英语专业毕业论文.docx

英语专业毕业论文-中外饮食文化默认分类 2008-04-04 19:49:02 阅读2231 评论2 字号：大中小订阅 Etiquette Diversities Between Sino-Western Diet Cultures1. IntroductionCulture has a long history, and it still has been researching nowadays. Culture is something that originated with the emergence of man. Sir Edward, the British anthropologist, says that culture is that complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, and moral, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. (Harris, 1987, 2) Different regions, different races and different countries all form their own culture. Different regions and different living environments make them have different backgrounds. Different backgrounds affect different appearance of cultures. Diet is the basic culture for a nation. Diet culture can show differences and characteristics of different nations or countries. These different diet cultures can contain a lot of parts and contents.Etiquette also is a culture in diet culture. It is a set of customs and rules to make people communicate with each other. Actually, there are many different etiquettes in different races and different countries. These differences are the result of regions of different people. People of different regions keep their different etiquettes. As the reform and open policy has been raised and implemented, we have more chances to communicate with other countries. Many countries have established friendships with our country. As people have more and more communications, the diversities of etiquettes in the Sino-Western culture will become more and more obvious. It is inevitable to concern influences that these diversities cause. It is necessary for us to learn about these diversities. Many scholars have researched some contents that are related to culture. Professor Deng Yanchang mainly studies the relations between language and culture. (语言与文化，1998) Mr. Hu Wenzhong also writes a book that is related to culture. The book mainly explains the relationship between culture and communication. (文化与交际，1994) From these, we can see that culture is a wide-ranging topic. It contains a lot of theories and contents. Here the paper discusses diet culture, one kind of culture. It is very relevant to our life. This kind of culture can reflect different manners and views of diet. This paper will illustrate these diversities from different parts, and research their developments of these different etiquettes of diet culture, which will influence our communications and co-operations in many fields, such as business, tourism, study and so on. We will have many chances to contact with the world outside. This kind of knowledge will become useful for us. We should not fail in the communication because of the inappropriate or the wrong manners. It is very pragmatic to know about other peoples folkways or customs, and it can improve human relations. 2. Characteristics of Sino-Western Diet CultureDiet culture is related to eating, but it is not only the eating. Diet culture is actions and achievements that people cause in the part of diet. It is the culture that includes belief, view, philosophy, region, art and other things that are related to diet. Since we connected to the world, and many new things have swarmed into our countries. Among them, there is the diet culture. Many people desire to try different foods from different countries. However, there are a few people who can really learn about these differences. The diet culture of one country or one place can be the epitome of its culture. In order to increase communications between every country, we should learn about these characteristics.2.1 Different Dinner Service “The difference between the Eastern and Western civilization is primarily different in the tools used. The difference between the Western and the Chinese culture is primarily different in the dinner service.” (胡适，生活的艺术，2001，25) In China, chopstick is the tool of eating. Chopstick can be dated from Chou Dynasty. In the West, people often use knife and fork in the dinner. Knife and forks appearance is later than chopstick. Professor You Xiuling who is in Zhejiang University thinks that the West and the East turn up dinner services differences that are related to the environment. Chopstick should be invented in the place where there were bamboos. In the ancient period, our forefathers mainly used their hands to grab and to eat food. Later because people were fond of roasting food, but they could not directly use their hands to operate, they must depend on the branch to turn over the food. As time passed, intelligent forefathers gradually learned to use bamboo slip to take food. Knife and forks origin has bearings in the habit of life of ancient nomadic European. After they gradually settled down, livestock husbandry gave first place in Europe. Because of it, their principle food was meat. They must use knife to cut meat and send it to mouth. In order to improve the gesture of eating, European people used the fork in the 15th century. Until they settled down in the city, knife and fork were not in the kitchen. There was a history of four hundred or five hundred years for them to use knife and fork together. Knife and fork and chopstick not only bring diversities of eatings habits, but also influence the Western and Chinese peoples views of life. Knife and fork bring the style of separating food, and chopstick certainly suits to have a meal with family members. (游修龄，筷子和刀叉，2003，1) The Western feature is derived that Western people are particular about independence, but the style of eating using chopstick make Chinese people have the firm family views. Chopstick is a symbol of cultural tradition. Its characteristic is that unchangeability adapts to changeability. This is still Chinese people pride and it is an advanced symbol. The famous physicist PhD Li Zhengdao has perfect discussion for chopsticks advantages. He thinks that Chopstick used the principle of lever and what hands can do. It also can do.2.2 Different Cookbooks and Reasons of ThemChinese traditional agriculture kept many habits of hunting, and there are many cookbooks and lots of cooking devices. In China, although there is no agreement on the precise number of Chinese regional cuisines, those concerned with such matters agree that the four principal culinary regions are Shandong, Sichuan, Canton and Yangzhou, with Fujian-Taiwan most commonly listed as a fifth. At the same time, these designations are not hard and fast geographical boundaries. The cuisine of entire densely populated Yangtze River delta area, including Wuxi, Suzhou, Shanghai and Hangzhou dishes, falls under the category of Yangzhou cuisine. All over China, local delicacies and foods unique to various ethnic groups are in number of several thousands or simply numerous. In Chinese diets, middle and low levels have lots of consumers. Their diets are also Chinese diets main stream. In the Chinese cooking, frying, deep-frying, stewing and other ways of cooking are made of various cooking devices. Western traditional agriculture is animal husbandry, and plant products industry has a little wheat. Its cookbooks and cooking devices are fewer and simpler than China. As we all know, Western people like the bread, cake, cheese and other foods that often contain sugar. Another favorite food is the beefsteak with blood. The fast food is also very popular in Western countries. You can find a fast food chain, like McDonalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut or Taco Bell. You also can get a hero or submarine sandwich “to stay” or “to go” from sandwich shop or deli. It is related to the fast step of life. Now in Western countries, many ethnic restaurants are commonplace. Many Western countries are developed countries, and they become countries of immigrants. So there is an immense variety in its catering culture. In America, any large American city is filled with restaurants serving international cooking. Many cities even have ethnic sections: Chinatown, Little Italy, or Germantown. With this vast ethnic choice, we can enjoy food from all over the world. From this, we can feel that many diet cultures are merging into other different diet culture. Now some Chinese foods have been directly absorbed into English form of Latin alphabets. Such as chow mein (炒面), don fujiang (豆腐浆), won ton (馄饨) and so on. At the same time, many foreign sweets and cakes are favorably received by Chinese people. The essential reason is different backgrounds of agriculture. Chinese traditional agriculture came from collections and hunting, while Western traditional agriculture was livestock husbandry. These different types of meat can cause diets conflicts. Chinese people like to eat game food. This causes Western peoples protest. As the above, Western people are fond of eating beefsteak with blood. As for Chinese people, they feel nauseated. In the book of Guo Ying, many diversities and conflicts are recorded and narrated. For example, in some restaurants of China, some wild animals are cooked. The foreigners often take photos of them, and they think that it is an illegal action and they condemn this action. (老外侃中国，2003，17-25) These conflicts appearance is caused by different backgrounds of agriculture.2.3Characteristics of Sino-Western Diet Chinese people consider food as God. From this, we can know that the diet is in a very important position in minds of Chinese people. Chinese diet culture concerns the meaning of material and have a trend of achieving a mental need. Chinese diet cultures great sentiment is well established that has the very high prestige in the world. The Chinese people think that it is reasonable to eat three meals a day. Eating can relieve thirst and appease hunger, but it has some meanings. For example, when a child comes into the world, the relatives often eat the red-painted eggs. These kinds of eggs contain their wishes and their expectations. Life can be continued and the great expectations can be passed down from generation to generation. When a child is one year old, their family will hold a party to celebrate it and to eat many kinds of food. When people want to have a marriage, they also want to have a lively banquet to celebrate it. Seen from the surface, these kinds of eating are only physical satisfies. In fact, they have ulterior motivations. They want to take advantage of this kind of form to express one kind of psychological connotation. Eating has a very profound and significant position in the society. Through the Chinese and the Western association, our diet culture has merged into some new characteristics. Besides the quality, fragrance and flavor, food should concern the nutrition. This is a progressive expression of the Chinese food. The basic connotation and inspection of the Chinese diet culture not only can be helpful to deepen the diet cultural theory, but can occupy the world market. It can make the Chinese diet culture have the profound and positive sense. The Chinese diet culture has the plot on its in-depth connotation. It may have four characters: refinement, beauty, feeling, courtesy. The four characters have reflected the diet activities, and have processed the diet quality, the esthetic experience, the emotional activity, the social function and so on. They also contain unique cultural implication. They reflect close relation between the diet culture and the outstanding traditional culture.Chinese diet culture pays attention to the foods fine beauty and making devices.First, refinement can summarize the intrinsic quality. Confucius said that the good food can be shown from the beautiful appearance, and we consider the minced meat to be good because of its thin. This reflects that the ancients have began to concern that high-quality diet. Certainly this possibly is limited to certain aristocrat. But this kind of high-quality food can show one kind of cultural spirit. More and more spirits actually have been widespread. More and more cultural spirits thoroughly have permeated the entire diet activity. Choosing the material, the cooking, and the diet atmosphere all manifest this characteristic of refinement.Second, beauty has manifested the diet cultural esthetical characteristic. One important reason of Chinese diet that can conquer the world lies in its beauty. This kind of beauty refers to the Chinese diet that can unite the form of action and the perfect content. People can enjoy this kind of happy spirit. First is the beauty. The first reason of making people to taste the food is the beauty of the food, and the second one of estimating the food is good or not is the technique of cooking that can make people have an esthetical feeling.Third, feeling can summarize the psychological function of the Chinese diet culture. Eating and drinking cannot simply reflect it. In fact, feeling is a medium that can make people exchange the emotion. It is one kind of entirely new social activity. At the same time, while eating a meal, people also can chat with each other. They may do business, exchange information and have the interview. The friends meeting and parting and seeing off the departing people are the sentimental disturbance. People also can express their feeling, either the happy feeling or the sad feeling by dining and drinking. These are the diet activities that can adjust their psychology. The past teahouse where everybody sat down to drink tea, listened to story, chatted or gave vent to royal governments disaffection which was one kind of extremely good psychological message. Fourth, the Chinese diet can show the courtesy of Chinese people. The refinement, beauty, feeling and courtesy summarize the basic connation of Chinese diet culture that is separated from the different ones. In the other words, these four aspects are the organic constitution of Chinese diet culture. The refinement and beauty stress on the diet image and the quality. The feeling and courtesy can lay emphasis on the view of diet. These four characters can show the prevailing customs. They are the special characters and can make the Chinese diet culture be different from Western diet culture. Western diet cannot have these characteristics like Chinese diet. It concerns more nutrition of food rather than other aspects. The Western people have a very scientific view of food, but they may have less attention to the flavor of food. The Western people just consider the food as a fuel of bodies. They just want to live by eating the food, and eating the food is to live and to keep healthy. Their cooking is not as good as Chinese diet. Their traditional food is single and tasteless. Until now, the Western diet still has a distance to step into the esthetical field, and it has a long distance to achieve the level of Chinese diet. ( 张起钧，烹调原理，1999，20) They think that food can only allay peoples hunger, so they often eat the meat of the large blocks. It can be easier to make them feel full. Sino-Western people have different atmospheres at the banquet. Generally speaking, Western people show a tendency to silence, and Chinese people are more active when they have a dinner. When the Western people begin to have the dinner, they will concentrate their attentions on their food. It will be polite for them to keep silent. At the same time, the Westerners think that it is the essential condition to have the food, so they just comply with some rules or standards in order to keep healthy and to continue the life. They do not think it is an enjoyment to eat food.The Chinese people are different. When they get together to have a meal, they will become active. In this kind of atmosphere, people will feel ease and delighted. The time of the meal is the time of relaxing ourselves. People can find the pleasure from this time. People all get together to spend the pleasant time. Except the work, the time of having the meal is the time that we can have a rest. Chinese people consider the food as the happiest thing of the life, so they enjoy the delicious and tasty food to the utmost. They think the food is one kind of the esthetical enjoyment. This kind of excitement is the best portrayal of happiness of people. (林语堂, 人生的盛宴, 2001, 25)From this, we can see that the purpose that Sino-Western people need to have the food is quite different. This kind of difference makes the atmosphere of the banquet become different. During our lifetime, we should have the time to enjoy the nice things. We should realize that the work and the rest are also important for everyone.3. Different Etiquette of Sino-Western Diet CultureWestern people prefer to have a quiet and comfortable place to have a dinner. They think that they should concern their etiquettes, and they need to learn about their customs and to concern their manners. As for Chinese people, we often say that our country is an old and cultural country. We have a long history of our good traditions and our customs. In the diet culture, every country has its own and different requests, customs or manners. This part will explain these different etiquettes from several parts of diet culture.3.1 Different Ways of GreetingChina is a country of etiquette. These etiquettes can be found everywhere. Firstly, we can learn about these when people meet at the first time. When we meet others, there are many ways to show our amities to greet others. At the same time, we also have some words to say. In China, we usually have the habit of nodding and shaking hands when people meet with each other. We often ask others whether they have a dinner. In many times, our real purpose is not to ask whether they have a meal, but we just use this way to greet them and to begin the conversation. There are some body languages when we meet others. In ancient times, people had the different hi