What is Chinese food?

1. What is Chinese food? Presented by: sws

2. So, what is Chinese food?

3. Chinese food is hard to define, because… • China has a long history • One of the four ancient civilizations, and the only one that lasts continuously to today (nearly 4000 years) • China is a big country • Size: slightly bigger than the U.S. • Demography: 1.34 billion people with 56 ethnic groups • Chinese food is highly diversified • 8 culinary traditions • Wide variety of materials and cooking techniques • Chinese people are devoted to food! • Other peoples eat to live; Chinese people live to eat • Spend huge amount of time on cooking and eating

4. My task today • Summarize the high-level features of Chinese food • Try to have these features make logical sense • Emphasis on • “traditional” Chinese food • features in contrast to American/western food

5. Roadmap Eating from the same plates

6. Eating from the same plates • Why? • Sharing food means trust • Collectivism tradition • Easy to create the jolly atmosphere • Fit for picture of the traditional “big family” Caution: serving utensils are common but not always present. Important etiquette: do not rummage in the dishes.

7. Roadmap Round tables; multiple courses Eating from the same plates

8. Round tables & multiple courses • Glass rotating plate! • Man-Han Banquet: 108 courses, lasts 3 days

9. Roadmap Round tables; multiple courses Eating from the same plates Chopsticks

10. Chopsticks • Square upper half • Round lower half • Blunt ends • Diverse materials Silver chopsticks, South Song Dynasty (1127 – 1279) Japanese Korean Chinese

11. Chopsticks • In use at least 3100 years ago • Chinese is an agricultural people • Staple of ancient Chinese: millet congee with vegetables nipping picking holding

12. Roadmap Eating from the same plates Round tables; multiple courses Chopsticks Hot meals

13. Hot meals • Very limited direct contact between hands and food • Cold dishes = appetizers • Things can be very hot! Sizzling hot plate Clay pot

14. Roadmap Eating from the same plates Round tables; multiple courses Bite size or smaller Chopsticks Hot meals

15. Bite size or smaller “Food can never be delicate enough; meat can never be fine enough.” -- Confucius

16. Roadmap Eating from the same plates Round tables; multiple courses Bite size or smaller Chopsticks Hot meals No knife on the table

17. No knife on the table “Gentlemen should stay away from the kitchen.” -- Mendacious

18. No knife on the table What about Peking Duck?

19. Roadmap Eating from the same plates Round tables; multiple courses Bite size or smaller Chopsticks Hot meals No knife on the table Kitchen knife

20. Kitchen knife • Big, heavy • All-around: one for raw, one for cooked • Big surface for transferring finely chopped materials • Heavy emphasis on cutting techniques • Video– Wen Si Tofu

21. Roadmap Eating from the same plates Round tables; multiple courses Bite size or smaller Chopsticks Hot meals No knife on the table Kitchen knife Stir-fry / hotpot

22. Stir-fry • Fine pieces of materials are added into hot oil • Materials are well cooked in a few minutes • Spherical-bottomed wok + flames • Fit for the fry and flip action • Materials slide naturally to the bottom, making them easier to get well-mixed and evenly heated • Video– stir-fry of pork liver

23. Hotpot

24. Roadmap Eating from the same plates Round tables; multiple courses Bite size or smaller Chopsticks Hot meals No knife on the table Kitchen knife No raw meat/fish/egg Stir-fry / hotpot

25. Other features of Chinese food • Of course, Chinese people eat everything! • High carbohydrate, low diary • Salty flavor as the base • “Medicine and food share the same origin.” • Approximation / inaccuracy – cooking is an art than science! • Food is embedded in culture, especially festivities