Food - Tradition vs. American

Chinese Food In China

China has always had a large, growing population. Because China has always had such a large population, it has been difficult to feed everyone. Throughout China's history, they have had to constantly adapt their eating habits. Meat has always been a scarce item. China's solution to this was to use small amounts of meat and mix it with either noodles or rice. Then they started adding vegtables. Stirfrying became the most common method of cooking within China. Not only did it conserve on meat, it conserved fuel by cooking the food more quickly.

The type of food that the Chinese eat are not what North American's consider Chinese food. The Chinese eat things like shark fins, seaweed, frogs, snakes, and even dog and cat meat. The Chinese add balance into all of their meals. While making their meals, the Chinese strive to balance color, texture, and even types of food they are eating.

Rice is China's most popular food; it can be served with any meal. Other traditional foods include; scallions, bean sprouts, cabbage, and gingerroot. Soybean curd is also a common source for protien. The Chinese do not typically eat a lot of meat with their meals. However, the most common are pork and chicken.


Chinese Food In The United States

In Aamerican, the typical Chinese dishes are listed below:
- Hot & Sour Soup
- Egg Drop Soup
- Wanton Soup
- Seafood Soup
- Egg Rolls
- Fried Dumplings
- Sesame Chicken
- Orange Chicken
- Lemon Chicken
- Chicken/Beef/Shrimp/Pork Fried Rice

If you were to order any of these in China, they will look at you like you were crazy. These are not typical entrees in China; these are Americanized Chinese foods. They have the basic idea; small pieces of meat with rice or noodles. However, they have been greatly modified, and are not what you see in China.



http://www.foodbycountry.com/Algeria-to-France/China.html

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080217181254AAEXS7J