关于饮食，新概念三第23课有句话说的好：萝卜芹菜，各有所爱（One man's meat is another man's poison）。说到中西方饮食文化差异，你第一个想到的是什么？我们用筷子，老外用刀叉？我们吃“大锅饭”，老外分餐制？嗯，这些都不错！不过还不够：
1. First of all, the making method of Chinese food is different from Western-style food.
首先，中西餐的烹调方法不同。
In Western-style food cookbook, various ingredients such as the flour, sugar, butter etc. have been indicated several grams, several spoons or several cups, even the size of the egg will all be explained. I think it is like a testing laboratory. So, Making Western-style food is easy, so long as you cook according to cookbook manual.
西餐的烹调书中写明了面粉需要几克，糖需要几汤匙，黄油需要几杯等等，甚至连用到的鸡蛋的大小也有说明。烹调西餐就像在实验室里做实验一样。所以只要参考着烹调书，西餐是很好做的。
But it is not the easy thing that you want to make fine Chinese food. Even if you have bought the cookbook, it is not so easy. Because the Chinese cookbook will not tell you several grams of ingredient, for example salt, Chinese cookbook just tell you appropriate amount of salt, don’t tell you several gram, several spoon or several cup. Why? The taste of people who live in different places is different in China. There is a folk adage in China “south sweet, north salty, east hot and west sour”. So, a good cook relies on experience and skill when cooks in China.
但是要做出美味的中餐，即使你有参考书也不是一件容易的事。因为烹饪书里不会告诉你原料的用量，比如盐，只会告诉你“适量”，而不会精确到克。为什么呢？因为在中国，不同地域的人们口味不同。俗话说：南甜，北咸，东辣，西酸。所以，一个好厨师靠的是丰富的经验和技巧。
2. Second, the atmosphere of Chinese food is different from Western-style food while having a meal.
其次，中西方的就餐氛围不同。
The atmosphere of Western-style food is particular about scenery. The good restaurant is generally built in the beautiful mountaintop, park or the revolving dining-room of the city center high building. So Western-style food is “Eat the scenery” but not “Eat taste”.
在西方，人们看重就餐的环境。一家好的餐馆最好建在风景如画的山顶、公园或者城市中心的高楼上。所以西餐吃的不是味道，是环境。
The atmosphere of Chinese food is particular about taste and participation. Chinese food conquers the world with taste. There is a folk adage in China “If I want to conquer your heart, I will conquer your stomach first”. Everybody sits around table while eating Chinese food, everybody is eating the dish in the same plate, the hospitable host will also nip the dish into your bowl, it is so friendly. The friendship between person and person is deeper after a meal.
在中国，人们看重食物的味道与分享。中餐以美味征服世界。中国有句古话：欲征服人心，先征服人胃。进餐时，大家一起围坐在餐桌旁，所有人共同分享一个盘子中的食物，主人还会热情的为你夹菜。一顿饭后，人们之间的情谊会加深。
3. Third, the way that Chinese and occidental praise food is different.
第三，中西方赞美食物的方式不同。
Chinese praise food, will generally say: “Your dish is cooked very excellently, has caught up with the level of the restaurant”; but occidental praise food, will say just like what the home make.
中国人赞美食物会说：“你的菜做的真好，都赶上饭店的水平了！”西方人却会说：你的菜和家里做的一样好！
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