英语毕业论文-论中西饮食文化差异

On Differences Between Chinese and Western Dietary Cultures

Abstract

Diet is absolutely necessary in the life of mankind, and even in the existence or development. Because of the differences between Chinese and western cultural traditions, the Chinese and western dietary cultures are different in concept, target, pattern, attribution and nature. We study these differences and then find out the points that can be digested, in order to facilitate the communication about cultures between China and the west. Taiwan Professor Zhang Qijun said, “The old saying, 'Eat, drink, man, woman who wishes greatly'. For such a standard fair, western culture (in particular, modern American culture) can be said to be male and female culture. But the Chinese culture can be said to be a dietary culture. "As the reason of the cultural traditions, the western lives tend to men and women, but because of the narrow gender relations, Chinese people are dumping guidance on life in the restaurants. Thus the diet is rich in culture. Food culture in the west is not developed enough, but this underdevelopment itself is the result of the development of a culture, so it is still significant to study the dietary cultures of Chinese and Western diet. By the analysis of the differences between Chinese and western dietary cultures, we can comprehend the respective cultural traditions of China and the west. And we can also improve and create the culture of China.

Key Words

dietary culture; cultural tradition; differences

摘 要

饮食是人类生活、生存与发展的必需，可是由于中西方文化传统的差异，导致了中西方饮食文化在观念、对象、方式、归属与性质方面产生了差异，研究这些差异，找出可以融会贯通的地方，促进中西文化交流。台湾张起钧教授说过“古语说‘饮食男女人之大欲存焉’。就这样的标准而论，西方文化（特别是近代美国式的文化）可说是男女文化，而中国可说是一种饮食文化。”由于文化传统的缘故，西方人的人生倾向男女关系，而中国人由于对男女关系的褊狭，把人生精力倾泄导向于饮食。由此赋予饮食以丰富的文化内涵，虽然饮食文化在西方不够发达，但这种不发达本身也是一种文化发展的结果，所以对中西饮食文化的比较仍有意义。通过对中西饮食文化差异的分析，我们可以了解中西方各自的文化传统；同时能对中国文化进行改善与创新。

关键词

饮食文化;文化传统;差异

Introduction

Once there is a saying that "Food is eating well-deserved for human life”, so food is an indispensable condition for the survival and development of human beings. There are two desires in life: one is feasting them to survive; and another is the lust of men and women, which can help the mankind to carry on the family line. Facing the two desires, China pays more attention to the former, while the west tends to the latter. Such phenomenon affects the cultural trend. Diet is actually the contents of our daily lives, but why we call it culture? That is because the diet has special status in the Chinese culture, and it also has a great distinction between China and the west.

As one of the world ancient nations, China’s diet has a history almost as long as that of Chinese civilization. But in western countries, ancient thinkers devoted less attention to the food problem than the Chinese philosophers did, and there is even not aware of it to the "heaven" degree. With the opposite, they recognized and interpreted the world in the perspective of the lust or love of men and women more. Whether the awareness of original sin of Christianity, Adam and Eve legend, or ancient Greek philosophy (such as Plato's dialogue) who considered the personal relationships “love” as the love of ontology of beauty, and regarded it as a reality thinking of philosophy, all these ideas become the basis of western philosophers’ cultural thoughts. All these had potential effects on the development of western culture and westerners’ characters.

Receiving the influence of respective cultural tradition, the Chinese and western dietary culture has had different characteristic. The differences in concepts, targets, patterns, attribution and nature had reflected the different dietary culture in the different state characteristic; such characteristic has enriched the research value of dietary culture. Studying these cultural differences, we can find out a joint enhancing the communication between China and the west through a comprehensive study of the subject. It may be a great help to the communication of the Chinese and western cultures.

I. Differences in Concepts

First, the Chinese and western diet have the differences that cannot be ignored in concepts. Nobody will deny that the Western diet is a rational concept, regardless of the color of food, incense, flavor and shape, but nutrition must be assured. It cares about the intake of calories, vitamins, protein and so on during a day. Comparing with the Chinese diet, western diet tastes stereotyped, as simple as chewing the candle, but the sense tells them: We must eat them all because of the nutrition. And then they put it bluntly, just like refueling machine.

The concept of western diet is compatible with the whole western philosophy. Metaphysics is the main feature of western philosophy. Such kind of philosophy brings vitality to western culture, so the natural sciences, psychology and methodology achieve a rapid development. In some other aspects, such philosophy proposition is a significantly obstacle, such as the dietary culture, which is the inevitable thing to drop behind, and just the metaphysics of methodology marks everywhere. In celebration, it stresses tableware, stresses the staple, stresses the servings, and stresses the color and shape mix of raw materials. But no matter how luxurious the grade is; from Los Angeles to New York, only one taste of steak, it is no art to speak of. And as dishes, the chicken is chicken; steak is steak, even in groups, which are also conducted …… 此处隐藏：24538字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……