Chinese Food Culture

Chinese food is one of the most popular dishes in the world. In almost every major city in every country, you will find a Chinatown. And Chinatown has a dazzling array of Chinese restaurants of all kinds. It is precisely because of the variety of dishes that Chinese food is a particularly hot topic to discuss. Chinese cuisine is a reflection of Chinese culture. Unlike the cultures of many other countries, food is an important part of Chinese people's daily life. The Chinese not only love to eat, but believe that eating good food can bring harmony and intimacy to family and relationships. Buying fresh food every day is essential to all Chinese cooking. Here is a link that you can know more about Chinese food culture. https://www.chinadiscovery.com/chinese-food/food-culture.html The Chinese believe in the principle that "food is the paramount necessity of the people". Just like the British will talk about the weather when they say hello, while the Chinese like to say "Have you eaten?” to instead of “ How do you do?”. Personally, I think chopsticks can be counted as a special symbol in this culture. Chopsticks are the most commonly used tools for Chinese people to eat, and this tool is completely different from the knives and forks used by most Western countries. It is composed of two wooden sticks or bamboo sticks. Of course, many modern chopsticks are made of steel, but most Chinese people are more accustomed to using wooden chopsticks handed down from ancient times. According to literature records and archaeological research, in the pre-Qin period, people used their hands to put rice into their mouths, but the food was grilled, and the cooked food was hot, so they could not be grasped directly. Hence, they used bamboo, wood and other branches to hold the food, chopsticks have become the main tool for eating. This link tells the history of chopsticks in detail. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-history-of-chopsticks-64935342/

I think the most interesting part of Chinese food culture is that Chinese food has eight major cuisines. It is because China has a vast territory, the soil suitable for growing vegetables and fruits in each region is different. The link has a more specific demonstration of the relationship of location and food in China. https://www.socialstudies.org/system/files/publications/articles/se_740117.pdf Therefore, according to the different environments and products of each region, Chinese cuisine has derived eight major cuisines. They are Cantonese cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Anhui cuisine, Shandong cuisine and Fujian cuisine respectively. The Cantonese and Fujian regions are coastal, so there will be seafood in their signature dishes. Jiangsu, Hunan, Zhejiang and Anhui regions are in the south of China, where the plains are suitable for growing rice. Therefore, the staple food of southern Chinese people is rice, and the dishes are relatively light. By contrast, Shandong is in the northern part of China where their staple food is noodles. Sichuan Province is a basin, so the weather in Sichuan is humid. Therefore, they like to eat spicy food to dehumidify, that’s why Sichuan cuisine are famous for its spiciness. Here is a link that tell you more about Chinese eight major cuisines. https://nerdyfoodies.com/facts-about-chinese-food-culture-3230.html

There is video about Chinese Food Culture and History.