The diet is the first need for human’s survival and development; also it is the one of the basic form of social life.However under the different cultural background, having different diet idea and diet custom, then finally form the different diet culture, Food culture is an important part in the intercultural communication, Understand the differences between Chinese and western diet culture and its origin, for foreign language learners, not only increase the understanding of the target language culture, But also improve the success rate of intercultural communication, avoid the misunderstandings and communication barriers just because of the inappropriate way or behavior.
Due to the differences of regional, different nations and countries form different cultures. People with different cultural backgrounds behavior or habits is endless and same, they have their social statute or habits, reflected in the political economy, education religion, culture, art and so on.
As one of the world ancient nations, China’s diet has a history almost as long as that of Chinese civilization. But in western countries, ancient thinkers devoted less attention to the food problem than the Chinese philosophers did, and there is even not aware of it to the “heaven”degree. With the opposite, they recognized and interpreted the world in the perspective of the lust or love of men and women more.
Receiving the influence of respective cultural tradition, the Chinese and western dietary culture has had different characteristic. The differences in concepts ,targets,patterns,attibution and nature had reflected the different dietary culture in the different state characteristic; such Characteristic has enrich the research value of dietary culture. Studying these cultural differences, we can find out a joint enhancing the communication between China and the west through a comprehensive study of the subject. It may be a great help to the communication of the Chinese and western cultures.源'自:优尔-'论/文'网"www.youerw.com
2. Literature Review
Belonging to history and social factors, diet is one of important factors that influence the effects in our daily life. Wang xuetai finds that diet culture is a national of a country’s important component. Different countries have their own food dietetic cultural. In different cultural contexts, both in concept, objects, manner, tableware, etiquette and nature, these differences are obvious. But as the communication and integration of the international, Chinese and western food culture will be developed in common communicate. This will play a significant role to promote the communication of culture in the world.
Chinese scholars, like Lv erxin pointed out that there are four differences of dietary cultures between China and the West, 1. Dietary concepts the western diet is compatible with the whole western philosophy. Metaphysics is the main feature of western philosophy and western diet tastes stereotyped, Chinese believe that diet is a sense of beauty diet.2.Tableware, Chinese people including some Asian countries, use chopsticks, spoon, when they have a meal also use bowl to fill. But westerners are fill food use plate, to use a knife and fork to eat, there are specialized spoon to drink soup. Chopsticks and knife, fork as two kinds of representative tableware for the east and west, 3.Diet objects Westerners believe that cuisine is the longing, so only eat of meat, chicken this “hard food”; While Chinese cuisine is “taste”. So the Chinese cooking with makings also show great randomness, according to the obvious differences in characteristic of western diet object the Chinese character known as the plants, the Western character known as animals.4.Diet manner, In China, any of the feast, whatever the purpose, there will be only one form, that is, we were sitting around, sharing one seat. But the westerner is inpidual serving when they eating, the first is the point of all the food, they can eat what something, and it also showed respect for the West on the personality. 浅析中西方饮食文化差异(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_60793.html