Chinese Food Vs American Food Essay

A Pizza Piece on Fried Rice

A defining trait of every country, whether it be Italy or India, is the type of cuisine that they serve. One of the best ways to gain an understanding of a country’s culture is through their food. While some people would deem other aspects of a culture as more important, it is a feature easiest to explain and relate to. A distinguishing fact is that food is both physical and mental in that its creation takes dedication and effort; food is able to create emotions given the proper setting. As cooking traditions evolved throughout the years, to fit people’s ever changing tastes, so does the culture. They are parallel to each other in that as one aspect of culture changes, so does the food and vice versa. Two of the most popular types of foods in society today are American food, and Chinese food. The typical features of how food is prepared and made, the tastes preferred, the utensils, and the beliefs about the food's properties are all reflections of the American and Chinese cultures.

American cuisine is notorious for their deep fried, or meaty, superfluous amount of food that comes on disproportional sized plates.

Most American food is fried, or otherwise containing a high percentage of oil or grease. For example, hamburgers, steaks, bacon, and fried chicken are common staple diets of average American citizens. As Americans tend to dine out more than the Chinese do, their daily food intake and preparations are at the mercy of fast food chains and restaurants. This large eating habit is consequence of the history of America. America was founded in a time of plenty, which still lives on today. There were no food shortages or famines, so Americans never truly had to dwell on the hardships. This has created the current culture of what their food is today, a reflection of the prosperity they experienced, and which continues to

remain.
In contrast, the Chinese have had a very opposite set of diets. For instance, there is a smaller presence of fried foods and meaty products. The authentic Chinese style of cooking usually involves steaming, or stir frying, their meals, reducing the fatty content in their dishes. Also, the Chinese place a smaller emphasis on using red meat as an ingredient. Instead, they much prefer using fish or tofu, which provides the proteins required by the body, along with additional benefits. Fish contains a lower content of saturated fat, and is instead, rich in essential fatty acids that aid the brain in its functions. Tofu is cholesterol and fat free and contains a high calcium content. Such distinctions between the uses of different ingredients is influenced by history. The Chinese had several difficult times when food was scarce. Meat was not as readily available as it is today and they were forced to forge new protein sources.
As Americans have a tendency to prefer meat and sweets in their daily diets, the taste of of these two provisions are very much a necessity as well as a requirement. Americans derive its function and success from two things: sweets and a meaty umami taste. Sweets are in almost every staple diet of the average American, leading from cookies, to ice creams, to sodas, along with other varieties of, but not limited to, desserts, drinks and, on occasions, soups.
The Chinese preferences are a bit more complex. Their dishes serve a variety of spices and herbs that offer tastes of spiciness, saltiness, sweetness, and more often than not, bitterness. Chinese cuisine does not center very much on meaty or sweet products. Main courses usually contain the taste of the raw ingredients used, such as fish, vegetables, or preserved products, (which is usually salty, as salt is a natural preserver).
American food is usually served on large plates, with spoons and forks to match. Occasions such as Thanksgiving, a time when large proportions of food are served, don’t stray far from the norm. Obesity is a problem in America, affecting approximately one-third of the nation, which results from having Thanksgiving sized meals, along with the combination of unhealthy fats, contributing to the problems in society.
On the contrary, the Chinese meal proportions are sized to feed the number of people precisely. The habit of having an excessive amount of food is not practiced in their tradition. The concept of frugality is highly emphasized, as overindulgence could almost be taken as a sin. This frugality and balance of food is primarily health based, some in part due to China's past of poverty with food resources. However, on special occasions, the Chinese do share a commonality with the Americans in terms of excess. Events such as Chinese New Year holds a great meaning and requires a grand celebration to be taken place. Meals rivaling the extravagance of Thanksgiving dinners are held once a year where all thoughts of frugality are put aside.
Finally, the average American eating habits and why they eat can be explained by their need to satisfy a primordial need to eat. Their large surplus of food and their addiction to sweets are all a way of trying to fulfill what evolution has woven tightly into their genes, to eat, and in large amounts due to the rare commodity that took place during the cavemen era.
Nevertheless, the Chinese way of eating is characterized by their predisposed beliefs about food, actively affecting the way in which food is prepared and taken in. The overriding idea about food, with obvious, and scientific fact, is that the type and quantity of food one takes is closely related to one's health. Food, therefore, can also be defined as medicine. Diets viewed as a disease remedy, or cure, is certainly as Western as it is Chinese. The usual examples of Western food diets are shown in the recent organic food craze. However, the Chinese is distinctive in its underlying principles. In the Chinese’s view, they follow the basic yin-yang principles to seek a natural state of equilibrium in the body. Many traditional foods are categorized into those that occupy the yin quality and those that possess the yang quality. The ultimate goal is to balance both the yin and yang in the body through food intake. A surplus of either yin or yang in the body is believed to cause diseases.
Food is the ultimate tour guide to receive more insight about the country and its nation’s culture. Americans, which greatly rely on fast food and sugary snacks, reflect the fast paced society in which they live in. Thus, we can conclude that the culture of America is very much controlled by the aspect of time. The little machineries they wear on their wrist control much of their lives, almost in a tyrannical manner, cutting down their time to eat, or relax, in order to arrive at their appointments on time. As long as the United States stays as a country that upholds their virtue of timeliness, fast food always will occupy a high place in its culture. The Chinese, instead, extends less of an emphasis on time, and more on the importance of health. As with age, true wealth comes from a prosperous health and not from a sizeable bank account. The food is reflected in that manner, as to preserve and retain a state of well-being. However, this does not signify that Americans care less of their health over material gain. It instead shows the priorities of Americans compared to the Chinese. In time, as assimilation of both cultures slowly intertwine, the distinction between them will essentially be blurred, and a new definition of American will be established.