World Foods and Etiquette

Geography and Culture in Food

China is a large country, and it houses a very large population; about a seventh of the world’s total population. Because of this, China has many farms to produce as much food as they can. They have fewer beef dishes because they don’t have as much space to raise the cows, however, they have the space to raise smaller animals such as chicken and pork.

Another consequence of China being so big; climates vary throughout the country. In warm, Southern provinces, such as Sichuan, people eat spicier foods to induce sweat, which cools the body. Similarly, in a colder, Northern province, one could find warmer soups and noodle dishes, because they keep people warm.

 

The Food

In China, food is considered very highly in their culture. They ornately name there dishes, and use the freshest ingredients. Cooking and eating is very important the people of China.

An example of a food you might find in China is Gong Bao Chicken, a spicy chicken dish with chili peppers and fried peanuts. Another example is the Dumpling, made with minced meat and vegetables, wrapped in a dough skin. Lastly, another popular dish is tofu, made from soybeans. Soybeans are also used as seasoning, garnish, and to make soy sauce.

A common way for food to be cooked in China is stir-frying. They do this by cutting their meat and vegetables into small pieces and cook the food fast and in a wok; a large, wide frying pan.

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Etiquette

China has many little pieces of etiquette. One piece of etiquette is to let elders eat and drink first, then the rest of the party can eat. Also, when refilling one’s own bowl with food, they should also refill the bowl of an elder’s.

The Chinese eat most of their food with chopsticks and spoons, and sometimes forks. However, restaurants usually don’t offer knifes because they're seen as violent and disturbs the peace.

Many traditional Chinese people follow most etiquette exactly, though many people are more lax with following those little rules.

 

In America

In America, the first Chinese food restaurants were in San Francisco, where the first Chinese immigrants were located. Over time, the food became more Americanized, but there are still authentic, family-run Chinese restaurants. Today, there are more Chinese restaurants than there are McDonalds’, Wendys’, Pizza Huts, KFCs, and Taco Bells combined.