The Cultural Foods Values of the US and China Reflected in the Two Capitals - Coursework Example

The Cultural Foods Values Of the US And China Reflected in the Two Capitals The Cultural Foods Values Of the US And China Reflected in the Two Capitals The significance of food in Beijing and Washington Beijing No other culture is as food-conscious as that of the Chinese. This factor is amply reflected in the capital city of Beijing. The following are the key aspects of the food culture of the historic city of Beijing. The ingredients of Chinese food is chosen as well as prepared in their own unique way. The utensils used to cook and to serve are important. Dishes are displayed as well as consumed in a particular way. The Chinese food culture denotes that those properties that are inherent in the dishes are more significant than the nutrients they contain. Food in Beijing is also used as delineation of the Chinese cultural identity from all other cultural identities. It also remains a ritual, medicine, means of interaction and curiously an overture as well as finale to the act of coitus (Shek, 2005). To the Chinese, food also has sexual connotations. According to Gaozi, the venerable ancient Chinese philosopher, the appetite for food as also sex is fundamental to all too human nature. More than all other forms of life, consumption of food and sexual activity remain the twin basic activities of human beings. On a higher level, the quest for food and sex often transcends man’s mere survival or even sustenance, but seek artistic satisfaction and unadulterated sensual delight. As Richard Shek of California State University, Sacramento and an authority on Chinese culture, aptly puts it “In fact, one may be tempted to conclude that the more variations and creativity in food preparation and consumption, as well as in sexual gratification, the more sophisticated and advanced the humans are” (Shek, 2005). This makes Beijing food culture highly sophisticated and indeed, every advanced food culture is given rise to by some highly sophisticated people (Chang & Pengtiao, 1979). The Chinese following their spiritual teachings are always careful to balance in the ways of yin, meaning cool and yang, meaning hot. This philosophy makes the Chinese strive for a balance in their daily lives and that goes for the foods they consume also. So, at the time of preparing their meals, they might seek to find a balance through many ways. Chinese food should have five qualities viz., se or colour, Xing or appearance, xiang or aroma, wei or taste and chu or touch. The finished food should be a harmonious blend of natural/transformed colours of all seasonings, garnishing and ingredients and must have an attractive appearance as seen in the way the meat/vegetables are cut as well as arranged in the utensils. The food should have an aroma and should be not only appetizing but have a pleasing look as well. Finally, the touch-sensation as such food makes its entry into the eager mouth ought to conform to the level of crispness, tenderness and chewiness. Washington The Washington food culture is wholly at variance with that of the Chinese. Being the capital of the U.S and the famed centre of international power, Washington shares the food culture of not USA alone. Instead the food culture in this capital city is indeed a curious potpourri of numerous culinary styles due to the presence of its diverse ethnical groups from all around the world and as such boast a multitude of eateries and restaurants as well as many other food avenues. This is partly owing to the city’s various foreign embassies and so is counted as an international city. This is a boon for connoisseurs of cooking, as they can find an astonishingly wide choice of ethnic cuisine without much effort. In fact people from, all parts of the planet have made Washington and its suburbs their home, bringing along with them all their vast culinary styles and tastes (Guide, 2012). According to Professor Emeritus John Ikerd of the Missouri University, “Eating makes a social statement – we eat with our family and our friends. Eating makes a political statement – what we eat affects what other people will and won’t have to eat. Eating makes a moral statement – what we eat affects how the earth is treated, and thus, reflects our personal ethics” (Ikerd, 2005). This signifies that to Washingtonians, whether they are aware of it or not, eating reflects one’s character. Most Americans would like the food they consume to be convenient, quick as well as inexpensive whether they purchase it from a supermarket or the local fast-food eatery. This is because; the denizens of Washington would like everything to be fast as also easy, needing a minimum of either personal or economic sacrifice. Another thing that the people of the American capital values is their food looking good and so they tend to go for foods of the kind and many of them are ready to pay high prices just to make their food look good and that is the reason why they eat food prepared and served in very expensive restaurants. To put it briefly, those characteristics that make up Washington’s dominant food culture seems to be cost, appearance and convenience (Ibid). Types of food Beijing Most of the kind of foods that they eat in Beijing can be quite unfamiliar to North Americans. Like the rest of the Chinese, denizens of the capital city eat seaweed, frogs, snakes, shark fins and even cat and dog meat are eaten there. The staple food of China remains rice. It can be served for any meal, so it is eaten many times every day. The other traditional foods are cabbage, scallions, bean sprouts, ginger-root so on and so forth. Tofu, a curd derived from soybean is a major source of protein in the Chinese diet. Generally, the Chinese do not consume much meat, as vegetables play a key role in their cooking. But when they do, they favour chicken and pork. The food is prepared in more than 25 ways (Chang & Pengtiao, 1979), ranging from the conventional deep-fry, stir-fry, roast, steam, stew, braise, poach to the non-traditional hot gravel in syrups to stir-cook foods like chestnuts. The four key regional kinds of Chinese cuisine are prevalent in Beijing as the city is a microcosm of people who hail from all parts of China. They are: Cantonese cooking: This type of cooking as the name implies come from the province of Canton. Dishes prepared according to this cooking include rice as well as softly seasoned stir-fried ones. Egg rolls, wonton soup, sweet and sour pork are typical Cantonese dishes and they are by the way most popular in the U.S as most of the Chinese immigrants to America hailed from the region. Mandarin cuisine: Dishes made according to this cooking are made of wheat flour in the form of dumplings, pancakes and noodles. Peking duck is the most famous of all Mandarin dishes. It is made with roast duck and crispy duck skin strips wrapped in very thin pancakes. Traditionally, the Beijing’s prefers Mandarin cooking. Shanghai cooking: Features seafood in strong-flavored sauces. Szechuan cooking: Features hot, spicy dishes with garlic, onions, peppers and leeks. As with all Chinese tea is the preferred beverage offered during most meals in Beijing. The favoured types of tea are black, green as also oolong. Usually, they are drunk plain sans milk or sugar in teacups without handles or saucers. Types of food Washington Seafood and fruits like cherries and apples remain the strongest favourites of Washingtonians with whom the common factor is simplicity. For instance, scallops are sautéed in butter as also seasoned with a pinch of pepper and salt. Fresh fishes like salmon are baked and with a simple sauce. This can include Asian seasonings also like garlic and ginger with a little sugar to impart an even brown glaze to the whole thing. Stir-fries with soy sauce, garlic as well as Asian vegetables like bok choy are also very common. Halibut, marinated in soy, garlic and then baked or barbecued is also extremely popular. Fish is prepared in garlic, and added with chilli with onion and mild chilli peppers. In Washington fish chillies, white or pinto beans are preferred to kidney beans. Locally available razor clams are very popular too as they are chewier and larger than ordinary clams, and these are usually coated with cracker, cornmeal or egg and deep-fried to make a snack or appetizer. Other sorts of clams are also used to prepare milk-potato chowders as well as pan-fried breadcrumb and egg clam cakes fried in pans. Other types of food prevailing in Washington are hot dogs topped with cream cheese, mustard, sweet onion and sauerkraut at times. Mushrooms are used to top steaks or hamburgers or sautéed with bacon before serving on toast. Also popular are fresh salads with fruit, cheese, fresh greens and nuts. So also are Sourdough bread, as pancakes, rolls and bread. Dessert is more traditional in simple treats like pies made of cherries, apples, and rhubarb. Washington State has a flourishing microbreweries and growing wine industry, and as such both are common Washingtonian beverages. Chinese eating habits In China all dishes are kept on the dining table with everybody sharing them. If you happen to be a guest, prepare yourself to consume a lot of food. Being proud of their culture, Chinese do all they can to provide you with various kinds of cuisine with diverse tastes. While with friends, food is ordered in a way there is enough food all present. If a Chinese is taking someone out for dinner and their relationship is either polite to even semi-polite, they generally order one more dish than the total number of guests. If it happens to be a formal or business dinner, then a considerable amount of food will be ordered that is not possible to consume by the people concerned. A typical Chinese meal begins with some type of cold dish such as boiled peanuts or smashed cucumber in garlic. Then comes the main courses comprising of hot meat as well as vegetable dishes. The final dish is soup, followed by “staple food” which is quite starchy, usually in the form of noodles, rice or even dumplings. Most Chinese consume dishes made of rice last like noodles. If by any chance, a member prefers to eat rice along with other types of dishes, he or she should inform the same early on. If engaged in eating with a Chinese host, the host serves food in the guest’s plate or bowl with his own chopsticks; it is an indication of extreme politeness shown to the guest. The proper thing to do at such a time is to eat whatever is served in this manner and exclaim just how tasty it really is (Baldwin, 2011). Alcohol pays a key role in the eating mores of Beijing, particularly while dining as a guest of the Chinese hosts. At such times beer flows profusely with many exclamations of Gan Bei or ‘dry the glass.’ Apart from beer, the formal Chinese drink is bai jiu, which is high-proof native liquor, distilled from diverse grains. Bai jiu is of different degrees, some of which are very good. Beijing’s favourite is Er Guo Tou, which has an incredible 56 per cent alcohol. Mao-tai and Wuliangye are an expensive, but less formidable drink which can cost as much as 300 to 400 Yuan per bottle, while Er Guo Tou can be bought at a very low 4 to 5 Yuan per bottle. If a guest does not drink, he just says “I dont drink” and he is exempted from drinking and can ask for a tea or Coke as a generally acceptable alcohol substitute. Washington eating habits Like all Americans Washingtonians have a tendency to consume a full meal at breakfast if they bother to have eat breakfast at all. For the day’s first meal, they usually go for sweet foods such as pancakes, cereals, and also to pair the same with eggs/meats in the form of sausage or bacon. They mostly have a very light lunch, something in the nature of a smaller version of dinner or more often than not a soup, yogurt, noodles, fruit or some leftovers. Dinner is had very early as compared to many other nations, and is usually between 6 and 7 pm. As the largest meal of the day, it usually includes meat, a carb such as bread or potatoes and at least a vegetable like broccoli, peas, or corn. Many drink soft drinks with dinner, although parents insist that the children drink milk. They tend to drink beverages in rather large quantities and can easily drink 2 to 3, 22oz cups of water, sod, milk or juice during meals. While in restaurants these drinks can contain a large volume of ice. Reference: Baldwin, T. (2011). 5 Chinese eating habits explained. 31 January, 2011. [Online]. Retrieved on May 7, 2012 from http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/eat/5-chinese-eating-habits-explained-311204. Chang, C. & Pengtiao, Y. (1979). The Good Arts Theory and Culture of Cooking. Taipei: New World Press. Ikerd, J. (2005). The New American Food Culture. n.d., [Online]. Retrieved on May 8, 2012 from http://www.kerrcenter.com/nwsltr/2005/spring2005/food_culture.htm. Neas, L. M. R. (2011), Food as Culture: A Lesson on American Tastes, July 16, 2011 [Online]. Retrieved on May 7, 2012 from http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/121534.aspx Shek, R. (2005). Food in Chinese Culture. Paper delivered at the 2005 Sinology Conference, held at California State University, Sacramento. February 17-18, 2005. Retrieved on May 7, 2012. From http://csuspress.lib.csus.edu/sinology/content/shek_richard.html Read More