There are different ways of dining all around the world. Different cultures, especially eastern and western cultures, have different ways of eating, cooking food.

世界各地都有不同的用餐方式。不同的文化，特別是東方和西方文化，有不同的飲食和烹飪的方式。




Eating both Eastern and Western cuisine was a part of my childhood in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. Growing up I had many friends and family from Asian and Western backgrounds and we constantly ate each other’s cuisines. Evidently there were noticeably different eating habits and food preferences between each other’s cultures.

在新加坡、馬來西亞和澳大利亞，東西方美食都是我童年的一部分。在我成長(zhǎng)的過程中，我有很多來自亞洲和西方背景的朋友和家人，我們經(jīng)常吃彼此文化的菜。很明顯，在彼此的文化中有明顯不同的飲食習(xí)慣和食物偏好。

When we speak of Eastern or Asian cuisine, we usually think of dishes originating from the Asian region, maybe rice and noodle dishes. When we speak of Western cuisine, dishes such as bread, potatoes and pasta commonly come to mind. That said, for each cuisine there are a multitude of varying dishes in between as this world is so diverse.

當(dāng)我們談到東方或亞洲美食時(shí)，我們通常會(huì)想到源自亞洲地區(qū)的菜肴可能是米飯和面條。當(dāng)我們談到西餐時(shí)，我們通常會(huì)想到面包、土豆和意大利面等菜肴。也就是說，每一個(gè)地區(qū)的美食都有許多不同的菜肴，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)世界是如此多樣化。

Long-held traditions and stereotypes often influence how we eat, dine and drink. Other times our eating habits are simply shaped by the eating practices and types of food that we are familiar and comfortable with.

長(zhǎng)期以來的傳統(tǒng)和刻板印象經(jīng)常影響我們的飲食習(xí)慣。其他時(shí)候，我們的飲食習(xí)慣是由我們熟悉和舒適的飲食習(xí)慣和食物類型所決定的。

1. Utensils

1. 餐具

Eating with fork and spoon is the norm in Western cultures, and so is eating with a knife when a good chunk of meat is served. There can be a unique utensil for each course of a meal, such as in French dining. While many of Asian background eat with fork and spoons, many also eat with chopsticks or eating with just their hands. For instance, it’s common for Musli... to eat with their right hand and this in line with their faith. For some Indians it’s a mark of respect (especially to the host) to physically touch the food one is eating – joining all fingers together and picking up food to eat, in a way creating a spiritual connection with what one is eating.

在西方文化中，用叉子和勺子吃飯是一種常態(tài)，當(dāng)有一大塊肉時(shí)，用刀吃飯也是如此。一頓飯的每一道菜都可以有獨(dú)特的餐具，比如法國(guó)餐。雖然許多亞洲人也用叉子和勺子吃飯，但也有很多人用筷子或只用手吃飯。例如穆斯林用右手吃飯是很常見的，這符合他們的信仰。對(duì)一些印度人來說，用身體接觸正在吃的食物是一種尊重的標(biāo)志(尤其是對(duì)主人)——把所有的手指合攏在一起，捏起食物吃，在某種程度上與所吃的食物建立了精神上的聯(lián)系。

When I was a kid, my Chinese-Malaysian parents first taught me to eat with fork and spoon, and later taught me how to use chopsticks. These days I use chopsticks whenever I eat Chinese food; it just feels natural (probably from having watched my family eat Chinese food with only chopsticks as a kid). Never had trouble picking up rice with chopsticks (which is baffling to some, but the trick is to put the rice bowl close to your mouth so rice doesn’t fall everywhere). There’s also hearsay in Asian cultures that placing cutlery upside down invites spirits to dine with you (not sure where this came from).

當(dāng)我還是個(gè)孩子的時(shí)候，我的華裔馬來西亞父母首先教我用叉子和勺子吃飯，后來教我如何使用筷子。這些天我吃中國(guó)菜都用筷子;這感覺很自然(可能是因?yàn)槲倚r(shí)候看到我的家人只用筷子吃中餐)。用筷子夾米飯從來不會(huì)有問題(這對(duì)一些人來說很困難，但訣竅是把飯碗靠近你的嘴，這樣米飯就不會(huì)掉得到處都是)。在亞洲文化中也有這樣的傳聞，把餐具倒過來會(huì)招來鬼魂與你共進(jìn)晚餐(不知道這是從哪里傳出來的)。

2. Cooking techniques

2. 烹飪技術(shù)

Steaming, boiling and stir frying are popular Chinese cooking methods. Popular and staple Chinese dishes include soup and pan-fried dumplings, steamed veggies with oyster sauce and simmered bone broths. In contrast many popular Western dishes in Australia tend to be on the fried or baked side: fried chicken, pizza, fish and chips, parmagianas, meat pies and lamb roast. Notably in Asian culture dishes are more or less served warm or hot and rarely raw and cold (sushi would be the popular exception). On the other hand, salads, yoghurts and cheeses are popular ‘cold’ gastronomic choices among many Westerners.

蒸、煮、炒是中國(guó)流行的烹飪方法。受歡迎的中國(guó)主食包括湯、煎餃、蠔油蔬菜和燉骨湯。相比之下，在澳大利亞許多受歡迎的西餐往往是油炸或烘焙的:如炸雞、披薩、炸魚薯?xiàng)l、意大利干酪、肉餡餅和烤羊排。特別是在亞洲文化中，食物或多或少都是溫?zé)岬?，很少有生冷?壽司是一個(gè)受歡迎的例外)。而相反，沙拉、酸奶和奶酪是許多西方人喜歡的“冷”美食選擇。

3. Table and seating configuration

3.餐桌和座位配置

Dining at round tables is common in Asian cultures and encourages inclusivity no matter where one sits. Dining at a round table, everyone can see each other – it encourages everyone to chat and connect with each other (one can see everyone at the table face to face), it’s convenient to pass food around on a Lazy Susan in the middle of the table. Also, the eldest or most senior person usually takes the seat facing the entrance, symbolic of hierarchical respect.

圓桌就餐在亞洲文化中很常見，無論坐在哪里，人們都鼓勵(lì)包容。在圓桌上吃飯，每個(gè)人都可以看到彼此——它鼓勵(lì)每個(gè)人聊天和彼此聯(lián)系(一個(gè)人可以面對(duì)面地看到桌子上的每個(gè)人)，它可以很方便在桌子中間的轉(zhuǎn)盤上傳遞食物。此外，年齡最大或地位最高的人通常坐在面對(duì)門口的座位上，象征著等級(jí)的尊重。

Eating at rectangular tables is more common in Western cultures. One might not get the chance to chat with every single the person when seated at this kind of table but might be highly encouraged to make small chat with the person beside or right in front of them.

在長(zhǎng)方形的桌子上吃飯?jiān)谖鞣轿幕懈鼮槌Ｒ姟Ｗ谶@種桌子上的人可能沒有機(jī)會(huì)和每個(gè)人都聊天，但可能會(huì)被鼓勵(lì)和他們旁邊或前面的人閑聊。

4. Sharing vs individual dishes

4. 分享菜肴vs分餐制

In Chinese culture most dishes are designed to be shared over rice or noodles, and rice and noodles are supposed to be eaten along with other dishes. Growing up in Malaysia and Singapore, whenever the folks and I went to a Chinese restaurant, each of us had a bowl of white rice and three to four dishes placed in the centre of the table – everyone gets to try everything and this is synonymous with the virtues of sharing and being a part of a team, virtues revered in Chinese culture.

在中國(guó)文化中，大多數(shù)菜肴都是搭配米飯或面條一起吃的。我在馬來西亞和新加坡長(zhǎng)大，每次我和家人去中餐館吃飯，我們每個(gè)人都有一碗白米飯，還有三到四道菜放在桌子中央——每個(gè)人都可以嘗試吃所有的菜，這是分享和成為團(tuán)隊(duì)一份子的美德，是中國(guó)文化所推崇的美德。

Individual dishes are more common in Western cultures and it’s not surprising for someone to order one dish and have it all to themselves. Time and time again in Chinese restaurants I’ve seen Westerners doing this (like eating a whole plate of oyster sauce veggies by themselves), which strikes me as unusual as there is only so much nutritional value gained from eating one kind of food. Not to say there aren’t individual dishes in Chinese culture – for example duck noodles and Hainanese chicken rice are dishes that one would have to all themselves. But many if not most Chinese dishes are really meant to be shared.

在西方文化中，個(gè)人單獨(dú)的菜肴更為常見，點(diǎn)了一道菜然后獨(dú)享是不足為奇的。我一次又一次地在中餐館看到西方人這樣做(比如一個(gè)人吃一整盤蠔油蔬菜)，這讓我覺得很詫異，因?yàn)槌砸环N食物能獲得的營(yíng)養(yǎng)價(jià)值是有限的。這并不是說中國(guó)文化中沒有可以單獨(dú)享用的菜肴——例如鴨面和海南雞飯都是人們只能個(gè)人享用的菜肴，但很多(或者說大多數(shù))中國(guó)菜肴都是用來分享的。

On the plus side, when everyone orders a dish for themselves, it can be easier when it’s time to pay the bill: everyone eats their own share, fair and square pays for their own dish, no need to fight over the bill.

好的一面是，當(dāng)每個(gè)人都為自己點(diǎn)一道菜時(shí)，結(jié)賬的時(shí)候就會(huì)更容易:每個(gè)人都吃自己的那一份，公平公正地為自己的菜買單，不會(huì)為付賬單而發(fā)生爭(zhēng)吵。

5. Balance and variety

5. 平衡和多樣性

There is usually a starter/entrée, main and dessert when it comes to having many a Western meal. Sometimes this includes a salad and cheese course. While multicourse meals are also part of Asian dining, balance is key here: there is usually a soup, a base of rice or noodles and a vegetable and meat dish served. With Asian cuisine, there is a focus on optimising meals for digestion – aligning with the concept of yin and yang – rather than stuffing oneself and feeling satiated.

西餐通常有前菜，主菜和甜點(diǎn)。有時(shí)還包括沙拉和奶酪。雖然多種菜肴也是亞洲飲食的一部分，但平衡是關(guān)鍵:通常會(huì)有湯、米飯或面條，以及蔬菜和肉。亞洲菜注重的是優(yōu)化食物以促進(jìn)消化——符合陰陽的概念——而不是只為了填飽肚子。

6. Serving size

6. 份量
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Portions tend to bigger when it comes to Western cuisine, more food per serving. Perhaps the most famous kind of portion is the supersize options in many fast food outlets in the States, portions that are known to contribute to obesity.

西餐的份量往往更大，每份食物更多。也許最著名的是美國(guó)許多快餐店的一種超大份快餐，這是眾所周知的導(dǎo)致肥胖的原因。

From what I noticed, the portions for Asian cuisine here in Australia are much bigger than what you get in Asia. That said, in Chinese culture eating until you are full is encouraged and many Chinese festivals such as the Chinese New Year and Dragon Boat Festival revolve around food. Even breakfast in Asia can be quite a big affair portion-wise, just as big as lunch and dinner: dim sum, fishball noodle soup, coconut rice, century egg congee were breakfasts I had at hawker centres on weekends in Malaysia and Singapore.

我注意到，在澳大利亞，亞洲菜的份量比你在亞洲吃到的要大得多。但在中國(guó)文化中，吃到飽也是被鼓勵(lì)的，許多中國(guó)節(jié)日，如春節(jié)和端午節(jié)都圍繞著食物。在亞洲，就連早餐也可能相當(dāng)豐盛，就像午餐和晚餐一樣:點(diǎn)心、魚丸面湯、椰子飯、皮蛋粥都是我周末在馬來西亞和新加坡的小攤上吃到過的早餐。

7. Drinks

7. 飲料

Having an alcoholic beverage for lunch or dinner is pretty common in Australia. Beer is always on the drink menu when it comes to eating at many Asian restaurants here in Melbourne. But when I lived in Asia this wasn’t always the case; in many Halal restaurants in Malaysia there is a no alcohol policy. Warm tea is usually the first drink to be offered when dining Chinese and in many Chinese eateries I’ve patronised in Australia, tea is offered for free. Soy bean milk, milk tea and sugarcane juice are also drinks many Chinese like to order with their meals. Interestingly, water isn’t usually served with Asian cuisine as it is believed to cause upset stomachs.

在澳大利亞，午餐或晚餐喝一杯酒精飲料是很常見的。在墨爾本的許多亞洲餐廳里，啤酒一直是菜單上的飲品。但當(dāng)我住在亞洲時(shí)，情況并非總是如此;馬來西亞的許多清真餐廳都有禁酒的規(guī)定。在中國(guó)就餐時(shí)，第一杯飲品通常是溫茶。我在澳大利亞光顧過的許多中國(guó)餐館里，茶也都是免費(fèi)提供的。豆?jié){、奶茶和甘蔗汁也是許多中國(guó)人喜歡在用餐時(shí)點(diǎn)的飲料。有趣的是，水通常不與亞洲菜搭配，因?yàn)槿藗冋J(rèn)為邊吃飯邊喝水會(huì)讓胃不舒服。

8. Setting and ambience

餐廳設(shè)置和氛圍

There’s the common conception that eating in a Chinese restaurant is a crowded, dark and dim affair. From my experience, this is the case with quite a few dumpling joints in Melbourne…but I’ve also been to Chinese restaurants where fluorescent white lights shine down from the ceiling and you can clearly see what you are eating. When it comes to dining Western, if it’s a romantic meal for two chances are it might be a dim dining affair in a secluded cozy corner booth – at least that’s what many movies are inclined to let you believe.

人們普遍認(rèn)為，在中國(guó)餐館吃飯是一件擁擠、昏暗的事情。從我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)來看，墨爾本很多餃子館都是這樣的……但我也去過中國(guó)餐館，那里的熒光燈從天花板上照射下來，讓你可以清楚地看到你吃的東西。說到西餐，如果是一頓浪漫的晚餐，很有可能是在僻靜舒適的角落里聚餐——至少很多電影都是這么讓你相信的。

9. Flavours

9. 口味

Many Asian dishes are bold and aromatic in flavour. It’s the ingredients used that bring out these flavours, ingredients such as vinegar, five spice powder, cooking wine, hoisin sauce and soy sauce. Ginger and garlic are also staple ingredients in many Chinese dishes, and there’s usually the option of added chilli too. Compared to Asian cooking, Western cuisine might come across as more bland. Chilli isn’t served with every meal and many chilli dishes in Australia aren’t as spicy as dishes in Asia. Processed sauces seemed to be served more with Western food. Tomato sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce are some popular sauces one finds with American, European and Australian cuisine.

許多亞洲菜味道開放，口感芬芳。是食材帶來了這些味道，比如醋、五香粉、料酒、海鮮醬和醬油。生姜和大蒜也是許多中國(guó)菜的主要食材，通常還可以加些辣椒。與亞洲的烹飪方式相比，西餐可能會(huì)顯得平淡無奇。并非每頓飯都配辣椒，澳大利亞的許多帶辣椒的菜也不像亞洲菜那么辣。加工過的醬料似乎更適合搭配西餐。蕃茄醬、芥末醬、蛋黃醬、燒烤醬是美國(guó)、歐洲和澳大利亞菜肴中很受歡迎的醬料。

10. Dessert

10. 甜點(diǎn)

Fruit is a popular dessert option in Asian cuisine. Watermelon, papaya and rockmelon were some of the desserts I remember being served to me and my extended family after we finished ten-course celebratory banquet meals. Some popular Asian desserts include sweet sticky rice pudding, peanut soup, egg tarts and lotus seed paste balls. On the other hand, ice-cream is always a popular dessert option at the end of a Western meal, and so is the choice of brownie and cake. Not sure how true this is, but Asian desserts seem to taste sweeter than many Western desserts.

水果是亞洲美食中很受歡迎的甜點(diǎn)。西瓜、木瓜和巖瓜是我和我的大家庭在吃完十道菜的慶祝宴后吃到的甜點(diǎn)。一些受歡迎的亞洲甜點(diǎn)包括甜糯米布丁、花生湯、蛋撻和蓮蓉球。另一方面，在西餐結(jié)束時(shí)，冰淇淋總是很受歡迎的甜點(diǎn)選擇，布朗尼和蛋糕也是如此。不知道這是不是真的，但亞洲甜點(diǎn)似乎比許多西方甜點(diǎn)更甜。

* * *
Over time our food preferences and eating habits might change. We might prefer eating different cuisines at different times of our lives depending on how we’re feeling or where live or travel.

隨著時(shí)間的推移，我們的食物偏好和飲食習(xí)慣可能會(huì)發(fā)生改變。在人生的不同時(shí)期，我們可能更喜歡吃不同的菜肴，這取決于我們的感受或居住和旅行的地點(diǎn)。

For reasons I still don’t know, as a kid I preferred eating Western food over Chinese food. Friday night was fish and chip night at home, and I would eagerly anticipate my mum taking the battered fish and salted chips out from the oven. Though my parents bought Chinese duck, roast pork and dim sum on the weekends, somehow I always wanted pizza. These days it’s a bit of a different story. While I’ve never liked eating pork and still don’t eat much roast pork, I love eating a good roast duck. That said, I still love a good pizza anytime.

在我還是個(gè)孩子的時(shí)候，我更喜歡吃西餐而不是中餐，原因我還不知道。周五晚上是家里的炸魚薯?xiàng)l之夜，我總是迫不及待地等著媽媽把烤好的炸魚薯?xiàng)l從烤箱里拿出來。雖然我的父母周末會(huì)買中國(guó)烤鴨、烤豬肉和點(diǎn)心，但不知怎么的，我總是想吃披薩。如今情況就不一樣了。雖然我一直都不喜歡吃豬肉，也不怎么吃烤豬肉，但我喜歡吃美味的烤鴨。盡管如此，我仍然在任何時(shí)候都喜歡好吃的披薩。
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Perhaps we like eating the food we eat because of how our brains are wired. Research published in the Journal of Food Sciences looked at how colour impacts our perception of food. It proposed that we may be more inclined to eat food that match our memories and the brighter a certain food is such as cake, the more intense in flavour it was perceived to be.

也許我們喜歡吃我們所想吃的食物和我們的大腦對(duì)信息的處理有關(guān)。發(fā)表在《食品科學(xué)雜志》上的一項(xiàng)研究探討了顏色如何影響我們對(duì)食物的感知。該研究提出，我們可能更傾向于吃與我們記憶相符的食物，而像蛋糕這樣的食物越明亮，人們就會(huì)認(rèn)為它的味道越濃郁。
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Also, in 2011 a study on complex systems explored why Asian and Western foods taste differently. It found Western cuisines tend to use ingredients that shared matching flavour compounds – or matching chemical tastes – while Asian cuisines tend to avoid using ingredients with same flavour molecules. Certain foods might be comfort foods to us, acquired tastes from our upbringing or life experiences over time – and it is these foods we have gotten to know so well that they are now an extension of ourselves.

此外，在2011年，一項(xiàng)關(guān)于復(fù)雜系統(tǒng)的研究探索了亞洲和西方食物味道不同的原因。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，西方菜系傾向于使用味道相同的食材，而亞洲菜系傾向于避免使用相同味道的食材。某些食物對(duì)我們來說可能是安慰性的食物，從我們的成長(zhǎng)經(jīng)歷或生活經(jīng)歷中獲得的味道——這些食物我們已經(jīng)非常了解，它們是我們自身情感的延伸。

Given each cuisine is unique, what we eat forms part of our identity. As the saying goes, we are what we eat. Sometimes we eat the foods we’ve always eaten to really be who we are. And then we share that with the rest of the world.

鑒于每一種菜肴都是獨(dú)一無二的，我們所吃的東西就構(gòu)成了我們自己的一部分。俗話說，人如其食。有時(shí)候我們吃我們一直吃的食物是為了做真正的自己。然后我們會(huì)在世界其他地方和其他人分享。

Do you prefer eating Asian or Western cuisine?

你喜歡吃亞洲菜還是西餐?