Citation

As one of the most basic and accessible social codes, food has many social and cultural connotations. This article aims to offer a semiotic reading of ordinary Chinese meals. The three-meal structure and four binary oppositions (Cooked/Raw, Fan/Cai, Solids/Liquids, and Vegetable/Meat) are discussed. The laws that govern the Chinese meal system reveal how Chinese people see themselves and others, how they connect the past and present, and how they identify themselves with their culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

 

Copyright of Society is the property of Springer Science & Business Media B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Qin, Jie. "Food And Binary Oppositions In The Chinese Meal System."Society 51.1 (2014): 35-39. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2014.

It is often assumed that Chinese people tend to have a more positive attitude toward aging and old age than Americans, due to the cultural generalization of collectivism versus individualism. This study aimed to critically examine this assumption by using first-hand empirical data collected in a Chinese and an American university (standardized surveys and in-depth focus group interviews). Respectively, 980 college students in China and 332 college students in the U.S. were recruited for the standardized surveys; whereas two focus-group interviews in each country (4 participants per group) were conducted to collect more in-depth information. Contrary to the common assumption, this study revealed that Chinese students actually hold more negative attitudes toward aging and older people compared to their American peers. It was also found that females tend to hold more positive attitudes than male students across both cultures, though American female students hold more positive attitudes than Chinese female students. Chinese students' interactions with seniors are often limited to their grandparents whereas American students tend to reach out to non-grandparent seniors in larger communities. Chinese students' more negative attitudes toward aging and older people may be a result of a combination of educational, social, and economic factors-a higher level of age segregation (geographically, socially, and intellectually) and a lack of gerontological curriculum in Chineseeducational system, the caregiving burden faced by the one-child generation compounded with lack of governmental support for caregiving, as well as the rising youth-oriented consumerist culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

 

Copyright of Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology is the property of Springer Science & Business Media B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Luo, Baozhen, et al. "Ageism Among College Students: A Comparative Study Between U.S. And China." Journal Of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 28.1 (2013): 49-63. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2014.

Because of the factors influence such as the region, environment, custom etc., there are many food habits differences between China and America. I summarize several aspects as follows:

1. Americans like eating several meals one day; but Chinese are used to eating three meals a day.

2. Chinese are used to buying the fresh food every day; Americans often buy food for one week once and store them in the refrigerator, eat the frozen foods every day. As everyone knows, the tin and salting foods include more preservatives and pigment, it is harmful to health.

3. Chinese families will prepare a lot of dishes when celebrating a festival and it is a lot to entertain guests; but Americans never extravagant when entertain guests or celebrate a festival.

4. Chinese like vegetable oil such as the soya bean oil while cooking; Americans like animal oil such as the butter.

5. Chinese often put in more salt while cooking; but the salt that Americans put in is only Chinese half. It may cause all sorts of diseases to take in too much salt.

6. Chinese like adding the monosodium glutamate while cooking; but Americans do not use the monosodium glutamate. The monosodium glutamate includes sodium. It is harmful to health to take in too much monosodium glutamate.

7. Chinese eat fresh vegetables and fruits more than Americans; the protein which Americans take in every day more than Chinese, but the stomach function is influenced because of lacking cellulose in the body.

8. Chinese eat the viscera of animals such as the pork liver, intestine, lung, etc.; Americans do not have this hobby. Animal’s viscera contain a large amount of cholesterol and it’s harmful to health.

9. Chinese like to eat the ordinary rice and flour; Americans like eating the bread or cake that made of white flour.

10. Americans are used to eating sweet food after the meal; but Chinese are used to the eating fruit after the meal. But the nutritionist thinks that it is more beneficial eat fruit before the meal.

11. Chinese often drink a cup of hot tea after the meal; but Americans like drinking coffee after the meal. Tea can reduce cholesterol, but coffee will improve the fat of blood and stimulate the heart.

12. Chinese generally like soybean food such as the soybean milk and bean curd. It has not merely kept the nutrition of soybeans, and human body absorbs the nutrient easily. Americans have no interest to the bean curd.

13. Chinese get used to whole serving. Americans get used to the individual serving.

14. Chinese like eating the cooked food; Americans like eating the raw food. The raw food is more nutritious than the cooked food.

It causes the food habits differences between China and America that the factors such as culture, custom, history, nutrition values… It’s beneficial to our health if we can find some questions from it and learn other’s strong points objectively.

"Mysterious China Blog." Mysterious China Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.