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.

The chopsticks and cutlery reflect the China and Occident difference. Chinese use the
chopsticks while having meal, and westerners use the cutlery. Origins of the two are
different, each has advantage.

Chinese used bamboo branch turn and stir food in remote ancient period. Later, people
learnt to pick up food with two stick gradually. That’s the embryonic form of chopsticks.

The origin of the cutlery relates with the habits and customs of the ancient nomadic
people in Europe. They used to take knife everywhere in life, often bake the meat, cut
and eat. After the life settle down, the cutlery enters the family kitchen. Therefore is easy
to find out the identity of chopsticks and cutlery are different.

Cutlery and chopsticks, not only caused the differences of food habits, but also
influenced the life idea of the east and west people. The cutlery must result in Individual
Dining System. Therefore western people pay attention to independence; but the
chopsticks result in Gather Dining System, the whole family sits together and have meal,
stress family unit, so Chinese have firm family values.

The act of the Chinese chopsticks is that press from both sides, emphasize control and
equilibrium; the acts of knife and fork are cut and insert, emphasize efficiency. So
Chinese pay attention to being steady, occidentals pay attention to efficiency.Chopsticks
and cutlery are symbols of the cultural tradition.

Even if Chinese go to U.S.A. life, but still use the chopsticks; even if Americans have
learnt to use the chopsticks in China, get back to own country to still use the cutlery.
Culture is deep-rooted. Chopsticks and cutlery, which is advanced on earth, various
statements are different, in fact each has intelligence

Vietnamese Culture
Learning Cultural Differences
Between Americans and Vietnamese
(From the Vietnamese point of view)
 AMERICAN
Affection
1. Touching between people of the same
sex is not acceptable
2. A man and a woman may hold hands or
touch in public
3. A man can touch a woman (put an arm
around her shoulder, hold her arm, kiss
her cheek, etc...)
4. Kissing (between husband and wife,
lovers) in public is acceptable
5. Parents and children kiss each other
Celebrations
1. Christmas and New Year holidays are
the most important
2. Americans celebrate birthdays. They
give presents and throw birthday parties
Clothings
1. Pajamas are not acceptable in public
2. Shoes and slippers are used day and
night
3. Americans wear leather shoes.
4. Men and women wear Western-style
clothing
5. Women wear socks or stockings with
shoes
VIETNAMESE
It is quite acceptable. One can see two men
or women in the street holding hands
People rarely do this in public. It looks
"ridiculous"
A man does not do this for affection or
friendliness. It is insulting to a woman.
It is not acceptable. It should be done in
private quarters. No kissing in front of the
children
Rarely, except small babies
Tet (Lunar New Year) is the most important.
This date varies from year to year, between
January 15 and Feb. 20.
Vietnamese celebrate death days. They
worship ancestors. the prepare a big meal
and invite members of the family and
relatives to get together and talk about the
good aspects of the dead person. Birthday is
also celebrate, but not that big.
They are quite acceptable in public, even in
the streets
Slippers do not exist. People can walk in the
streets with bare feet.
Vietnamese wear wooden and rubber shoes
more often.
Men wear Western-style clothing but women
dress in their "national" style.
They do not wear socks or stockings.
Vietnamese women go bare foot with their
shoes.
 Cooking and Eating

1. Americans do not spend much time in Vietnamese spend a lot of time in preparing
preparing food. food.

2. Grocery is bought once a week Grocery is bought everyday

3. Americans say "grace" before eating Vietnamese children ask parents or elderly of
and everybody starts eating after that the family to eat first, and they follow

4. Americans use napkins and drink Vietnamese do not use napkins but wash
during meal their hands and their faces before and after
every meal. They don't drink during eating,
they drink afterward.

5. Americans use knife, spoons, fork and Vietnamese use spoons, chopsticks and a
plates. They eat soup in a plate bowl. They eat soup in a bowl

6. Americans have one big dinner per day Vietnamese have two equally large meals per
day (lunch and dinner)

7. The smell of prepared food is weak The smell of Vietnamese food is strong

8. American food is less spicy Vietnamese use more spices

9. Potato or bread is the main starch Rice is the main starch

10. Meat is cooked in big pieces, they cut Meat is cut into small pieces before cooking
it during eating. because they never use knife during meal

11. Food is put in individual plates or on The food is put on the table and individuals
the table. They tend to pass the whole take piece by piece. The parents get food for
plate of food around their kids using their chopsticks, not by
passing the whole plate

12. All food is shared equally Preferred food is served to parents or the
elderly first

13. Americans do not make noise in Vietnamese sometimes make noise in

appreciating good food. appreciating good food, especially soup

14. Women eat equally like men (in Women have to eat small amounts (like cats)
quantity) and men in quantity (like tigers)

Cultural Differences
Between Americans and Vietnamese
From the Vietnamese point of view
AMERICAN VIETNAMESE

Greetings
 Americans shake hands with the opposite
sex
Americans exchange cheek-kisses to
express friendliness
Americans use "waving motion" to call
people
To slap someone on the back (expressing
happiness)is acceptable
Americans can greet anyone in the family
first
Housing
Homes have more rooms, space and
conveniences.
Home are mostly constructed of wood or
brick
There are places for children to play inside
More rooms are reserved for bedrooms
Everybody owns a bed, including children
Americans do not share a bed with same
sex
A double-bed sleeps only two people
A bed implies mattress and spring board,
bed sheets and bed spread
Children sleep in their own bedrooms
Americans sleep late on the week-ends
Americans do not take a siesta (afternoon
nap)
-- Vietnamese do not shake hands with the
opposite sex. They do not shake hands with
old people or women unless they offer their
hand first. slightly bow the head and/or put
the hands in front of the chest in order to
show more respect. Two women do not
shake hands.
-- Vietnamese never exchange cheek-
kisses. It is a shock to most married
women.
-- Waving motions are only used by adults
to call little children but not in other way.
-- It is insulting to the Vietnamese to be
slapped on the back; especially to women
-- A Vietnamese greets the head of a family
or an older person first, then the younger
ones.
-- Homes are small in cities and towns
-- Homes, in the country side, are usually
made of bamboo trees, dry rice plants and
mud. In the cities, they are constructed of
brick or cement.
-- Children in the cities or towns play in the
streets
--One room is reserved for an altar. This is the
sacred room where the worship ancestors
-- Not everyone owns a bed
-- Vietnamese can share a bed with the same
sex. It is not abnormal for two male or female
friends or relatives to share one bed.
-- It can even sleep three or four people
-- A bed is made of either wood or bamboo
and covered by a reed mat. (Many Vietnamese
do not know ho to make a be a American way)
-- Children often sleep with their parents
-- Vietnamese get up early and every day
-- Vietnamese take siestas almost every day.