinjiang people are Muslims. Tibetan cuisine features a mix of flavors of Nepalese, Indian, and Sichuan cuisines due to its geographical position and its original dishes influenced by the harsh climate.

The Central China cuisine is hot and spicy along with strong seasonings. The regions that are in the Central China are Sichuan and Hunan. When people are asked to name one of the spicy Chinese foods, many of them first think of dishes from Sichuan. Sichuan cuisine is famous for its spicy and numbing flavor arises from the use of Sichuan pepper and Chili peppers. Kung pao Chicken is a traditional Sichuan dish made with chicken, chili, Sichuan peppers, peanuts, and vegetables (Annie 2018). The level of spiciness can vary depending on how much peppers are put in, but the soft texture of chicken does not change. Hunan cuisine is also famous for its spicy flavor, but it can be even spicier than Sichuan cuisine. The high agricultural output of the regions enables the use of diverse ingredients when making food. A typical Hunan dish is a numbing spicy chicken made with red chili peppers and spicy ingredients.

The Southern minority cuisine includes many preserved foods as people in this area are mountain farmers who usually preserve foods that they cannot eat immediately. This regional aspect determines the type of cuisine of that area such as picked vegetables and tofu that have sour flavor.

These diverse regional cuisines from Northern China to Southern minority all come together to form the distinctive Chinese food culture. Being acknowledged for its versatility, the Chinese food culture had impact on the food culture of other countries especially in the United States. The influence of the Chinese food culture on the American food culture dates back when the Chinese people first moved to the San Francisco Bay. In 1849, the rumors of gold nuggets that drew thousands of East Coast get-rich-quick hopefuls out of California during the Gold Rush also resonated across the Pacific with the merchants of Canton in South China (Rude 2016). The Chinese merchants, who had good feelings of success of their business in America, became the first immigrants to provide services for the miners in the San Francisco Bay. This first wave of immigration fueled later waves of Chinese immigrants who buckled down to work as pioneer agricultural laborers to manage their American life. All of these workers were undoubtedly also hungry for good Chinese cooking that reminded them of land they have left behind (Rude 2016). To satisfy their yearning for home food, the Chinese immigrants became the restaurant owners by impressing the patrons with cleanliness and professionalism. The restaurants owned by Chinese people became popular not only for the appetizing dishes they served, but also for the cheap price. Nevertheless, the relationship between Americans and Chinese people was not in a good shape as both wages and job opportunities declined due to the depletion of gold resources. The animosity towards Chinese people grew bigger and bigger and eventually became law. In 1882, “The Chinese Exclusion Act” was passed banning all Chinese workers entering the United States. This law continued until 1943.

Despite the social turmoil, the Americans were still captivated by the Chinese food. However, the food was mostly derived from only Cantonese cuisine. The liberalization of American immigration policy in 1965 brought new arrivals from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Mainland, who in turn brought with them the foods they had enjoyed in areas like Hunan, Sichuan, Taipei and Shanghai (Rude 2016).

President Richard Nixon’s famous visit to China brought a big culinary impact on the United States. At that time, the Americans had not much knowledge about the authentic Chinese food, but only knew about Chinese dishes like chop suey, chow mein, and egg rolls and paid no more attention to them. However, after witnessing their president eating Pecking duck, the traditional dish of Beijing on a live broadcast, they became curious about the authentic Chinese food. The Americans went exploring in Chinatowns and fell in love with the flavor that they have never experienced before. The Chinese restaurants thrived in the United States than ever before.

Today, according to the Chinese American restaurant association, there are over 45,000 Chinese restaurants currently in operation across the United States. This number is greater than all the McDonald’s, KFCs, Pizza Huts, Taco Bells and Wendy’s combined (Rude 2016). The investigation demonstrates that the Chinese food culture is forming an ever-greater part of the American food culture.

The anthropological study about ‘Golden Buddha’, the Chinese restaurant in the United States further illustrates what is the impact of the Chinese food culture on the American society. In the interview with the restaurant manager, Steve, he claimed that his restaurant has two main kinds of foods: the Americanized Chinese food and the Korean style Chinse food. These two types of cuisines are the identity of not only this particular restaurant, but also the American food culture as they were made from the taste of the American people. As shown in the one of the popular Chinese restaurants in the United States, the Chinese cuisines are a big part of the American food industry and they are not the authentic Chinese cuisines, but the Americanized Chinese dishes that captivated the customers in America who are from all different countries.

In conclusion, the Chinese food culture of today is comprised of the different regional cuisines that come from agriculture, climate, palate, geographical isolation, and religion. Each region has its own unique flavor and cooking style that distinguishes itself from others. Since early times, the Chinese food culture had impact on the American food culture and its influence has increased recently due to brisk cultural exchanges from the globalization. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Chinse food culture shaped the identity of the American food culture as the most hip food that the most Americans enjoy eating is the Americanized Chinese food. The big boom of Chinese food in America will still go on and more and more younger generations will fall in love with this amazing cuisine just like their parents did.

Works Cited

DUNLOP, FUCHSIA. SHARK’S FIN AND SICHUAN PEPPER: a Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China . W W NORTON, 2019.

Crowther, Gillian. Eating Culture: an Anthropological Guide to Food . University of Toronto Press, 2018.

Eric Fish, Asia Society. “How Chinese Food Got Hip in America.” The Atlantic , Atlantic Media Company, 9 Mar. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/03/chinese-food-hip-america/472983/.

Hinsbergh, Gavin Van. “China’s 8 Great Cuisines – Best 8 Culinary Classics.” China Highlights , 9 Aug. 2018, www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-food/eight-cuisine.htm.

Liu, Junru. Chinese Food . Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Rude, Emelyn. “Chinese Food in America: A Very Brief History.” Time , Time, 8 Feb. 2016, time.com/4211871/chinese-food-history/.

Wei, Clarissa. “An Illustrated History of Americanized Chinese Food.” First We Feast , First We Feast, 20 Oct. 2016, firstwefeast.com/eat/2015/03/illustrated-history-of-americanized-chinese-food.

Wu, Annie. “China’s Regional Cuisines – Chinese Food Types North–South.” China Highlights , 8 Aug. 2018, www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-food/regional-cuisines.htm.

Wu, Annie. “Discover China’s Regional Food Through 10 Dishes.” China Highlights , 23 May 2018, www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-food/discover-china-regional-food.htm.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail

The 15 Most Popular Chinese Dishes, Tasty Chinese Food

With a long history, unique features, numerous styles, and exquisite cooking, Chinese cuisine is one of the important constituent parts of Chinese culture. Chinese traditional dishes are famous for their color, aroma, taste, meanings, and appearance.

As China is a huge country, there are many regional differences in cuisine due to differing climates, history, local ingredients, dining customs, etc.

According to the cooking styles and regional flavors, Chinese cuisines can be divided into eight Chinse cuisines , which include Sichuan Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine, Shandong Cuisine, Zhejiang Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine, Anhui Cuisine, Cantonese Cuisine, and Jiangsu Cuisine. Each cuisine has its popular dishes.

1. Peking Roasted Duck

Peking duck (北京烤鸭 Běijīng kǎoyā) is a famous dish from Beijing , enjoying world fame, and considered as one of China national dishes. Peking duck is savored for its thin and crispy skin. Sliced Peking duck is often eaten with pancakes, sweet bean sauce, or soy sauce with mashed garlic. It is a must-taste dish in Beijing!

As "the first dish to taste in China", Beijing Roast Duck used to be a royal dish in medieval China. It has been a "national dish of diplomacy" since the 1970s, when it was first used for the reception of foreign guests by Premier Zhou Enlai (the first Premier of the People's Republic of China). It is highly praised by heads of state, government officials, and domestic and foreign tourists.

2. Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁 gōngbào jīdīng) is a famous Sichuan-style specialty, popular with both Chinese and foreigners. The major ingredients are diced chicken, dried chili, cucumber, and fried peanuts (or cashews).

People (Chinese takeaways) in Western countries have created a Western-style kung pao chicken, for which the diced chicken is covered with cornstarch, and vegetables, sweet and sour sauce, and mashed garlic are added. 

3. Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and sour pork (糖醋里脊 tángcù lǐjǐ) has a bright orange-red color, and a delicious sweet and sour taste. At the very beginning there was only sweet and sour pork, but to meet demands, there have been some developments on this dish. Now, the pork can be substituted with other ingredients like chicken, beef, or pork ribs.

Hot pot, or hotpot (火锅 huǒguō), is one of the most popular dishes in China, especially in Sichuan Province or Chongqing . People cook in and eat from a simmering pot of soup stock (broth) on a gas/induction hob in the middle of the dining table with foodstuffs and condiments around the pot. People can add and cook whatever they like in the broth. The secret of whether a hot pot is good or not lies in the broth, which all the meat slices and vegetables take their flavor from.

Chinese people are very fond of hot pot. In the past hot pot used to be favored only in winter, but nowadays hot pot has been appearing on tables all year round. It is a great way to socialize with friends and relatives. People gather around the pot to eat while chatting, eating, drinking, and having fun.

Dim sum (点心 diǎnxin) is one of the most popular Cantonese cuisine dishes. It contains a large range of small dishes, including dumplings, rolls, cakes, and meat, seafood, dessert, and vegetable preparations. There are more than one thousand dim sum dishes in existence today.

Dim sum originated in Guangzhou city. People of Guangdong are fond of drinking tea in the morning or lunch. So, they often eat dim sum during their tea parties for breakfast and lunch. It is a popular way to get together with friends and relatives or have social gatherings. Read more about Dim sum .

6. Dumplings

Dumplings (饺子 jiǎozi) are a traditional food type that is widely popular, especially in North China. Chinese dumplings consist of minced meat and/or chopped vegetables wrapped in a thin dough skin. Popular fillings are minced pork, diced shrimp, ground chicken, beef, and vegetables. Dumplings can be cooked by boiling, steaming, or frying.

Dumplings are also a traditional dish eaten on Chinese New Year's Eve. As they look like Chinese silver ingots (Chinese money in old times), it is believed that the more dumplings you eat during the New Year celebrations, the more money you will make in the New Year. Making dumplings is a good way to interact with your friends and relatives. You will see a busy kitchens with Chinese families making dumplings during Chinese New Year . Read more abou Dumplings .

7. Ma Po Tofu

Ma Po tofu (麻婆豆腐 Mápó dòufǔ 'Pockmarked Granny beancurd') is one of the most famous dishes in Chuan Cuisine (Sichuan food) with a history of more than 100 years. It consists of beancurd along with some minced meat (pork or beef) in a spicy sauce. The sauce is made from fermented black beans and chili paste (douban/douchi).

The inventor of Ma Po tofu was from Chengdu , Sichuan province . She was a grandma whose surname was Chen. It is said that Chen's face was very pockmarked. In Chinese, ma means 'pockmarked' and 'po' means grandma, and so people called the dish she made Ma Po ('Pockmarked Granny') tofu. Her spicy and fragrant dish later became a highly popular item. It was introduced to Japan and also became a popular dish there.

8. Char Siu

In Cantonese, char means 'fork' and siu means 'to roast', so char sui (叉烧 chāshāo) means "fork roasted". It is a kind of Cantonese roast pork. It is eaten with rice or noodles. It is also used as a filling in baozi (a kind of steamed stuffed bun).

9. Chow Mein

Chow mein is the Cantonese pronunciation of the Mandarin chǎomiàn (炒面), which means 'stir-fried noodles'. This stir-fried dish consists of noodles, meat (usually chicken, beef, shrimp, or pork), onions, and celery.

For making chow mein, the noodles need to be cooked in boiling water for a while. After they cool comes the step of stir-frying.

There is an interesting story about the origin of chow mein. It is said that chow mein was invented by a woman called Shan Gu in Jiangsu Province. She was making food for workers who were building a great dam to prevent flooding of the Yellow River. She found that food went bad easily and fast in the hot weather. So, she invented chow mein, which can be kept for a longer time and is easily reheated and eaten. Since then, stir-frying has become a popular way of cooking noodles.

10. Fried Rice

Fried rice (炒饭 chǎofàn) is a dish made from fried cooked rice and other ingredients, often including eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat. Fried rice is one of the most common Chinese foods. It is easy to make fried rice at home using leftover rice and other meat or vegetables from the last meal.

It was said that an important diplomatic official in the late Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), Li Hongzhang, ordered his chef to cook a dish that both Chinese people and foreigners would like. The chef made fried rice, which was enjoyed by both the foreign guests and officials.

The most famous fried rice in China is Yangzhou fried rice. Typical Yangzhou fried rice ingredients include shrimp, eggs, and barbecued pork.

11. Twice-Cooked Pork Slices

Twice-cooked pork or double-cooked pork (回锅肉 huíguōròu) is one of the most famous Sichuan pork dishes. Its Chinese name is huiguorou, which means 'returned-to-the-pot meat'. Pork is boiled in the pot first. Then it is cooked again with other ingredients, including broad bean paste (doubanjiang), fermented black soybeans (douchi), garlic, ginger, and so on.

It was said that the dish was created by a Chinese poet called Su Dongpo (a.k.a. Su Shi) in the Song Dynasty era (960–1279).

Su made a delicious pork dish for his friends one day. He was boiling pork in a pot and walked out of the house and forgot about it. After he returned, he found the simmering pork had turned very soft. He tasted the pork sizzling in its fat and found the pork had become softer and more delicious than with his previous boiling method. So, he returned it to the pot with the other ingredients and impressed his friends with it.

Due to its origin story and its taste, 'twice-cooked pork' has become very popular.

12. Sichuan Pork

Sichuan pork, or 'poached pork slices' (水煮肉片 shuǐzhǔ ròupiàn), is a famous Sichuan cuisine dish. Pork, with a coating made from egg-white and starch to preserve its freshness and tenderness, is boiled in broth. The meaty broth is typical Sichuan cuisine, featuring a peppery and spicy taste. When eating, you'll find each piece of meat contains abundant juices with a fresh and fragrant spicy aroma.

Poached beef slices is a popular version of this dish that we have a recipe for.

13. Xiaolongbao

Xiǎolóngbāo (小笼包 'small basket buns') are a kind of baozi (Chinese steamed bun). They are popular in Jiangsu and Shanghai. Xiaolongbao are traditionally cooked in a small bamboo basket, which gives them their name. The most common xiaolongbao filling is pork. Other ingredients can include beef, crab meat, shrimp, seafood, and vegetable fillings.

There is a special way to eat the broth-filled Shanghai steamed-pork xiaolongbao (Shanghai soup buns): you can nibble off a small corner of dough and suck out the delicious soup. Or you can use a straw to suck the soup then eat the fillings and dough.

14. Zhajiangmian

Zhajiangmian (炸酱面 /jaa-jyang-myen/ 'fried sauce noodles') is one of the most popular Shandong Cuisine dishes. It is a thick wheat noodle dish topped with zhajiang sauce. The sauce is made by simmering pork or beef with salty fermented soybean paste. In Chinese, zhajiang means 'fried sauce', while mian means 'noodles'. It is also a well-known small meal or snack in Beijing .

Originating in Shandong, zhajiangmian was introduced to Beijing by Qing Dynasty Emperor Guangxu (r. 1871–1908) and Empress Dowager Cixi during a trip from Beijing to Xi'an. They went into a restaurant and ordered a bowl of zhajiangmian. Both found it so tasty that they had to eat another bowl. Then, Empress Dowager Cixi brought the chef who made the 'fried sauce noodles' to the palace in Beijing. From then on, zhajiangmian became more and more popular in Beijing and around China.

15. Wonton Soup

Wontons (馄炖 húndùn) are a kind of Chinese dumpling. Different from jiaozi, wontons have less filling and are wrapped in much thinner dough wrappers. The shapes of wontons can be different depending on how they're made. Some of them look like silver ingots, making them an auspicious 'wealth-invoking' dish.

Wonton fillings are most often minced pork or diced shrimp. Wontons are commonly boiled and served in a soup (broth), but sometimes deep-fried.

Authentic Chinese Food Tours for Gourmets

Unlike some tours that serve the same food menu all through a China trip, our private tours allow you to try different local dishes at each place. Our local guides know which restaurants are favored by locals and are willing to arrange them into your itinerary. See our recommended tours below for inspiration.

• 8-Day Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai Tour — The Golden Triangle
• 12-Day Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Guilin, and Hong Kong Cuisine Tour — A Broad Taste of China

If you are not interested in the above tours, just tell us your interests and requirements, and we will create a China tour for you.

• 11-Day China Classic Tour
• 3-Week Must-See Places China Tour Including Holy Tibet
• 8-Day Beijing–Xi'an–Shanghai Private Tour
• How to Plan Your First Trip to China 2024/2025 — 7 Easy Steps
• 15 Best Places to Visit in China (2024)
• Best (& Worst) Times to Visit China, Travel Tips (2024/2025)
• How to Plan a 10-Day Itinerary in China (Best 5 Options)
• China Weather in January 2024: Enjoy Less-Crowded Traveling
• China Weather in March 2024: Destinations, Crowds, and Costs
• China Weather in April 2024: Where to Go (Smart Pre-Season Pick)
• China Weather in May 2024: Where to Go, Crowds, and Costs
• China Weather in June 2024: How to Benefit from the Rainy Season
• China Weather in July 2024: How to Avoid Heat and Crowds
• China Weather in August 2024: Weather Tips & Where to Go
• China Weather in September 2024: Weather Tips & Where to Go
• China Weather in October 2024: Where to Go, Crowds, and Costs
• China Weather in November 2024: Places to Go & Crowds
• China Weather in December 2024: Places to Go and Crowds

Get Inspired with Some Popular Itineraries

More travel ideas and inspiration, sign up to our newsletter.

Be the first to receive exciting updates, exclusive promotions, and valuable travel tips from our team of experts.

Why China Highlights

Where can we take you today.

• Southeast Asia
• Japan, South Korea
• India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri lanka
• Central Asia
• Middle East
• African Safari
• Travel Agents
• Loyalty & Referral Program
• Privacy Policy

Address: Building 6, Chuangyi Business Park, 70 Qilidian Road, Guilin, Guangxi, 541004, China

Food, Eating Behavior, and Culture in Chinese Society Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Lee’s book investigates the origins of Chinese restaurants and food delivery services as well as fortune cookies. Both are very common and are a part of the American lifestyle for many people in the modern day. However, as the author explains the origins of them are more complicated than might appear at first. The majority of the food and the cookies were not an actual part of the Chinese cuisine. The Chinese immigrants in the US came up with many recipes and made them familiar. The diffusion of Chinese culture through food is demonstrated as the number of places where one can try it outnumbers popular fast food chains.

The diffusion and transformation are illustrated by the example of General Tso’s Chicken. The concept of globalization through transculturation is demonstrated through presenting the story of Chinese immigrants that opened these restaurants, bringing part of their culture to the US. The issue of the origin of the fortune cookies demonstrates the global intersections. Thus, the book shows different globalization factors such as diffusion, transformation, transculturation, and global interconnections through which different cultures merge and change one another.

The cultural differences in the Asia and Pacific rim area that are based on distinct floodways are varied in nature. As Lee described in her book, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese, when the Chinese immigrants came to America they have encountered opposition from the citizens. One of the examples is the China Exclusion Act (56). In the modern day, such laws are regarded as discrimination. However, at that time, the justification for the actions was described as “Chinamen love rats as Western people love poultry” (Lee 50). In addition, other differences in food habits were described. “Chinamen live on rice, and, sir, they eat it with sticks!”‘ (Lee 54). It is clear from these statements that the food habits of people in China differ significantly from those in America.

In the Asian and Pacific region, the importance of trade, social class, and cultural diffusion can be demonstrated through food. Guansheng stated that the Chinese have a special attitude to food (195). For example, they offer food to people when they are trying to make new friends or contacts. In addition, to represent the social status people in China eat expensive foods. Furthermore, the author states that when moving to other countries these people maintain their eating habits, which is an example of cultural diffusion (Guansheng 196). The trade is an essential aspect of the region. Due to the fact that food is valued, the purchasing process becomes complex as the freshness and quality of the ingredients are critical (Guansheng 196).

The concept of diffusion, in this case, refers to the spread of beliefs and activities between different groups of people. In addition, the transformation of culture is an aspect of the concept. In the book, the author shares how Chinese food was modified into being the most popular eating choice in America (Lee 56). Therefore, American and Chinese cultures have merged and changed each other in the case. According to Lee, “there are some forty thousand Chinese restaurants in the United States –more than the number of McDonalds’, Burger Kings, and KFCs combined” (9). It can be argued that the fact that there are large number of these restaurants across the country contributes to the diffusion of the culture. In addition, it does transform itself to suit the local tastes. For example, General Tso’s Chicken, although existed as a recipe in China, differs significantly from what is served under the name in the US. Lee traveled to Hunan Province – the birthplace of the General to find out the origins of the dish (56). The diffusion, in this case, is demonstrated as the Chinese restaurants have taken a part of their culture – the recipe and the name of General Tso and transformed it into one of the most popular dishes in America.

The diffusion and transformation are demonstrated by Lee through the example of General Tso’s Chicken and chop suey. The concept’s focus is the spread of a specific food within a culture and how it is transformed over time. As was previously mentioned, General Tso’s Chicken does exist in Chinese cuisine. However, it is not as standard, and the recipe differs significantly, it is more spicy and more fitting for the eating habits of the locals. Chop suey is another example of diffusion and transformation. Lee described the dish as “the biggest culinary prank that one culture has ever played on another.” (49). It is due to the fact that the Americans used to believe that chop suey was a national dish in China. In reality, the name translates from Cantonese as “odds and ends” (Lee 49). The dish was created to suit the tastes of Americans. To do so, no extra spices, unusual flavors or ingredients were used. The streets of New York, Washington, and other cities had a line of people waiting to taste the dish (Lee 58). The way the traditional Chinese cuisine was transformed and gained popularity in the US is an example of diffusion and transformation.

Globalization and transculturation refer to the merging of different cultures. In the book, the process is demonstrated by how Chinese immigrants used the notion of Chinese food to create the restaurants in America. In addition, they used the fortune cookies that originated in Japan as part of the menu. Similarly to diffusion, the example of globalization is General Tso’s Chicken. However, an essential aspect of the issue is the process through which the Chinese immigrants went through to make their cuisine widespread in the country. “Our benchmark for America is apple pie. But ask yourself: How often do you eat apple pie? How often do you eat Chinese food?” (Lee 26). The author’s idea is that the actual American food is the one that is more common; therefore, it is the Chinese. The merger of cultures and traditions examined in the book is an excellent illustration of globalization.

Global interconnections are illustrated through the issue of the origin of the famous fortune cookies. Although it is easy to believe that they were invented in China, as they are sold in Chinese restaurants, it is not the case. In fact, the cookies were created in Japan, but then gained popularity in America. In addition, there is an American company that specializes in writing texts for those cookies (Lee 90). However, the topic has been discussed by many, “the critical 1983 debate: Who invented the fortune cookie, and where?” (Lee 90). Therefore, this is an example of global interconnections.

Overall, the Chinese culture brought by the immigrants that opened restaurants have merged with the American, resulting in the now widely beloved Chinese food. Although many believe that the dishes are a part of traditional Chinese cuisine, many of them were created in order to suit the tastes of Americans. The provided examples are a representation of globalization through diffusion, transformation, transculturation, and global interconnections.

Lee, Jenifer. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food. Twelve, 2009.

Ma, Guansheng. “Food, Eating Behavior, and Culture in Chinese Society.” Journal of Ethnic Foods, vol. 2, no. 4, 2015, pp. 195-199.

• Cultural Diffusion: Factors and Effects
• Diffusion in Polymer Solutions
• Home-Style Cookies and Waste-Free Production
• The Most Delicious Rice Dishes
• Culinary Arts and Garde Manger Investigation
• Tiramisu: Classic and Original Recipe
• Jamaican Menu Planning: From Appetizer to Dessert
• How to Create a Deep Dish Oven Baked Pasta?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2021, June 22). Food, Eating Behavior, and Culture in Chinese Society. https://ivypanda.com/essays/food-eating-behavior-and-culture-in-chinese-society/

"Food, Eating Behavior, and Culture in Chinese Society." IvyPanda , 22 June 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/food-eating-behavior-and-culture-in-chinese-society/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Food, Eating Behavior, and Culture in Chinese Society'. 22 June.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Food, Eating Behavior, and Culture in Chinese Society." June 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/food-eating-behavior-and-culture-in-chinese-society/.

1. IvyPanda . "Food, Eating Behavior, and Culture in Chinese Society." June 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/food-eating-behavior-and-culture-in-chinese-society/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Food, Eating Behavior, and Culture in Chinese Society." June 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/food-eating-behavior-and-culture-in-chinese-society/.

We use cookies to enhance our website for you. Proceed if you agree to this policy or learn more about it.

• Essay Database >
• Essay Examples >
• Essays Topics >
• Essay on Food

Chinese Food And Chinese Culture Essay Samples

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Food , China , Tea , Kong , Hong Kong , Hong , Chang , Herbal Tea

Words: 3500

Published: 03/08/2023

ORDER PAPER LIKE THIS

Food is a fundamental necessity of life and therefore becomes a rich conveyor of cultural traditions and norms and attracts patterns of symbolic significance much like a magnet, for example, who is entitled to eat with whom, and when, and how food is to be shared. The cultural understandings surrounding the sharing of food illuminates social dynamics by distinguishing cohesive social units and social distance. Indeed, it can be said that a culture is encoded in the expectations of behavior associated with the communal act of dining. The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical continuity of symbol systems that structure Chinese society and how the structure is embedded in how the Chinese think about food and in the behavior surrounding the consumption of food. Most anthropological research on food has been in the area of food insecurity, ritual and eating, and how identity can be demonstrated by food patterns (Mintz and Du Bois 99). This paper examines the symbolism, ritual and identity encoded in the consumption of food in the Chinese cultural heritage. To lay the ground work, first the types of foods eaten and the symbol system applied to food in the ancient China will be reviewed. Foods prepared and eaten from the prehistoric Yangshao era to the Chou period set the basic pattern that informs Chinese cuisine and symbol systems today. Second, an examination of the rise and fall of herbal tea shops in Hong Kong is used to discuss the ways that food can carry cultural identity and adapt to accommodate political and economic changes. The consumption of herbal tea is a way of consolidating a cultural identity and a way of transitioning to a new identity. Finally, the regulations surrounding table manners in Hong Kong are examined in terms of how they can delineate private and public space and determine social relationships. In the description of current table etiquette practiced in Hong Kong, the reader can see how the structure set up in ancient China is continued to the present day. 1. Ancient China Later styles of Chinese food preferences and food management were formulated in Ancient China from the Yangshao Period (5000 – 3200 BC) to the Chou Period (200 BC) (Chang 25). Information on the types of food eaten during the early periods is obtained from archeological evidence and later in preserved literature, primarily poetry. As for style, the only information available from the archeological record is the type of food and whether or not the food was consumed in a raw or cooked form. Textual information begins in the Shang (1850 BC) and Chou civilizations (Chang 25). The staple starch in ancient northern China was types of millet, but wheat, hemp, barley and rice were also eaten. By the Late Chou period, rice was regarded as the preferred and more expensive grain (Chang 26-27). The chief legume was the soybean. There is mixed evidence as to when peanuts, sesames, and broad beans arrived in China. Velvet and red beans were common in Ancient Northern China. Taro and Chinese yam were found in southern China and may have been a more important form of starch than rice in southern China (Chang 28). Many different vegetables were available most of which were gathered wild. The following vegetables occur in texts, but there is little archaeological evidence for them: malva, melon, gourd, turnip, Chinese leek, lettuce, field sowthistle, common cattail, smart weeds, wormwood grasses, ferns, wild beans, lotus roots, Chinese cabbage, mustard greens, garlic, spring onion, amaranth, Chinese water chestnuts and bamboo shoots (Chang 28). As for animal foods, archeological remains of dogs and pigs have been the most commonly found mammals and have been found from as early as the Yangshao civilization right through to the Chou period (Chang 29). Occasionally, remains of cattle, sheep and goats are also found at Yangshao sites but were probably not domesticated until the Langshan period (2000 BC) (Chang 29). There is no evidence that milk or their products were consumed in ancient China. Evidence from oracle bones indicates that sheep and cattle were used in a sacrificial context, but were also probably consumed as part of the secular diet. Many wild animals were part of the early diet, most notably deer and rabbit, but were not as important a part of the diet as dogs and pigs. Bones of exotic animals such as whale, elephant, tapir and bear were found, which suggested that some rare foods might have been imported. Chicken occurs frequently in texts, but other birds such as partridge and pheasant were eaten. Carp was the most common fish eaten, but mullet was also consumed. Other edible species were bees, cicadas, turtles, frogs and snails. Much evidence exists for the uses of alcoholic beverages, mostly made from grain, at feasts and other ceremonies. Information from the Chou Period show that food was prepared by boiling, steaming, frying, salting, pickling, drying, steeping and smoking (Chang 29-31). Chang demonstrated that cultural significance of food, its preparation, and how it is consumed in ancient China is preserved in Chou poetry and onwards (36-39). Descriptions of meals in Chinese poetry only record food consumed by the upper classes. There does not appear to be any descriptions of simple vegetable dishes that presumably the lower classes consumed. The amount of food one is entitled to consume is regulated by rank and age. Each person is said to require four bowls of grain to fill his stomach. However, a high ranking minister was entitled to eight additional non-grain dishes, and a low ranking minister was entitled to six additional non-grain dishes. A man of sixty is entitled to three non-grain dishes, a man of seventy, four, and a man of eighty, five, and a man of ninety, six (Chang 37). Chang makes no mention of women or children and stated that it is not known if poor people were subject to the same strict rules. Did poor people necessarily eat like lone boors? Did they not also have their own rules in their own company? They must have, but, alas, their rules are not preserved in the available records. (Chang 39) Even greater detail accompanies the spatial arrangement of the food. Chang describes the intricate and precise placement of dishes before the diner, for example, what types of meat and how they were folded dictated that they must be placed to the right of the diner, whereas other types of meat folded in different ways must be placed to the left of the diner. The rules regarding the presentation of food indicated that cultural symbols were encoded into the process of eating (37-38). Highly formalized procedures that integrated the recognition of rank also characterized table manners when eating with others, and children were instructed on eating etiquette from an early age (Chang 38-39). The ritualization of spatial arrangements and other regulations surrounding the taking of meals suggests a great attention was paid to social stratification. Chang posits that the duality of yin and yang that informs Chinese civilization today can be found in ancient China in the food, food serving ware, and rituals surrounding food (46). For example, sustenance was divided into drink (yang) and food (yin). Food was further divided into grain/rice (fan) and dishes (ts’ai). Dishes were vegetables other than grain, and meat, and could be classified as either yang or yin. The basic meal consists of drink (water) and fan. This division is so fundamental that alcohol is regarded as fan.on the basis that it is made from grain. A more elaborate meal included ts’ai. Chang described a hierarchy with fan at the bottom and ts’ai at the top that included a guide as to the portions of each class of food that one must eat, specifically, more fan should be consumed than ts’ai (Chang 40-41). As will be discussed below, this symbolic division of food into types developed in ancient China remains the framework of cultural understandings of food and its consumption, including the hierarchy and strict proportions, and structures table manners in Hong Kong today. As Chang stated: This arrangement of food classes and the beliefs and rules associated with them, is in my opinion is the structural essence of the Chinese way of eating, and it has not changed from at least the Chou period to today. In the ancient texts wherever enumerations of things to eat and drink appear, the same hierarchy of food-drink contrasts is shown. (40) 2. Food and Chinese Identity in herbal tea shops in Hong Kong Sea Ling Cheng chronicles the rise and fall of herbal tea shops in terms of the political and economic changes that occurred in Hong Kong in the period leading up to Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997 (1997). Cheng suggested that the political changes taking place in Hong Kong fostered feelings of insecurity and the residents sought to re-affirm cultural identity in the traditions of the herbal tea shop. Cheng also demonstrates how the tea shops stayed afloat in economic downturns by maintaining their function as a social gathering place. The health benefits of herbal tea described by Cheng echo the dichotomies found in Chang’s review of ancient Chinese foods (Chang 48) and the need to balance the opposing factors. Cheng describes a health belief system composed of the dichotomies hot/cold and wet/dry that, if unbalanced in results in bodily discomfort (Cheng 52). Different effects are associated with the various herbal teas – chrysanthemum tea and five-flower tea are assumed to be mildly cooling, while sesame drink, sugarcane juice and sour plum juice are good for promoting digestion, and since their effects are mild, they can also be simply taken as a drink. Twenty-four-herb tea is generally perceived as strongly cooling and good for curing “hot” diseases like flu and fevers. (52)

Cooling teas were thought to counteract the hot and humid Hong Kong climate, particularly during the summer.

Traditionally, herbal teas were dispensed for free or inexpensively at Taoist temples to people who could not afford other medicines. The Chinese residents of Hong Kong were poor and eagerly accepted herbal teas as a folk remedy (Cheng 53). Wong Lo Kat was the first herbal tea shop registered in Hong Kong in 1897. Wong Lo Kat is the name of a man who was reputed to have discovered a combination of herbal ingredients that cured all illnesses. During the dire conditions of the Japanese occupation, the poor Chinese escaped their squalid living conditions in the comfort and sociality of the herbal tea shops (Cheng 53-54). The lack of reasonable housing drove people out of their “homes” but recreational facilities were also inadequate. So, for those economically less advantaged people, herbal tea shops provided a channel of escape from their humdrum lives by creating an easily accessible and comfortable public place that connected them with each other and the world at large. In this way, herbal teach shops played a socially integrating role (Cheng 56). In the 1950s, the types of drinks available at the shop expanded beyond herbal teas to other health promoting drinks such as almond drinks, five-flower tea, chrysanthemum tea, and sesame drink. Further, people came to the shops to enjoy the electric fan and to listen to the radio. For the price of a 10-cent drink, patrons could listen to the popular plays, stories and music broadcast by Rediffusion (Hong Kong) Limited (Cheng 57). As different technologies emerged, they were installed in tea shops to attract a range of customers. In the 1950s jukeboxes in some herbal tea shops were a major attraction for the younger generations. Many local Cantonese films produced in this period featured trendy young people (men with a slick-back hair style, folded-up shirt collars and women typically in mini-skirts) socializing and dancing to western music from the jukeboxes in the herbal tea shops (Cheng 57) . With the arrival of television, Hong Kong residents now had glimpses of the rest of the world. As Hong Kong’s economy grew and accommodations improved, local Hong Kong and western lifestyles became the models to follow. Identification with the Chinese mainland fell off, as did the patronage of herbal tea shops (Cheng 58-59). The social functions of the herbal tea shops that had been so prominent in the past decades were progressively taken over by the family or other entertainment establishments. More importantly, its “traditional roots” led to its marginalization in the march towards a metropolitan identity (Cheng 58-59). McDonald’s, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken, with their American look and immaculate facilities, filled the vacuum left by the herbal tea shops as gathering places. The practice of eating out became a mark of personal economic success and modernity. The consumption of food outside the home reflected the prospering economy and the changing self- image of Hong Kong residents (Cheng 59). Other indications that the residents of Hong Kong were distinguishing themselves from mainland China and Taiwan were the rise in popularity of Cantonese pop songs with lyrics that depicted the local lifestyle and aspirations over the Mandarin pop songs (Cheng 60). In the herbal tea shops, ‘To retain its “traditional” image, Wong Lo Kat continues with its old practice of giving sweet preserved plums to those who have had the bitter taste of twenty-four herb tea’ (Cheng 61). Cheng refers to this fashion and the return of traditionally decorated Hong Kong eating establishments during this time as “nostalgic eating” (66). An increased identification with traditional Chinese décor accompanied the lead up to Hong Kong’s return to China, and according to Cheng, was the result of an “identify discontinuity” (68). 3. Table Etiquette Cooper begins his description of table manners in Hong Kong with a brief overview of the anthropological literature of food and its importance in adapting a population as to what is good or not good to eat, and how the symbolic ordering of the culture is reflected in the preparation and eating of food. As Cooper points out, table manners are so ingrained and at such an early age that deviations from the cultural norm evoke disgust and identify the individual as either a child or a barbarian (179). The categorization set out by the Chou period in China is clearly identifiable in Hong Kong food categories today. If fan (grain or rice) is not included, it is not a meal. Rice is generally not eaten at breakfast, therefore it not regarded as a proper meal but rather a snack to get you through to lunch time (Cooper 180). Chang describes the rules regarding the spatial arrangement of food set before a person (37-38). According to Cooper, the recognition of a need to spatially organize a meal exists in Honk Kong today. Each person has his or her own bowl of fan, which is placed in front of the individual. However, ts’ai dishes are shared and are placed in the middle of the table (Cooper 180). Further spatial distinctions are made with regard to eating utensils. Before each person is the personal bowl of fan, chopsticks, a spoon, and a saucer. Chopsticks are used to take a piece from the communal ts’ai and place it on top of the fan. The bowl is raised to the mouth and the fan and ts’ai are placed into the mouth with the chopsticks. To eat with the bowl remaining on the table indicates a disinterest in the food and is regarded as an insult to the host (Cooper 180). The rules that can be extracted from the use of bowls, dishes and chopsticks are a division of private and public space with the bowl being private, the ts’ai dish as public, and the chopsticks as mediating between the two (Cooper 180). Anything that touches the mouth, i.e. the bowl of fan, is classified as private space and kept within the immediate vicinity of the person to whom it belongs. When one has finished the rice in one’s bowl, one does not continue to eat of the communal ts’ai dishes. To eat ts’ai without rice in one’s bowl is to appear a glutton interested only in ts’ai, of which one must consume a great deal to get full without rice. (181) At formal occasions such as weddings and New Years’ banquets, the proportions of fan and ts’ai are reversed in order to emphasize the sumptuousness of the meal. rice is not served until last. Thus at a banquet, one may eat ts’ai without rice in one’s bowl, and one is expected to fill up on ts’ai such that when the rice is finally served, one can only take a token portion, which is to say, this has been a real feast. (Cooper 183) Cooper describes the overriding rule of communal eating as one of “deference to others” (181). Beyond deference, social status is embedded in the rules of dining as a group. In order of eating, adults take precedence over children, and a guest of honor must be the last to leave the table. When dining out, paying for the check for all the guests marks the payer’s status over the other guests. Among equals, paying the check is done in the expectation of eventual reciprocity. However, if the status between two diners is considerable, it is impolite for the one of lower status to take the check. Cooper describes a refinement of status jockeying. Of course the wider social context must also be taken into consideration. One may be desirous of seeking a favor of an important person, in which case paying the check may be a mild form of pressure in which the obligation of reciprocity is finessed, enjoining one’s fellow diner to comply with one’s request. Food events are first and foremost social events. (183) In his description of table etiquette in Hong Kong, Cooper demonstrates the persistence of the ancient Chinese fan and ts’ai distinctions dictating what and relatively how much you eat, the cultural value of deference, and the carefully observed social structure played out in the microcosm of the dining table. Cheng demonstrated how spaces in which food is consumed serve as public gathering places where people can socialize and acquire information. In fact, the herbal tea shops in Hong Kong were instrumental in facilitating change by revealing new western lifestyles and disseminating news from the rest of the world, which was particularly important at a time of political unrest. The waxing and waning of the popularity of the herbal tea shops and the types of food served in the tea shops indexed the changing cultural affiliations and anxiety as the residents of Hong Kong moved toward reunion with mainland China. Chinese medicine in the form of herbal tea was resurrected as a meaningful symbol of a desirable life. In conclusion, Cooper is correct when he states you are how you eat (179) in Hong Kong. In the case of Hong Kong’s herbal tea shops, you are where you drink tea. The dichotomized worldview of yin and yang is repeated throughout the centuries by being encoded in the classification of edibles into fan and ts’ai. It could be argued that the entire traditional cosmology is embedded in the food consumption patterns because of the critical role food plays in maintaining life. Chinese food traditions have a strong structure that has endured over centuries. Within the culture, patterns of behavior surrounding the consumption of food defined the social strata. To affiliate or deviate from the structure is a way the Chinese, notably in Hong Kong, expressed their evolving cultural identity.

Works Cited

Chang, Kwang-chih. “1: Ancient China,” Food in Chinese Culture: Anthropological and Historical Perspectives. Ed. Kwang-chih Chang. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977, 23-52. Print. Cheng, Sea Ling. “Back to the Future: Herbal Tea Shops in Hong Kong,” Hong Kong: Anthropological Essays on a Chinese Metropolis. Eds. Grant Evans and Marie Tam. Oxon, UK: Cruzon Press, 1997, 51-73. Print. Cooper, Eugene. “Chinese Table Manners: You Are How You Eat.” Human Organization 45.2 (1986) : 179-184. Print. Mintz, Sidney, W. and Du Bois, Christine, M. “The Anthropology of Food and Eating.” Annual Review of Anthropology 31 (2002) : 99-119. Print.

Cite this page

Share with friends using:

Removal Request

Finished papers: 758

This paper is created by writer with

ID 281485203

If you want your paper to be:

Well-researched, fact-checked, and accurate

Original, fresh, based on current data

Eloquently written and immaculately formatted

275 words = 1 page double-spaced

Get your papers done by pros!

Other Pages

Example of happiness is an illusion argumentative essay, network security research paper example, diet control argumentative essay examples, example of bridge over the river kwai saito and nicholson movie review, free creative writing on difficulties of learning english as a foreign language, charles manson research paper, the new arab revolt research paper sample, principle of speech communication book review example, essay on tort law case study, research paper on 1 which of the following would be a preferable pathology report for a newly diagnosed, sexuality does not defines gender roles and gender role expectations argumentative essay examples, example of research paper on american civilization sojourner truth, free essay on just war, example of large scale socio technical transitions for energy infrastructure capacity expansion research proposal, synagogues essay examples, argumentative essay on nature vs nurture argument, free research paper about strategic management, free the effects of population density and noise on individuals essay sample, good essay about otaku challenge, money in campaign gerrymandering and two party system essay example, how did the cold war affect asian american experiences essays example, free essay on police vs businessmen problems with spring break, theory model report, sexism article reviews, beauty article reviews, rainfall article reviews, hazard article reviews, picnic reports, testimony reports, empirical evidence reports, mccain reports, basal metabolic rate essays, chatelaine essays, red giant essays, freethinking essays, hematocrit essays, bilabial essays, lymphedema essays, germinal center essays, rising tides essays, general idea essays, guariento essays.

Password recovery email has been sent to [email protected]

Use your new password to log in

You are not register!

By clicking Register, you agree to our Terms of Service and that you have read our Privacy Policy .

Now you can download documents directly to your device!

Check your email! An email with your password has already been sent to you! Now you can download documents directly to your device.

or Use the QR code to Save this Paper to Your Phone

The sample is NOT original!

Short on a deadline?

Don't waste time. Get help with 11% off using code - GETWOWED

No, thanks! I'm fine with missing my deadline

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Review essay: food in contemporary China

2020, Asian Ethnology

Review of Jin Feng, Tasting paradise on earth: Jiangnan foodways (University of Washington 2019) and Guo Huiling 郭慧玲, 美味与权力: 一个华北村庄70年饮食生活变迁 [Taste and Power: 70 years of culinary transition in a north Chinese village] (China Economic Press 2020) Forthcoming in Asian Ethnology

Related Papers

Modern China Series，North American Business Press

Robert Tian

Food is an important aspect of social culture and has a close relationship with economic development. The Chinese food culture has the characteristics of inheritability and development, and throughout the history of Chinese food culture, it has maintained its momentum of development since its primitive society. Neither the change of dynasty nor the change of social system has had a profound influence on it, and the philosophy of supplying enough food to people and food being the top priority was very popular. Eating was a top priority for people in China. Long ago, Confucius said that the desire for food and sex is part of human nature. As such, in the Chinese culture food became the priority. Because of the attention to diet, Chinese people would, when they had leisure time or abundant raw materials, work out a variety of food. Chinese cooking is flexible, which is characterized by saying that there is no fixed taste and what is delicious is valued. The beauty of food is one of the important roots of Chinese aesthetics, which inspires people with the stimulation of eating. Triggering art inspiration is the inevitable result of Chinese food culture pursuing complete and beautiful color, fragrance, taste, shape, and utensils. It makes food culture a comprehensive art containing multiple cultural connotations of diet, diet mentality, beautiful utensils and etiquette, food enjoyment and eating. Chinese foods have not only exquisite craftsmanship and rich nutrition, but also elegant and graceful names, which are literary and romantic, poetic and fancy. Food functions to not only satiate people’s hunger; it has also become an integral aspect of life enjoyment, which represents an essential component of food anthropology. Food anthropologists stress that changes in people’s eating habits not only depend on the local food culture, which may be specific to a given region, but also varies with economic development in different regions. Food anthropology, as a sub branch of applied anthropology, adapts anthropological theories and methods to study food industry, food culture, food consumption and food commerce. Seminal work in this regard has been provided by scholars and consultants in the field of food anthropology. This book describes the anthropological studies on Chinese foodways, outlines the Chinese food anthropology basic theories and methods. Anthropology in China is still at its development stage in China, while food anthropology is just at its initial stages of development. Nevertheless, China’s economic and social development, especially in ethnic minority regions in Western China, needs the theoretical guidance of some disciplines, including food anthropology, economic anthropology and business anthropology. At the same time, it has provided opportunities to develop food anthropology with the Chinese characteristics. Therefore, when Chinese scholars are learning and adopting Western food anthropology theories and methodologies, they must innovate and develop the related theories and methodologies with Chinese characteristics, so that they can better serve the well-off of the entire society.

The Fountain and the Waterfall (ed. M. Leone, B. Surace, J. Zeng), pp. 277-301

Simona Stano

Chinese cuisine is known and especially praised for the attention it pays to every aspect of food, “from its palatableness to its texture, and from its fragrance to its colourfulness; until, as in other works of art, proportion and balance are instilled in every dish” (Feng, 1966 [1952]). Within its huge variety — including gastronomic traditions originating from various regions of China, as well as from Chinese people living in other countries —, in fact, such a cuisine strongly emphasises the aesthetic dimension of food, in relation to both its preparation and consumption. This acquires further importance if we consider the extensive spread of Chinese food around the world and its consequent hybridisation with other foodspheres, including Western gastronomic traditions. This paper explores the aesthetic values associated with Chinese culinary arts by making reference to existing literature on Chinese food cultures and analysing some relevant case studies, especially in relation to the collective imaginary of Chinese cuisine between the East and the West. In the conclusion, a more general reflection concerning the philosophical and semiotic discussion on taste and its judgement is provided.

Gastronomica

Françoise SABBAN

Sojourn Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia

Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia

Filippo Serrapica

Nitya Pandey

Based on anthropological theory on food, this research gives a brief discussion on the development direction of food civilization, analyzes the facts that people's diet activities and eating behaviors, in the ancient Chinese society centering on the state political power, were controlled or influenced by the political ideology. It also probes the relationship between food culture and social-political traditions. Taking 'tables' and 'banquets' as the subjects, the paper introduces haute cuisine, everyday food and national dishes from the social stratification of diet. It proposes that the development of Chinese food has been influenced by the ritualized privilege system, noble traditions and application of ancient science and technology invention of cooking. It responds to Gernet's idea of poverty stress and Kwang-Chih Chang's idea of ethos. Through the power symbols of Chinese banquet culture, a banquet level analysis model is presented to pave a path for further empirical study.

Anthropology News, co-authored with Yi-Chieh Jessica Lin, Invited Column for Anthropology News, May Edition: 38-39.

David Kamper , Stephanie Assmann

Spanning environmental, political and popular culture domains, the anthropology of food in East Asia is a vibrant field of scholarship. This article traces areas of current interest and future collaboration that include food safety, agriculture, globalization and national identity.

Elizabeth Baylor

RELATED PAPERS

Ciencia & Saude Coletiva

Sonia Fleury

International Journal of Chemical Studies

Tạp chí Y học Việt Nam

IGI Global eBooks

Vijayan Sugumaran

Maciej Bielecki

Zeitschrift für württembergische Landesgeschichte

Kristina Mateescu

Journal of Applied Sciences

Neil Holtzman

Elske Marra

Gerencia Y Politicas De Salud

Cecilia Velasco

Valter Cruz

The 30th International Ocean and Polar Engineering Conference

Luis Felipe Mazadiego

Journal of Aging Studies

Vincent Waldron

Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research

Alejandro Córdova Izquierdo

angilna dube

Physical Review A

Riccardo Zanasi

Maria liz Morató

azmath mubeen

American Journal of Veterinary Research

Bioresource Technology

Somayeh Farzad

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

• Restaurants
• Best-of Guides
• MICHELIN Guide Ceremony
• My Favorites
• Subscribe to newsletter
• Booking partnership with OpenTable
• Booking partnership with Resy
• USA - English - USD
• The Best MICHELIN Guide Spots for Chinese Food

New York City by The MICHELIN Guide

See the New York City guide

Alley 41 (Sichuan/Flushing)

True to its name, this Sichuan stalwart does not sit in plain sight. A short walk off Flushing’s Main Street leads to an interior that is equally unexpected: A stylish corridor of concrete, curved wood chairs and elegant panel screens. The menu, now entirely electronic, is lengthy but the glamorous photos are accurate reflections of what’s to come.

Inspector notes: "Chicken dumplings sitting in a pool of red chili sauce, and tender rolls of pork belly with sesame cold noodles are sensible starters for a meal that ramps up quite quickly thanks to a lightning-fast kitchen."

East Harbor Seafood Palace  (Cantonese/Brooklyn)

Dim sum is a well-orchestrated affair, with steaming carts rolling by and waiters ferrying trays into the gold-accented dining room. Eyes can guide the ordering when it comes to the carts, stocked with authentic bites.

Inspector notes: "Highlights include the siu mai, followed by rice noodles wrapped around shrimp and doused in a sweet soy sauce."

Little Alley (Shanghainese/MEast)

Thank Chef Yuchun Cheung for brightening Murray Hill by way of authentic regional dishes from China, with an emphasis on Shanghai. This cooking is accomplished, serious and high quality, but one could still make a very enjoyable meal by just focusing on appetizers and dumplings alone.

Inspector notes: "Signatures, and fittingly so, include toothsome slices of pig’s ear seasoned with chili oil, peppercorns and cilantro for freshness."

Silver Apricot (Chinese-American/GV)

Few settings are cozier than this contemporary West Village den, which opened back in 2020 on quiet Cornelia street. The food is something of an adventure and leans on classic Chinese flavors. Think warm, flaky scallion puffs with scallion butter or spicy cumin lamb reimagined as a cold tartare.

Inspector notes: "Rice cakes channel mapo tofu but with butternut squash and chili-fermented broad beans."

Hunan Bistro (Hunan, EV)

This simple yet stylish and welcoming "bistro" exudes all the modern feels. Service is swift yet helpful; while hearty, lip-scorching Hunan food is on the menu—and everyone’s just a little bit happier for it.

Inspector notes: "Dinner here might kick off with such typical specialties as sour string beans sautéed with minced pork, chillies, and toothsome konjac noodles."

Great N.Y. Noodletown  (Cantonese, Chinatown)

Invite plenty of dining companions to share heaping plates of roasted meats and rice and noodle soups at this wallet-friendly treasure. Locals stream in until the 4:00 A.M. closing bell for their great Cantonese dishes—food is clearly the focus here, over the brusque service and unfussy atmosphere.

Inspector notes: "Incredible shrimp wontons, for instance, are delicate and thin; and the complex homemade e-fu noodles demonstrate technique and quality to a standout level that is rarely rivaled."

Find our other best-of guides

The Best Apple-Focused Desserts in New York City

The Best MICHELIN Guide Restaurants for Spicy Food

The Best MICHELIN Guide Restaurants for Cocktails in New York City

Best MICHELIN Guide Restaurants for Families and Large Groups in New York City

Best MICHELIN Guide Restaurants to See and Be Seen in New York City

Best MICHELIN Guide Restaurants to Make Your Friends Jealous in New York City

The Best MICHELIN Guide Brunch Spots in New York City

Best Restaurants to Take the Kids in New York City

Michelin guide.

Use the app to find the best restaurants and hotels everywhere

Be the first to get news and update about the michelin guide.

MICHELIN Guide selections

The michelin group.

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Legal Notice

Display settings

Customize your experience by easily adjusting display settings for territory, and currency to suit your preferences!

Member privileges

The Plus program provides upgrades and amenities at participating hotels. For this hotel, Plus members will receive:

Non-members can add the privileges at checkout through our 30 day free trial, cancellable at anytime.

• Share this —

• Watch Full Episodes
• Read With Jenna
• Inspirational
• Relationships
• TODAY Table
• Newsletters
• Start TODAY
• Shop TODAY Awards
• Citi Concert Series
• Listen All Day

Follow today

More Brands

• On The Show
• TODAY Plaza

I’m 48 and my husband is 29. That won’t stop us from having a baby

Philanthropist and entrepreneur Caroline Stanbury currently stars on Bravo's reality series “ The Real Housewives of Dubai .” Stanbury also hosts the podcast “ Uncut & Uncensored , ” has a wellness brand, “ Bust The Label , ” and is building a real estate venture in Bali called “ Samsara Nest . ” She is married to Real Madrid soccer star Sergio Carrallo and has spoken about their plans to have a child together on the reality show. In a personal essay for TODAY, she shares more about their desire to grow their family, and why they are considering surrogacy.

Having a biological child with my husband, Sergio, was something I always knew would come up between us, honestly.

Sergio doesn't have any children. He's 29 and I just turned 48. From the moment we got involved, I realized that he'd probably want his own family.

I have three children from my first marriage: one 18-year-old girl, Yasmine, and two 14-year-old boys, Zack and Aaron. Sergio is very, very good as a stepfather. It’s a lot of work to blend into an already grown-up family. Of course, the kids love him.

Everyone kept asking if we were having a baby after our wedding two years ago. They're rooting for a Sergio-and-Caroline baby. I think they just want to see me waddling around or watch how first-time dad Sergio copes with sleepless nights. But it’s a lot of pressure to have the whole world know our reproductive issues.

Maybe I never should have mentioned it in front of the cameras. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.

We've already done two rounds of in vitro fertilization . Even though we got 15 eggs the first round and another 15 or 20 the second round, we only ended up with one viable embryo.

So we have a little baby boy on ice, waiting for us.

Knowing that there's one embryo is exciting, but it's also worrisome for Sergio. He's thinking he'd like to do another round of IVF in January next year and try for another embryo or two.

I suggested using someone else's eggs if we don't get another embryo with mine — which is a great option that works for many people — but that isn't something Sergio would consider. He wants our baby to biologically belong to both of us.

Unfortunately I probably can't carry another child myself. I had preeclampsia with all my children, and I got very sick with the twins. My children are against me carrying a baby because of the health risks for me. But right now, I'm undecided. My doctor thinks that I may be able to carry one more child, however, and I also feel the healthiest I've ever been. So never say never.

In the meantime, we're looking for a surrogate .

I never thought I’d be in a position where I’m reading how to find another woman to carry my baby, and I'm trying to figure out what that would look like. What if she wants to live in another country? What if Sergio wants to rub her belly? There are a million questions that don’t have answers to right now.

Surrogacy was illegal here in Dubai until just a few months ago. After surrogacy was legalized, I called the IVF clinic and they gave me two names of surrogacy agencies. I'm due to have a consultation, which I put off until after summer.

Moving forward with having another baby is a difficult decision at my age. It’s definitely something we go back and forth about a lot.

Sometimes, we think about the fact that we’ve already got three children. I’m older. I’ve already raised kids. We’ve got a life where we travel a lot and we work a lot. We have a really nice lifestyle. My children have grown up, and they’re leaving home.

Having a baby now would mean that while Yasmine is going to university, I’m about to go and look at nappies again. 

But I think that Sergio will be a great dad, and he deserves to be a father. And it could be fun! Maybe I'm better prepared to go back into the trenches now. I know exactly what to expect, so I won't be so overwhelmed by it all.

When you have a baby at a younger age, you're in shock because everyone's telling you what you can and can't do with your own child, and you're scared. But now that I've had three kids, I know that babies are resilient. It's not as hard as people like to make out.

Having three children under the age of 5 was quite hard, but I think having just one might be a walk in the park for me.

I've got more patience now than I had when I was a younger mom. I was running a much bigger company then and was dealing with more pressures at the time. Now, I've softened. So maybe when I have Sergio's baby, I'll be all gaga over it. A baby may turn me into a completely different human.

In talking to women on my podcast, " Uncut & Uncensored ," I've realized that the one thing Sergio and I have given everybody is hope. I'm showing women that they can go on and start a whole new life — perhaps literally — at 48.

At the same time, I know that it's tough for a lot of couples who want to have children and can't. I think the most important thing is that your partner supports you wholeheartedly. You can have a wonderful relationship with children or without, and it makes such a difference when you have a partner who reassures you that they will be by your side no matter what.

And Sergio has done just that. Which, ironically, is one of the many reasons I know he would be a great dad.

“The Real Housewives of Dubai” airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. 

Caroline Stanbury is a star on Bravo's "Real Housewives of Dubai." Rosie Colosi is a parenting reporter for TODAY. 

My child identified as gender-fluid. Then, they didn’t

This is what surprised me about ‘mom friends’ after becoming a parent

I thought my son loved our family trips. Now I see I was just being selfish

How Taiwan won the hearts of my American kids

My on-again, off-again relationship with Mother’s Day

What we don’t talk about when we talk about becoming a mother

I dreaded Mother’s Day after my son died. Then I learned to play again

I loved raising a teenager. But I had no idea it would be so hard when he left

At 57, a bet led to my first tattoo on Mother’s Day

For 23 years, I was Caroline. Here’s why I reclaimed my Chinese birth name.

• My View My View
• Following Following
• Saved Saved

China food security law comes into force, aims for absolute self-sufficiency

• Medium Text

Sign up here.

Reporting by Mei Mei Chu; Editing by Naveen Thukral and Michael Perry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. New Tab , opens new tab

World Chevron

Suspect to face preliminary questioning after assault on Danish PM Frederiksen

Danish police said on Saturday a 39-year-old man would appear in front of a judge for preliminary questioning in relation to an assault on the country's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in central Copenhagen late on Friday.

Advertisement

Supported by

Putin, at Economic Forum, Again Talks About Nuclear War

The Russian leader’s chatter about nuclear weapons has picked up since the U.S. allowed Ukraine to use its conventional weapons against military targets in Russia.

• Share full article

By Neil MacFarquhar

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said on Friday that even the combined arsenals of Europe and the United States would be no match for Russia’s in a nuclear confrontation, but that “I hope this is never going to happen.”

He reasoned that Moscow’s supremacy in the Ukraine war has made that grim scenario unlikely.

“The use is possible in an exceptional case — in the event of a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country,” Mr. Putin told a large audience of the Russian elite and foreign dignitaries gathered for the main session of the four-day St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “I don’t think that such a case has come.”

As Mr. Putin spoke, President Biden was in Europe to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, leading eventually to the defeat of Nazi Germany. The Russian assault on Ukraine meant the stakes were equally high today, Mr. Biden said, suggesting that the voices of the fallen “are summoning us” to defend Western values.

At the annual gathering in St. Petersburg, Mr. Putin invariably presents a long, glowing assessment of Russia’s domestic and foreign affairs, and this year was no exception. The country’s economy was growing despite a battery of Western sanctions, he said, and Russia was fostering an alternative to the American-dominated global financial order as Moscow’s armed forces were prevailing on the battlefield.

“Mr. Putin is a great master at selling optimism, and this is a whole strategy — in Russia today, optimism is the official religion and mandatory state ideology,” said Kirill Rogov, a former Russian government adviser who now leads Re: Russia, a Vienna-based policy research organization. Many of the positive economic indicators are driven by massive government spending on defense industries, he noted.

Given the large foreign presence at the forum, Mr. Putin often uses a more measured tone than when he is addressing a strictly domestic audience. The hawkish moderator, Sergei Karaganov, a prominent political scientist, repeatedly pressed Mr. Putin to agree that the nuclear option was the best way to win the war, that Russia should hold “a nuclear pistol to the temple” of the West.

In 1993, Russia abandoned the Soviet pledge of no first use of nuclear weapons, fearing its weakened military forces could not deter an American attack, however unlikely. While noting that Russia’s nuclear doctrine could change, Mr. Putin swept aside Mr. Karaganov’s remark.

“We don’t have that need,” he said of using nuclear weapons as a last resort to preserve national sovereignty. “Because our armed forces are not just gaining experience, they are increasing their effectiveness.”

Mr. Putin suggested that saber rattling was counterproductive, although Western countries have accused him of doing just that back in 2022, when the tide was running against Russia in the war and again, recently, after the U.S. allowed Ukraine to use American weapons against military targets in Russia. “I would like to ask everyone not to speak of the possibility of using nuclear weapons in vain,” he said.

When Mr. Karaganov asked the president whether a negotiated settlement was possible even with what the moderator called unreliable interlocutors like the West and Ukraine, Mr. Putin quoted Stalin, saying that sometimes there was no alternative. Mr. Putin also repeated the idea that the government of Ukraine was illegitimate because President Volodymyr Zelensky’s five-year term had expired and new elections were postponed amid the war.

Mr. Putin also suggested that any peace treaty would have to be negotiated along the lines of previous agreements in Minsk and Istanbul. Neither of those succeeded in preventing the conflict.

While Mr. Zelensky participated in the D-Day commemoration on Friday, Russia was not invited, despite its instrumental Allied role in World War II. Some Russian commentators took umbrage. Olga Skabeeva, a prominent Russian propagandist on state television, mocked Mr. Biden in a post on the Telegram messaging app, saying that “he went into a trance and contacted the souls of dead World War II veterans.”

Others, however, noted how changes at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum showed just how much Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine war had isolated the country. That has made the Kremlin desperate for any allies, even the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan once ostracized by Moscow as a terrorist organization. China and India, both major purchasers of Russian oil, did not send high-level delegations.

“Once dubbed ‘Russia’s Davos’ and attended by democratically elected presidents and the CEOs of major global corporations, this year’s guest list is looking distinctly more war-crimey,” the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, published outside Russia, wrote in a summary of the events.

One of the few frissons of excitement at the forum this year was the appearance for the first time of both Mr. Putin’s adult daughters on panel discussions, which have always featured a who’s who of the Russian elite.

The two women use different surnames, and the president has repeatedly declined to acknowledge publicly that Maria Vorontsova, 39, and Katerina Tikhonova, 37, were his daughters, even as both took prominent roles at public institutions.

Ms. Tikhonova, who first entered the public limelight years ago through international acrobatic rock 'n' roll dance competitions, spoke remotely to a panel on Thursday about the effort to substitute Russian products for imports, long a pet project for Mr. Putin. Her sister, Ms. Vorontsova, on Friday addressed the use of innovation in biotechnology. Neither was identified as Mr. Putin’s offspring.

Milana Mazaeva and Alina Lobzina contributed reporting.

Neil MacFarquhar has been a Times reporter since 1995, writing about a range of topics from war to politics to the arts, both internationally and in the United States. More about Neil MacFarquhar