Food and foodstuffs make for an immense part of our daily lives. They are consumed, of course, but this is only the tip of the iceberg; food gains a meaning and a significance, as it is cultivated, prepared and celebrated. In particularly, staple foods take on a vital role for a community and thus have a way of constructing their culture. Hence, China, being a vast country divided by a multitude of factors, embodies an interesting field of research: in this country, where staple foods make up for 70% of the average diet (Newman 90), the cultural differences between North and South are considerable. How much of their differences are directly related to their respective staple foods? This essay will attempt to demonstrate the correlation between …show more content…
Being home to tens if not hundreds of cuisines, this gastronomical variation of China is best explained by geographical factors and climate, both which affect cultivation of certain foods and therefore the tastes and image of a region (Newman 88). For this reason, it is important to examine the regional preference in staple foods in China. Simply, this is done by determining the conditions for rice as a crop. The success rate of cultivation of rice is dependent on two essential climatic factors: temperature and precipitation. Consequently, the South of China has an ideal climate; it is known for both consistent high temperature and steady rainfall (Tang, Ding, and Bonjean 16-19). Furthermore, the prevalence of water bodies, such as China's biggest river, the Yangzi, is of great aid in the rice paddy irrigation process. Conversely, the Northern provinces of China are characterised by their cold, arid plains, and are thus naturally unsuitable for rice cultivation (Gunde 2, 116). Engaging in rice cultivation in the North, without modern technology, would infallibly result in a subpar yield, unable to sustain a population. Wheat crops, on the other hand, are more resistant to temperature swings and ask for a much smaller water supply, making wheat cultivation the obvious choice for Northern …show more content…
Does the staple food correlation exist in regions and cities that have moved beyond the point of agriculture, whether this is on a scale of time or regional development. Firstly, before answering this question it is important to note that according to the Worldbank statistics, until the year 2010, the largest part of the Chinese population still lived in rural communities. This would mean that most Chinese would be close to the source of their staple foods and therefore most likely to be influenced by the before mentioned cultural factors. Nevertheless, the urbanised population of China does not seem to be excluded from this phenomenon. For example, rice culture allegedly transcends the actual cultivation of rice, being inherent to all of people in the Southern Chinese regions (Talhelm et al.). By conducting tests in a few of China's largest cities, i.e. Beijing in the North, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong in the South, Thomas Talhelm achieved results that are similar to those conducted in rural areas, even though the test subjects might not have been close to a rice paddy in generations. His results showed that Beijing is most individualistic, followed by Shanghai and placing Hong Kong as least individualistic, running from
In “Called Home”, the first chapter of the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year in Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver presents her concerns about America's lack of food knowledge, sustainable practices, and food culture. Kingsolver introduces her argument for the benefits of adopting a local food culture by using statistics, witty anecdotal evidence, and logic to appeal to a wide casual reading audience. Her friendly tone and trenchant criticism of America's current food practices combine to deliver a convincing argument that a food culture would improve conditions concerning health and sustainability. I agree with Kingsolver that knowing the origin of food is an important and healthy benefit of developing a true food culture, but it is impractical to maintain that everyone is able to buy more expensive food. Kingsolver presents a compelling argument for developing a food culture, however this lifestyle change may not be practical or even possible for a poverty-level citizen. The following essay will summarize and respond to Kingsolver’s argument to demonstrate how “Called Home” is a model for novice social scientists.
The author chose to conduct this research to explore the comparison between Szechuan and Cantonese food and the extent of its popularity within UK. To enable the research to be conducted in a smaller margin, the students of University of West London are selected as the focused target of research. As observed in the European culture, Chinese food is considered a treat for special occasions as selected restaurant stands equal with high-end restaurants that are serving western cuisine as shown in TopTable (2014). According to Mail Online (2010), it is found that 39 per cent of the population preferred Oriental flavours, such as sweet and sour and chow mein to Indian sauces such as tikka masala.
“Hungry for Change” is an eye opening documentary made to explore the role that food plays in peoples’ lives. The experts, ranging from authors to medical doctors, address a variety of claims through testimonials, experiments, and statistical evidence. They not only state the flaws in this generation’s diet but also logically explain the reasons behind the downfall in peoples’ diet and offer better ways to approach our health.
In Southern China, the Yangzi River provides transportation and irrigation throughout China. The Yangzi River, also referred to as “China’s blessing,” rarely floods and creates a warm, long growing season. The land around the river is lush and ideal conditions to grow vegetables, fruits, and grains. In contrast, the Yellow River of the North is essentially opposite. The river is often referred to as “China’s sorrow.” The weather is cold and dry and it leads to harsh seasons with drought, flooding, and frost.
Unlike Japan, there are many similarities between Canada’s food guide and India’s, even though there are distinctive variations in cultures. In the contrary, there are a few differences between the food ate mainly because of religious teachings.
Geography has greatly influenced China’s development as a civilization in a numerous amount of ways-positively and negatively. The three main influences of geography in China’s civilization is its arable land, the geographic features, and the civil engineering projects. The arable land, which is mostly in the eastern region, is useful for farming. Farming is essential because it provides food for the crowded population like potatoes, corn, rice, and other vegetables of various types. Its geographic features that are found on China’s borders like mountains, deserts, and plateaus isolated China from other early civilizations because it was harder to travel. The geographic features make it difficult for trading and sharing ideas. The civil engineering
The United States is often referred to as a melting pot since it is made up of people from different cultures. Individuals might differ in their skin color, ethnicity, and beliefs, but we are united by various factors, including food. With immigrants coming to the United States from all over the world, Americans are exposed to new cuisines. As these cuisines spread across the country becoming more and more popular, Americans develop a strong liking towards them, which affects the growth of the economy. For example, the increased number of Asian immigrants exposes more Americans to various Asian cuisines and causes the number of Asian restaurants to “[mushroom] and the variety of cuisines [to multiply]” (Yang 169). The proliferation of ethnic restaurants has flourished the economy, and Chinese restaurants alone produce “$17 billion in annual sales” (Yang 170). But the introduction of new cultures and cuisines transforms the unhealthy American lifestyle into a nutritious one. Since countries around the world have healthier staple foods and rely on “grains, vegetables, and fruits rather than meat and dairy products,” they have decreased rates of health implications like obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, which are all prevalent in America (Yang 170). When more Americans make the
After potatoes were widely spread through Europe and Africa, they were introduced into East Asia. Following its introduction into China at the end of Ming Dynasty, potatoes became one of the most popular crops in the country. Ironically, despite of the distance of South America and North America, North...
Fei, Xiaotong. From the Soil: The Foundations of Chinese Society. Berkeley: Univ. of California, 1992. Print.
As previously mentioned, food was traditionally considered as a mere means of subsistence, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries. The early history of food involved its use to define shared identities and reflected religious and group customs. Furthermore, food was filled with psychological, cultural, religious, and emotional significance. During this period, a unique court tradition of cuisine and sophisticated table manners emerged to distinguish the social elite from the ordinary people. However, during the 19th century, the history of food slightly changed as it became a defining symbol of national identity. This period was characterized by the association of several dishes to particular countries and cultures (Mintz, par 1). For instance, American hamburger and tomato-based Italian spaghetti are cultural foods that were in...
Morris, D., 2009. Feeding China. In: T. O. University, ed. U116 Environment: journeys through a changing world, Block 5, 'Changing China'. Milton Keynes: The Open University.
Arguably some of China’s most important Geographic sights were the two rivers the Yellow river in the north and the Yangtze river in the south. The Yellow River, mostly referred to as “the cradle of Chinese civilization” or “the Huang He River” stretches 3,395 miles long making this river the sixth longest river in the world. The Yangzte River, just South of the Yellow river stretches an impressive 3,988 miles making it the third longest river in the world. Just like the Yellow River the Yangtze River Flows in the same direction [west to east] and played an important part in the rise of ancient China. Many farmers who lived by the river took advantage of the rainy weather and warm climate by using it to grow rice. Later on this land became
Hoobler, Dorothy, Thomas Hoobler, and Michael Kort, comps. China: Regional Studies Series. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Globe Fearon, 1993. 174-177.
Food matters. Nevertheless, food safety in China is worse than what you thought; you can never imagine how toxic it is. Although there are variety choices of restaurant for us to eat nowadays, many people still choose to eat at home. Not only to save money, but also be sensible for their own health. Think about our situation now, we can constantly buy meats that we think is fresh and yummy, but who knows if it’s healthy and safe? Is it truly what you want? What materials will the restaurant serves you? Food safety affects people a lot. Nowadays, especially in China, many citizens are already despair in this affair. Food safety is one of the most principal issues to the entire world; as one of the most important feature in everybody’s life,
Globalization has influenced almost each aspect of life in almost every nation. From economic to social to culture, this widespread exchange of goods, services and ideas have affected changes around the world. Even though the cultural influence in globalization is of slight significance to policy makers, its power has tremendous consequences to the nations involved and its people. Food is the oldest global carrier of culture.” Any changes in the foods that we eat, in its preparation, the way it is served and consumed diminishes the traditional beliefs of the people.