Comparing between Saudi Arabia's Culture and China's Culture - Report Example

Comparing Between Saudi Arabias Culture and Chinas Culture I. Introduction “Culture is essential for the existence ofa society, because it binds people together” (Kartha). A society cannot make its foundations strong without a strong culture and no culture can survive without the presence of a large group of people observing the customs and traditions of that culture. People living in any society share a language, set of traditions, and beliefs to form a unique culture (Kartha). Some core aspects of culture, which differentiate one culture from another, include music, art, clothing, food, education, and language. In this paper, we will compare the food aspect of Saudi Arabian and Chinese cultures. Cultures of all countries have some similarities and differences between them with respect to the main aspects of culture. II. Body There exist some similarities flanked by Saudi Arabian and Chinese cultures from the aspect of food. People of both countries are fond of fast food. It is a fact that people of both Saudi Arabia and China are fond of eating fast food. There are many chains of fast-food companies operating in both countries, which reveal the success of fast food in these countries. Rice is one of the main foods in both countries. People of both Saudi Arabia and China like to eat rice. Rice is considered a staple for the two countries with individuals in Saudi Arabia utilizing rice, in various religious functions. Saudi Arabian is a Muslim nation, and as evident, Muslims utilize rice in various religious functions for instance, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Saudi Arabians have passed on rice eating through the years from the earliest generations making it an imperative food for the Arabian society. Over the years, rice has continued to serve as their staple food, in addition, to other foods such as chicken and fava beans. In china, people consume rice with vegetables. Use of vegetables, noodles, fish, rice, and small quantity of meat is common in China. China offers rice in the majority of its cuisine, although they utilize numerous ingredients that offer their rice diversity. In order to supplement the point on utilization of rice as the staple food for the Chinese people, China is the prime producer of rice, since the ancient time. Similarly, people of Saudi Arabia also like to eat fish and rice in lunches and dinners. “Fresh fish has long been a leading staple along the Red Sea and Gulf coasts” (Long 49). Although there are some similarities in the food aspect of Saudi Arabian and Chinese cultures, but there also exist key differences between the foods of both countries. There exist differences between the foods of Saudi Arabian and Chinese cultures with respect to meat type and the way of cooking.  The main disparity between Saudi Arabian and Chinese foods is the type of meat they use for cooking. In China, people are fond of consuming meat from chicken, snakes, frogs, and even cats. However, these are not the mostly consumed meat within the Chinese culture. The most regular meat is pork and chicken, although they are consumed sparingly. In contrast, Saudi people consume different types of meat. Saudi people like to eat the meat of camel, sheep, goat, and chicken. Unlike the Chinese, Saudi Arabians consider pork meat unfit for consumption since the residents of that country are Muslims. According to Long, Saudi people categorize food as lawful or unlawful, or as pure or impure in accordance with the teachings of Islam (47). The technique of cooking food also reveals the disparity between the taste of Saudi and Chinese people. In view of the way of cooking, differences emerge in the preparation of the staple food for both cultures. Chinese people prefer to eat boiled vegetables and rice. The vegetables are deemed central to the dishes prepared within the Chinese culture. They do not cook their food for a long time. In China, rice may be eaten with bread and is usually prepared through various methods such as boiling or steaming. The Chinese people make efforts to balance all aspects of the food that they eat in terms of color, texture and taste. They utilize diverse ingredients for their foods thus offering certain tastes and aromas that are considered essential in their culture. The rice consumed with seasoned dishes, in addition, to other food types that are utilized in providing diversity with regard to nutrients. On the other hand, Saudi people prefer to eat roasted or highly cooked food. The Saudis cook rice in different ways and utilize meat or other food that contain proteins for these preparations. Meat is the commonest combination of rice and can be carried out using dissimilar methods as provided by the culture. However, milk may also be employed in the preparations. In this case, rice is first boiled in meat soup after which the rice is boiled again although the component utilized in the second boiling is milk. Although globalization is bringing the food cultures of China and Saudi Arabia close to each other, but there exist some differences, such as, the type of meat and the way of cooking, which seem to remain forever. The differences in the cooking methods cannot be transformed any further, considering that the culture foundation is exceptionally different, with the religions playing chief role in the differences in the meat types that the two cultures utilize. The Muslim religion opposition of pork and its products serves as the greatest drawback towards fusion of the tow cultures in the globalized world. Similarly, the preferences in the manner in which food is prepared in the two cultures ought to prevent bringing together of the two cultures, since these preferences are of the essence for the two cultures. III. Conclusion Culture is of critical importance for the people of any country. If we talk about the cultures of Saudi Arabia and China, we come to know that although there are many differences between the cultures of these countries, but there also exist some similarities between them. Food is one of those aspects of Saudi Arabian and China’s cultures that have similarities, in addition, to several differences. The manner in which foods are prepared in the two cultures and the meat types consumed by the populaces in the two cultures are the most distinct elements that cause disparities. Therefore, we can say that cultures of all countries have both similarities and differences with respect to the main aspects of culture. Nevertheless, it can be considered that all cultures bear certain elements that cause uniqueness, in comparison to cultures from other countries. Populaces within different cultures ought to embrace their cultures, despite the disparities that exist within other cultures. Additionally, they ought to identify the uniqueness of their cultures and maintain them for diversity. Works Cited Kartha, Deepa. “What is Culture.” Buzzle.com, 26 Sep. 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Long, David. Culture and Customs of Saudi Arabia. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005. Print. Read More