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| 114752 |
the culture between west and east
Hi, everyone,,
my english is not so good,, but i hope my words i writed here are not hard to understand for you.
i have a question about west food. i have an English friend, last month, she came to china and visit me,, you know i have never been visted by a friend who are from Europe. but she told me she want to try some home food that cooked in home,, but i am not good at cook, and in my hometown,, Fish head with Tofu soup is very famous, so... one of the dishs is this, but she didn't even try it. so i am really upset, is it bother her the dish like this?, or in west world,, such kind of food is unpolite?
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Language pair: Chinese, Mandarin; English
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| 114953 |
Re:the culture between west and east
Hi Mandy!
I am from America so I know American culture best, but I think this is similar to many European cultures.
We do not eat the heads of fish, we throw that part away or give it to cats. To many Americans the idea of eating a fish's head or eyes is disgusting. Also many Americans don't like tofu--I don't like tofu.
Also, although everyone hopes that their guests will enjoy the food, in America we don't take it as an insult if someone doesn't like a dish. We just think, "Oh, they don't like this type, it's not my cooking, just the type of food."
I'm sure your friend did not mean to insult you. She may not understand Chinese culture, but I am sure she knows you tried very hard to make her happy.
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Language pair: Chinese, Mandarin; English
This is a reply to message # 114752
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| 114976 |
Re:Re:the culture between west and east
Hello Karla
thanks for your reply. i really don't know about this. and you know in china, the head of fish is the most important part in whole one, specially there is a kind of fish's head,, which was cooked at that time when my english friend visit me. so i am thinking that the culture is really big different between west and east.
and also,, when she came my home with several bottles of wine,, that really makes me supprise, because in china, only for visting some old people for bringing wine, suck kind of when i go to see my grandfather.. but i told her about this and her told me this is kind of culture in west world when the people visit their friends, so i still so happy for her thoughtful.
but i think i would be more happier if she have could tell me that she don't like the dish which was thought is lousy in Europe.
so.. do you think it is not big deal? and it didn't makes her angery or something?
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Language pair: Chinese, Mandarin; English
This is a reply to message # 114953
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| 115635 |
Re:Re:Re:the culture between west and east
I'm from the United States, but American and West European cultures aren't too different.
The food culture in the West is very different. Partly, Western culture is very urban, and when most people live in cities they don't know much about farming or fishing. Because of this, many city people never see animals killed for food; they only see the meat already packaged and it does not look like an animal anymore. So many people in America and Europe are bothered when they see a reminder that meat used to be an animal. In particular they are bothered by parts like eyes, organs, heads and feet because they still look like parts of animals. (I think this is kind of silly, but most people where I come from think it is normal. I am a little different because I hunt.)
But Karla is right; usually not wanting to eat something is just a preference and doesn't imply any insult. I don't think she was angry. Also, because so many people travel nowadays, many people learn about food they would not eat at home. Some (like me) want to try new foods, and some are a little afraid of things they don't know and may not eat new foods. But most people are not offended or angered when they are offered new foods, even when they are afraid to eat those foods because the foods are so different from what they know. Your friend would not tell you she thought the soup was strange because she would have been embarrassed and felt she was impolite.
It would not have been a big deal to her. ^-^
Wine is considered a nice gift to a friend in the West because it is thought to be an elegant thing that people enjoy with friends or loved ones. It reminds people of happy social occasions.
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Language pair: English; Chinese, Mandarin
This is a reply to message # 114976
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| 115730 |
Re:Re:Re:Re:the culture between west and east
Hi Gwyneth
yes, you are right, it is not big deal, maybe it is just that i thought about too much. right? :) it is just because the culture and thinking as we are grow up at two big different environment.
i've heard that the most western hate what chinese people eat dog meat. i know the dog are smart and cute and they are kind of friends for us, specially for western, you treat dogs like a family, right? but.. i am still a little curious, is it the beaf or checken and some meat els are part of the animals? all of them are also kind of meat, right? if you thought eating dog is make us to be a killer, how about eating other meats?
yes, i think bringing some wine to visit friends is very good, and i think this culture maybe will come to china someday. i hope. :)
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Language pair: English; Chinese, Mandarin
This is a reply to message # 115635
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| 115836 |
Re:the culture between west and east
Americans are very close to their dogs, and think of them as people, instead of animals, so they react strongly to the idea of eating dog meat. It's as if they separate people and food-animals and non-food-animals into separate categories; when those boundaries are crossed, it bothers them.
My perspective is unusual in the West because I hunt. As I said, most people live in the city and only ever see food animals as live animals or as packaged meat, so they don't connect the two ideas in their minds. Chickens and ducks are sold with heads and feet cut off and don't look much like the animals do when they are alive; beef and pork are usually sold in cuts no larger than a ham. Some people, who eat meat, even think farmers are cruel for killing animals - they do not think about how the animals are killed so they can eat them. It is very hypocritical, but some people are taught from a young age to be uncomfortable with the idea of death, and so they close their eyes to it. The good news is that many people in America do not think that way; the bad news is that many people do.
My experience is that of a hunter; when you have killed animals yourself, and butchered them for meat, you are not uncomfortable with death or how life comes from death. So my own perspective is that all animals are animals - dogs have meat, rats have meat, horses have meat, and just because people in my part of the world do not eat that meat does not make it wrong. Every culture has its own foods, and food taboos; in my part of the world, the most common food animals are cows, but there are places in the world where cows are sacred and never eaten. It is all culturally relative and just depends on where a person was taught to believe.
If you don't mind my asking, what kinds of things do people in your area not eat that other cultures do? Are there any foods you personally think are particularly strange?
Thanks for the conversation!
Gwyn
P.S.: It occurs to me I should probably mention that I tend to speak in a very straightforward way, even for an American, so I should probably apologize in advance if anything I say offends anyone. ^-^
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Language pair: English; Chinese, Mandarin
This is a reply to message # 115730
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| 116389 |
Re:Re:the culture between west and east
hi Gwyn
sorry for i didn't reply you on time, as my key board was broken and some keys was not working.
my english is not so good, so maybe sometimes the meaning is not what i want to express.
i am so much agee with you, the food that have been eating by people was most depending on where you growed up, different place have different culture. like chinese set a pork as a main meat for every meal, and american people like beaf, right?
i mean, it is kindof silly that people can not stand others eat the food that is strange for themself. and even hate the people who are eating those food. as i read many articles about chinese eat dog meat, it seems many people hate that chinese eat dog meat, even thought we are cruel as kind of killer. i do really understand west people never eat dog meat and how important and close for them. but my mind is that we should understand the cultures each other, if some food for ourself is strange, we just don't eat them, but others also will have the cultures for themself, and they also will have the same feeling form us. right?
you're right, cats have meat, fish have meat and chicken have meat, we are eating them often, and we never think about we are killer for them, why are we getting killer only for eat dog meat?
for example, eveybody is polluting the environment, so that many animals and trees have been ending of their life, is not it kind of cruel? i don't think so. i think whenever we are alive in the world, we are keep killing.
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Language pair: English; Chinese, Mandarin
This is a reply to message # 115836
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