Famous for its abundance and exquisite, Chinese food culture has occupied an important part in the nation's tradition cultures. China is of long history with a vast territory. Due to the diversity of the climate, products and customs, there are widely different food styles and taste in local regions. Through creation by past dynasties, the long standing cooking art has formed rich and colorful local dishes. Among them, "the eight major dishes" enjoys the upper reputation, which consists of Shangdong, Chekiang, Sichuan, Jiangshu, Guangdong, Hunan, Fujian and Anhwei.
Shandong dishes are divided into two factions as Tsinan and Jiaodong dishes. They are good at clear dishes, pure but not greasy. Sichuan dishes have enjoyed the fame that every dish has its own characteristic and none two share the same taste. They are also famous for pocked, peppery and savor taste. Chengdu and Chongqing dishes are two mail branches.
Jiangsu dishes lay stress on the original taste with proper sweetness and salty. They consist of Yangzhou, Suzhou and Nanking branches. Chekiang dishes are both delicious and sweet smelling, both soft and slide, clean and not greasy. They consist of Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shaoxing branches. Guangdong dishes have Guangzhou, Chaozhou and Dongjiang three styles of dishes. They are good at choice seafood and pay more attention to the cooking skills. They act carefully at light food with tender and slide taste, from which they earn the praise of " It has a best taste in only in Guangzhou." Hunan dishes consist of Xiangjian, Dongting Lake and Xiangxi coteau three local dishes. Their tastes lay stress on thick, arid and peppery food, mostly using seasoning like hot peppery, shallot and capsicum. Minghou, Fuzhou Ximen and Quanzhou dishes are the representatives of Fujian dishes. They use choice seafood as the main material with elaborately cooks beautiful color and delicious taste of oil. They are good at frying, gliding, decocting and pay attention to the dishes' sweetness, salty, and the appearance. The most distinct features are their "pickled taste". Anhwui dishes pay more attention to the taste, color of dishes and the temperature to cook them. They are expert in cooking delicacies from mountains and sea. In addition to the eight major dishes, there are Beijing dishes, shanghai dishes, Hubei dishes, liangning dishes, Henan dishes which also enjoy great reputation. What's more, the steamed dishes and vegetable dishes have their own charms. Actually, Chinese dishes have earned world's fame. The Chinese eateries could be found everywhere throughout the world. Many foreigners regard having a Chinese meal as a high honor.
Customs on eating
Food between China and Western countries are totally different styles. China has 5000 years history. We probably spend half of time on food. Chinese people choice food very carefully. They only use fresh material to make food. For example they only eat fresh fish. Chinese have a lot of ideas and techniques for cooking. We can cook a chicken in over ten ways. That’s why Chinese food is so popular in the world. Western country like English or American, they don’t have fresh food because they buy their food from supermarket which only sells stored materials. Western people would also prefer fast food like burgers and chips. They are unhealthy to human body. Western people do not have many skills for cooking, mostly they only boil, steam and bake the food. By the way, western people are very good at making desert and chocolate. They can make very good cake and chocolate. They are very sweet but it’s sort of food which make you become fat quickly.
In china if you invite people for meal, the person who invited other people would pay for the meal but it’s not the way in Western country. In western country people will think you only invited me but it’s not your responsibility to pay for me. I can afford it. They won’t be happy if you pay for them. People in China would always put dishes into customer’s plate to show their hospitality, but they will think it’s not healthy because your chopsticks have been used by you. In western country like America not England, people will always give tips to waiter after they finished meal in a restaurant. If you don’t they will not be happy because tips are one of their major income. In china this only happen in some top restaurants and hotels in large international cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Western people will also think you are rude if you make sound during the meal. Western people do not hold their bowl up even when they have a bowl of soup.
There is also a huge difference between Chinese and Western people. Chinese people use chopsticks and western people use fork and knife. Usually people who use fork and knife will use fork to hold the meat and cut it by knife and use fork to help to get that piece of meat into mouse. Chinese just use chopstick to pick things and pass it into your mouse.
Chinese people only have three meals during a day. But western people will have more, they have afternoon tea. Usually they would have fruits, homemade cake, tea (black tea) or biscuit with cheese. If you are a housewife and have a lot of time, you may have morning tea as well.
Generally I think Chinese food is much better than Western food not because I am Chinese. I think most people will agree with me as well. You can see Chinese food in any where all over the world. That shows the success of Chinese food. Western food may improve after long time.