Chinese Diet Culture

Ka Yan Chan

Karen Henderson

Writing095-4

October 11, 2015        

Chinese Diet Culture

        As the saying goes, “hunger breeds discontentment”; the basic elements of our existence are obtained from food. All the creatures of the earth rely on food to provide energy and get the nutrition to sustain their lives. Chinese food’s culture has a history of thousands of years and can be regarded as a traditional culture. China has eight cuisines, so there are many choices of what to eat. There are a lot of cultures about food, and food is very important in Chinese culture.

Foreigners prefer spice over diet, but the Chinese people are more focused on diet. Is there anything in this world bigger than the sky? The answer is yes. Chinese people think that no matter what happens, eating is the solution. This concept is ingrained in modern Chinese, for millions of years ago our ancestors passed down the diet culture.

As early as three thousand years ago, the Emperor used a cooking vessel with two looped handles and three or four legs as a symbol of state power. Two thousand years ago, there was a person called Kong Zi, the saint of China. “Be very fussy about food” was his mantra. Major diet-related have occurred in past dynasties, such as the Han Dynasty’s Banquet, the Song Dynasty’s deprived their military leadership with just a cup of wine. Some literati also added fuel to the flames, creating many culture and diet related words and poetry.

Diet – it is also called eating. In the view of the Chinese, food is the source of life. Therefore, to give people food and invite a person to dinner is a very solemn matter; to accept others’ food is by a lot of grace and must be rewarded. This is the basic principle of eating culture in China. However, with the passing of time and the increasing of money available to people, inviting someone to eat has become more and more popular, and the basic principle of eating culture has gradually become a legitimate reason for the Chinese people to invite someone to eat. We are also getting accustomed to a new generation of eating culture. For holidays, weddings, funerals and birthdays, who does not ask to go out to eat? If someone gets promoted, wages are raised, he or she moves to a new home or goes out of the country, his or her friends and family will also ask for him or her to buy a dinner. Someone comes who needs a welcome; someone leaves who needs a farewell; something happens to get people together; nothing happens also to go out to eat with friends. Probably Chinese people are the most likely to invite someone to eat as any nation in the world.

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