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.

我在新加坡、馬來西亞和澳大利亞度過了童年，所以東西方的飲食我都吃過。并且我也有很多來自亞洲和西方背景的朋友和家人，我們經(jīng)常吃對(duì)方飲食文化中包含的的菜肴。顯然，不同文化之間的飲食習(xí)慣和食物偏好存在著顯著差異。
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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)，通常會(huì)想到源自亞洲地區(qū)的是米飯和面條。當(dāng)我們談到西餐時(shí)，人們通常會(huì)想到面包、土豆和意大利面。也就是說，每一種飲食文化都有許多不同的菜肴，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)世界是如此多樣化。

Eastern vs Western Eating Habits
1. Utensils
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.

東方VS西方的飲食習(xí)慣
1. 餐具
在西方文化中，通常用叉子和勺子吃飯，如果是端來一大塊肉，一般用刀吃。一頓飯的每道菜都可以使用一種獨(dú)特的餐具，就像吃法餐那樣。雖然許多亞洲人也用叉子和勺子吃飯，但還是更多人用筷子吃飯或直接用手吃。例如，穆斯林用右手吃飯是很常見的，這是出于他們的信仰。對(duì)一些印度人來說，觸摸正在吃的食物是一種尊重的標(biāo)志(尤其是對(duì)主人)——把所有的手指放在一起，拿起食物吃，在某種程度上與所吃的東西建立了一種精神上的聯(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。這些天我吃中餐的時(shí)候也都在用筷子，感覺很自然(可能是因?yàn)樾r(shí)候看到我的家人只用筷子吃中國(guó)菜)。用筷子夾米飯從來沒有困難，(這對(duì)一些人來說很困難，但把飯碗靠近嘴巴米飯就不會(huì)掉得到處都是了)。在亞洲文化中也有傳言說，把餐具倒著放可以邀請(qǐng)鬼魂和你一起吃飯(不知道這是從哪傳出來的)。
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2. Cooking techniques
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.

2. 烹飪技術(shù)
蒸、煮和炒是中國(guó)流行的烹飪方法。受歡迎的中國(guó)主食包括湯和煎餃子，蠔油蔬菜和燉骨湯。相比之下，澳大利亞許多受歡迎的西餐往往都是油炸或烘烤的：炸雞、披薩、炸魚薯?xiàng)l、帕爾馬尼亞干酪、肉餡餅和烤羊肉。值得注意的是，在亞洲文化中，菜肴或多或少是熱的或溫的，很少是生的或冷的(壽司例外)。另一方面，沙拉、酸奶和奶酪這種“冷”美食是很多許多西方人喜歡的。
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3. Table and seating configuration
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.

3.桌子和座位配置
圓桌用餐在亞洲文化中很常見，大家無論坐哪個(gè)位置都行。在圓桌上吃飯，每個(gè)人都可以看到彼此——這方便大家聊天和相互聯(lián)系(一個(gè)人可以面對(duì)面地看到桌子上的每個(gè)人)，在桌子中間的轉(zhuǎn)盤上傳遞食物很方便。此外，最年長(zhǎng)或級(jí)別最高的人通常坐在面對(duì)入口的座位上，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.

在西方文化中，在長(zhǎng)方形餐桌上吃飯更為常見。坐在這種桌子上可能沒有機(jī)會(huì)和每一個(gè)人聊天，但會(huì)和他們旁邊或?qū)γ娴娜睡偪窳奶臁?/b>

4. Sharing vs individual dishesIn
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.

4. 分享vs單吃
在中國(guó)文化中，大多數(shù)菜肴都是配著米飯或面條一起吃的，而且米飯和面條就應(yīng)該和其他菜肴一起吃。我在馬來西亞和新加坡長(zhǎng)大，每當(dāng)我和家人去中餐館吃飯時(shí)，每個(gè)人都會(huì)有一碗白米飯，桌中央擺三到四個(gè)菜——每個(gè)人都可以嘗到所有的菜，這是代表著分享的美德，中國(guó)文化中所推崇的美德。

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 l'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.

在西方文化中單菜更常見，自己獨(dú)享自己點(diǎn)的菜并不奇怪。在中國(guó)餐館里，看到西方人這樣做(比如一個(gè)人吃一整盤蠔油蔬菜)，這讓我感到很不常見，因?yàn)橹怀砸环N食物只會(huì)獲得這么多的營(yíng)養(yǎng)價(jià)值。并不是說中國(guó)文化中沒有單獨(dú)的菜肴，例如老鴨面和海南雞飯就是人們必須自己只吃的菜。

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，每個(gè)人都為自己?jiǎn)为?dú)點(diǎn)菜時(shí)，結(jié)賬的時(shí)候會(huì)更容易：每個(gè)人都吃自己的那份，公平地為自己的菜買單，沒有必要為賬單而爭(zhēng)吵。

5. Balance and variety
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 and even more satiated.

5. 平衡和多樣性
很多西餐通常有前菜、主菜和甜點(diǎn)，有時(shí)還包括沙拉和奶酪。雖然多道菜也是亞洲飲食的一部分，但均衡才是關(guān)鍵：通常會(huì)有湯，米飯或面條以及蔬菜和肉類。亞洲烹飪注重優(yōu)化食物以促進(jìn)消化——與陰陽(yáng)觀念保持一致——而不是讓自己吃撐。

6. Setting and ambience
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 l'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.

6. 環(huán)境和氛圍
人們普遍認(rèn)為在中餐館吃飯是一件擁擠、陰暗、昏暗的事情。但從我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)來看，墨爾本的很多餃子店倒是都是這樣的……我去過很多很亮堂的中餐館，那里的天花板上有白色的熒光燈，可以清楚地看到你吃的東西。說到西餐，如果你想要浪漫的一餐，那么你可能會(huì)選擇在一個(gè)僻靜舒適的角落里或者在昏暗的餐廳里用餐——至少許多電影都傾向于讓你相信這一點(diǎn)。

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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)改變。我們可能更喜歡在不同的生活時(shí)期吃不同的菜，一切取決于我們的自身感覺、生活或旅行的地方。