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Differences Between Foreign Food and Chinese Food
By A Chinese Elementary Student
Hi everyone! My name is Xiaoming and I'm in 4th grade. Today I want to tell you about the big differences between the food we eat in China and the food people eat in other countries around the world. Believe me, there are a ton of differences! Let me explain.
First of all, Chinese food uses a lot more rice and noodles compared to foreign food. We basically eat rice or noodles at every single meal! My favorite is nice hot steaming white rice. My mom makes the best yangzhou fried rice too. And there are so many yummy noodle dishes like zhajiangmian, lahumen, and of course everybody's favorite - jingying reganmian (better known as beijing fried noodles)! Foreign food has things like bread, pasta, and potatoes instead of all that rice and noodles. That seems kind of boring to me.
Another major difference is that we use a lot more vegetables and not as much meat compared to foreign countries. There are so many tasty vegetable dishes in China like Buddha's delight, homeStyle potatoes and eggplant, and garlicky stir-fried pea shoots. Don't get me wrong, we definitely have plenty of meat dishes too. But a lot of foreign food seems to have a big slab of meat as the main part of the dish. That's just too much meat if you ask me!
The use of oil is very different too. In China, we use a lot of oil for stir-frying and deep-frying dishes. That's what gives things that nice crispy and flavorful taste. But I've heard that in foreign countries, they try to use as little oil as possible for health reasons. That seems kind of bland if you ask me. How are you supposed to get that nice wok-breathed taste without oil?
Flavors are probably the biggest difference though. Chinese food has so many amazing and unique flavors like mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorn, awesome fermented flavors like doubanjiang, xiangchuniang, and chili crisp, and of course that savory saltiness from sources like soy sauce, oyster sauce, and MSG. Foreign food just doesn't seem to have the same kind of powerful and flavor-packed punch. It's more subtle and delicate flavors from things like olive oil, herbs, and vinegar. Not bad, but just not as exciting in my opinion.
Spice is another big factor that sets Chinese and foreign cuisines apart. We definitely bring the heat and tongue-tingling sensations with dishes loaded up with chili peppers, chili oil, peppercorns, mustard, and other spicy ingredients. Foreign food seems kind of bland and boring on the spice front. My dad always has to add a ton of hot sauce to his foreign dishes to kick up the heat level.
The way food is served and eaten is really different too. In China, we ate shared dishes in the middle of the table. We all dig in together with our chopsticks or spoons. It's a very communal and social way to eat. Foreign meals seem to be more individualized with each person getting their own plate of food in front of them. Doesn't seem as fun to me!
Beverages are completely different too. With meals in China, we drink things like hot jasmine tea, warm soybean milk, or cool fruit juices and waters. Foreigners seem to go crazy for fizzy sugary drinks like sodas and weird flavored water things. Those make my stomach hurt just thinking about it.
One other big difference is the use of dairy products like cheese, milk, and yogurt. Foreign food seems to have it everywhere! We don't really use much dairy at all in China. Just doesn't really work with our cuisine. I tried pizza once and that melty cheese stuff was just too weird and smelly for me. No thanks!
white food
Desserts are worlds apart too. After dinner in China, we usually have a light sweet soup like red bean or black sesame, or just some fresh fruit. Maybe sometimes a few small individually portioned sweets. But I've seen these foreign desserts that are like giant mountains of chocolate, cake, cookies, and ice cream. Seems like modern ways to get sick if you ask me!
Well, there you have it - the huge differences between the food here in China and the food over in foreign lands. Everything is just so different from the grains, to the meat/vegetable balance, to the use of oil and flavors, to the levels of spice, and even down to the way it's eaten and what drinks you have with it. I'm definitely sticking with the delicious and time-honored Chinese cuisine. It's the best in my book! Let me know if you have any other questions.
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