Chapter 8 Chinese Food Culture中国饮食文化
1.A Brief lntroduction to Food Culture
1)Importance
As a common saying goes，there are three luxuries in one's life:an American house，a Japanese wife and Chinese food．That is to say Chinese food is most delicious，nutritious and inviting．In China，food culture not only has developed highly，but also has a great social importance．In the first place，customarily，in important events，such as wedding，festivity celebrations，etc．，feasting is often an indispensable arrangement．Secondly，cuisine is an important means in social life．When a good friend comes from afar，he is entertained with rich and various foods by the host．Thirdly，business agreements may be achieved more efficiently and satisfactorily on the dinner table than elsewhere．
2)Range of Edibilities
Chinese people are expert at eating．In the light of regimen and nutrition，they eat a greater variety of food than the Westerners．They eat certain animals'viscera that the Westerners don't．They consider that liver is nutrimental for blood;kidney is nutrimental for kidney，etc．with the Cantonese in particular．Cantonese are said to be gourmets．The catalogue of delicious foods for them is very extensive and varied．There is a popular joke among people saying that the Cantonese eat practically everything that walks on the ground except cars，that swims in the water except ships，and that flies in the sky except airplanes．
In addition，Chinese people eat a lot of vegetable dishes，which are prepared often as meat dishes．In the Chinese vegetable restaurants，you can discover on the menu“vegetable pig's kidney”，“vegetable pig's intestines”，“vegetable fish”，“vegetable chicken”，etc．These are mostly bean products．Bean curd is popular among all people，rich or poor．Soy sauce is a Chinese industry，which is a delicious，appetizing and nutritious condiment．Soy sauce manufacture is a great contribution to nutrition and health．
3)Variety of Cookery
Chinese food is widely known for its variety and abundance．According to data on the subject，the number of well-known ancient and modern Chinese dishes amounts to 8，000．The ingredients may be roughly classified into 600 categories．There are 48 different basic ways of cooking，including pan frying，stir-frying，brewing，deepfrying，stewing，roasting，grilling，instant boiling，steaming，braising(with soy sauce)，broiling，baking，etc．
4)Requirement in Cookery
Generally speaking，the Chinese cooking lays emphasis on the“complete presence of color，aroma and taste”．“Color”refers not only to the color but also to the modeling of foods．Foods are often carved by the chef into various artistic designs．Their modeling is often exquisite and symbolic．For example，a fish dish symbolizes“surplus”(In Chinese language，“fish”and“surplus”both are pronounced“yu”)．“Aroma”refers to the fragrant and appetizing smell of the dishes served on the table before eating．The Chinese people knew very early to use spices to prepare strongly fragrant dishes．“Taste”involves proper seasoning and fine slicing techniques．These three essential factors are achieved by careful coordination of a series of delicate activities:selecting ingredients，mixing flavors，timing and cooking，adjustment of the heat，and laying out the food on the plate．Thus every dish on the Chinese dinner table looks like a piece of art，good-looking and delicious．
What is worth mentioning is that there's a lot of cultural background knowledge involved in the naming of Chinese dishes．Often，it's hard，even for the Chinese people themselves，to tell what is actually in a certain dish by the name of it until it is served on the table．Of course，one can always turn to the waiter or waitress for explanation．In most cases，waiters and waitresses are ready to satisfy anyone's curiosity．
Apart from having regard for the above-mentioned three essential factors—“color，aroma and taste”，Chinese cuisine attaches great importance to nutrition．As a matter of fact，Chinese cuisine has long been closely related to traditional Chinese medicine．Ginseng，walnut，Chinese angelica and the fruit of Chinese wolfberry are often used as ingredients in certain Chinese dishes．
2.Four Major Groups of Chinese Cuisine
China is a vast country with a wealth of local specialities for the cooking，and in different places，there are different ways for preparing dishes．So it is believed that its history and its unique cookery as well as the geographical location，climatic features，natural resources and eating habits of a specific area is inevitably indispensable to the formation of certain cuisine．Many different cuisines unique to certain areas are formed，for instance，Shandong cuisine，Beijing cuisine，Shanghai cuisine，Sichuan cuisine，Jiangsu cuisine，Zhejiang cuisine，Anhui cuisine，Hunan cuisine，Hubei cuisine，Fujian cuisine，Shannxi cuisine，Henan cuisine，north-eastern China cuisine， royal style cuisine，Muslim style cuisine and vegetarian cuisine．But generally speaking，the Chinese cuisine can be divided into four major groups，based on the localities of their origin(Of course，they can be further divided into eight groups)．The four major groups are:Yue(Guangdong)group，Chuan(Sichuan)group，Lu(Shangdong)group and Su(Suzhou，Yangzhou and Hangzhou)group．Below is a brief introduction to their features:
1)Yue(Guangdong)Cuisine or the Canton School
Yue Cuisine includes Guangdong and Guangxi cooking．It is characterized firstly by its wide and strict selection of ingredients．Seafood and game food are the first-rate courses．Besides chicken，duck and goose，pigeon，partridge and squail also make delectable dishes．For seafood，the Cantonese take to grouper，pomfret，hairtail，conger eel，turtle，prawn and crab．Their favorite game foods include reptiles and amphibians:terrapin，tortoise and snake．Yue Cuisine holds fastidious norms in selecting ingredients．
Secondly，Guangdong people favor light，delicious，refreshing and slippery tastes．Their cooking methods are mostly steaming，boiling，sautéand stir-frying with thick gravy．Dishes are lightly cooked and not as highly spicy and hot as the other three groups．Due to the long duration of summer，they favor light and refreshing foods and aquatic food，and like to taste the original flavor of sea foods and fresh foods．Only in winter do they eat fatty foods and strongly flavored foods，such as dog meat，stewed pork chunks，fried oyster，braised eel，pig's knuckle，etc．
The third characteristic of Guangdong cuisine is plenty of supportive vegetables，due to the substantial scope of local produce．In the north of Guangdong are grown plenty of mushrooms and bamboo shoots．With the favorable climate，the province abounds also in rich varieties of fruits，such as pineapple，litchi，plum，cocoa nut，banana，Chinese chestnut，etc．All these can make hygienic dishes．
The fourth characteristic is the many kinds of porridges and refreshments．The long summer and the lot of perspiration require meat porridges to replenish the nutriments and water lost．Porridge shops(including some canteens affiliated to“five or four-star”hotels)prepare a stock of base porridge(called“taste porridge”)with ingredients of hens，pig bones，dried scallops and soybean rolls．When a certain kind of porridge is required，the cook adds to the base porridge some other suitable，readymade ingredients such as fish，shrimp，crab，meat ball，pig's giblets，beef，chicken，duckling，etc．，as well as ginger，Chinese onion and pepper powder．Located at the junction of international exchanges，Guangzhou has amalgamated both the overseas and domestic merits in preparing refreshments．Every teahouse or hotel provides hundreds of cakes and refreshments，which are worth trying．
2)Chuan(Sichuan)Cuisine
World-famous Chuan Cuisine traces back to the ancient Ba Kingdom(modern Chongqing)and Shu Kingdom(modern Chengdu)and is distinguished for its oily and hot and spicy taste．Their uniquely hot，pungent flavor is created by a mixture of spices and condiments，including red pepper，garlic and ginger．This is due to the foggy，cloudy and damp climate in the Sichuan Basin．Hot food is useful for dispersing dampness．Sichuan folks are keen for hot and spicy oxen's giblet pot，hot and spicy beancurd and other hot and spicy foods．
Another characteristic of the Chuan cuisine is its preparation of different dishes with the same raw material．With a piece of half-fat，half-lean pork，Sichuan cooks can prepare a number of different dishes with different flavors，such as salted-fried pork slices，re-cooked pork slices，sweet and hot shredded pork，fried pork cubes，sliced pork cooked with rice crust，sweet steamed pork chunks，salty steamed pork chunks，pork steamed with ground glutinous rice，white cut hot pork，etc．
The third characteristic of the Chuan cuisine is the tasty snacks，including hot oxhead meat，spiced chicken，tea-stewed ducking，marinated rabbit meat，pickled vegetables，dumplings，eight-treasure rice puddings，etc．
3)Lu(Shandong)Cuisine
Lu Cuisine enjoys a long history and wide popularity and is the crystallization of the Qi and Lu culture of the ancient China．It has traces of palatial cuisine．Its first characteristic is its strongly flavored dishes made of costly ingredients such as petrel nest，shark fin，abalone，fish tripe，sea cucumber，deer meat，mushroom，white fungus，clam，etc．
Due to the long duration of the cold weather in north China and shortage of vegetables，the cooks in Shandong are skilled in making high-calorie and high-protein dishes．It is the second characteristic of the Lu cuisine．Typical Shandong delicacies are:skin-crisp roasted duck(Peking Duck)，nine-bends pig intestines，bone-detached braised chicken，in-wok-fried Yellow River carp，conch braised in soy sauce，and deep-fried oyster．
Lu cuisine cooks used to keep a wok of flavoring broth(with old hen and pig knuckles，etc．，as ingredients)and sprinkle it into the pan as a substitute for gourmet powder．It is the third characteristic as well as a tradition of the Lu cuisine．The Lu cuisine cooks are also expert at preparing milk soups．The vegetable milk soup in Jinan has enjoyed a fame．
4)Su Cuisine
Su Cuisine originated from Suzhou and later from Yangzhou and Hangzhou too，these places being known as a land flowing with milk and honey．Its first characteristic is the combination of relishes of both the Southerners and the Northerners．This region was the abode of the emperors during the Six Dynasties and the Southern Song Dynasty．The Great Canal flowing through the region has facilitated the exchanges between the South and the North．The Su cuisine chefs，on the one hand are dexterous in cooking southern style dishes，which are tasty and refreshing，and on the other hand are dexterous in cooking high-heat and high-protein dishes，such as stewed pig knuckles with ham，braised“Lion's Head”(pork balls)and stir-fried eel pastry．In the menu of the Su cuisine can be found a long list of dishes suiting both the Southerners and the Northerners．
Plenty of lake produce and seafood constitute the second characteristic of the Su cuisine．Such dishes include the Crab-yellow Lion's Head，crab-yellow petrel nest，shark fin in shrimp soup，West-Lake sweet-sour fish，steamed hilsa herring(produced in the Fuchun River)，meat-stuffed lotus root，spicy Tai-Lake crucian carp soup，lotus-seed duck broth，etc．
The third characteristic of the Su cuisine is its exquisite refreshments and snacks，such as pine-nut-crystalline-meat sweet cake，crab-yellow-soup bun，crab-yellow steamed dumpling，Ningbo dumpling，etc．，which are famed throughout China．
It is interesting to note that the four categories of cuisine are described as four kinds of persons:Su Cuisine is a Southern beauty，graceful and elegant;Lu Cuisine a Northern man，simple and robust;Yue Cuisine a pampered son of a wealthy family，refined and romantic;and Chuan Cuisine a celebrity，talented and versatile．
3.Chopsticks
1)Eating Utensils
When food is mentioned，it is highly necessary to say something about the eating utensils．It is said that there are generally three ways for people of picking up food to eat:40%of people grasp or tear food with their bare hands，30%use knife and fork，and 30%make use of chopsticks．It is the Chinese who first used chopsticks thousands of years ago．
So chopsticks can be said to be a great invention by the Chinese．They are regarded as the extension of fingers，which are not afraid of extreme heat and coldness．But exactly when the Chinese began to use chopsticks，as an eating instrument is anybody's guess．It is said that people began using chopsticks during the Shang Dynasty．They were first mentioned in Liji(The Book of Rites)，a work compiled nearly 2，000 years ago．Likewise they were initially in the form of twigs，which the primitive Chinese possibly used to pick up a roast after they began to use fire．The twigs evolved into the wooden，tapering sticks，as we know them today．It is generally held that chopsticks began to be called kuaizi since the Ming Dynasty．But in the documents of the Ming and the Qing dynasties，kuaizi was seldom used，instead， zhu was often used to refer to chopsticks，especially in literary works．
2)Materials of Chopsticks
Zheng Chuanyin and Zhang Jian made a succinct summary about the invention and development of chopsticks in the Dictionary of Chinese Folk Customs，“Chopsticks，a food picking utensil made of bamboo or wood，is widely used by the Hans and some minority ethnic groups．In remote ages，they were made of branches，bamboo or natural animal bones．Later they were made of scraped bamboo or wood．Ivory and jade chopsticks appeared during the Xia and Shang dynasties;bronze and iron chopsticks emerged during the Spring and Autumn Period．Lacquer chopsticks did not appear until the Han Dynasty．Later silver and gold chopsticks were made．Among all kinds of chopsticks，the ones made with rhinoceros horns，jade or ebony inlaid with gold were the rarest．”
Chopsticks may be made of several materials:bamboo，wood，gold，silver，ivory，pewter，and plastics．In the cross-section，they may be either round or square．Some of them are engraved with colored pictures or calligraphy for decoration．Ordinary chopsticks used in Chinese homes are made of wood or bamboo;those for banquets are often ivory，whereas gold ones belonged only to the royalty and aristocracy．
3)Holding of Chopsticks
Whatever their shapes or their material，chopsticks should go in pairs，and the pair must be identical to each other．The correct way to use chopsticks is to hold the pair in the hollow between the thumb and forefinger of your fork hand．The one closest to your body should rest on the first joint of the ring finger and stay relatively immobile．Hold the other one with the forefinger and middle finger，which manipulate it like pinchers to pick up the food．The strength applied by the fingers should vary with the things to be taken hold of．The skill to pick up，with speed and dexterity，small things like beans and peanuts and slippery things like slices of preserved eggs can only come from practice and coordinated action of the fingers．
4)Chopsticks—Dexterity and Intelligence of the Chinese People
Incidentally，using chopsticks has a great deal in common with wielding a brush to write Chinese characters．Those who write with a good hand，some scholars have observed，are invariably those who handle the chopsticks correctly．One holds the writing brush in the same way as one would the moving chopsticks and，while writing，one must achieve coordination in the movement of the shoulder，arm，wrist and fingers in order to write well．Westerners are very much fascinated at the skills the Chinese display at chopsticks and it is said that there are training centers established specially to teach people how to handle chopsticks．
The invention of chopsticks fully displays the dexterity and intelligence of the Chinese people．According to some Japanese scholars，to properly handle chopsticks requires the coordination of over 80 joints and 50 muscles;what's more，certain cranial nerves are also involved．Therefore，using chopsticks can help make people more dexterous and intelligent．
Westerners are often impressed with the cleverness of the Chinese hand that makes embroideries and clay sculptures with such consummate skill．Couldn't this skill be attributed to the constant use of chopsticks？
Chopsticks are initially used in China，but the first museum in the world of chopsticks is established in Germany，where are exhibited，from various countries and regions and periods in history，more than 10，000 pairs of chopsticks that are made of gold，silver，jade，animal bones，etc．
Word Bank
vegetable pig's kidney素腰花
vegetable pig's intestines素肠
vegetable fish素鱼
vegetable chicken素鸡
vegetable restaurant素菜馆
taper使逐渐尖细
ivory象牙
pewter白镴，锡镴(一种以锡为主要成分的合金)
royalty皇室
aristocracy贵族
参考译文
1.饮食文化简介
1)饮食的重要性
有句话说得好:“人生有三大奢望:拥有一栋美国别墅，家有日本娇妻，享用中国美食”。意思是说中国饮食味道鲜美，营养丰富，香味诱人。在中国，饮食文化发展迅速，而且被赋予重要的社会意义。首先，在举行婚丧嫁娶、节日庆典这类大事时，总是以宴席为其重要形式甚至是活动的高潮部分。其次，它是中国人社交的重要手段。如果有朋友自远方来，主人会尽地主之谊，准备丰盛的美味佳肴招待宾客。第三，在餐桌上，在筷箸斛盏交错之间，商务洽谈往往能够更容易达到理想的效果。
2)可食之物
中国人在吃的方面是很擅长的。从养身和营养的角度来看，中国人吃的食物种类比西方人要多得多。西方人不吃动物内脏，而中国人却认为“吃啥补啥”，肝可以补血，肾可以补肾，对于注重美食的广东人来说更是如此。广东人吃的东西真是千奇百怪，形形色色。怪不得民间流传着这样一句玩笑话:“广东人地上跑的除了小车、水里游的除了船只、天上飞的除了飞机不吃，什么都吃。”
中国人也吃各类蔬菜或素菜。比如素菜馆里常有“素腰花”“素肠”“素鱼”“素鸡”等菜供应，其实它们均为豆制品。中国的豆腐，无论贫贱老幼，无不爱食。制酱业也是中国的一项特殊成就，生产的酱类制品不仅是一种优良的调味品，能增强食欲，而且含有多种发酵制成的酶，能促进人体复杂的化学变化。它的出现，对营养和保健，都是一大贡献。
3)烹饪方法
中国菜肴的花色之多、菜式之众、制作之繁，是世界闻名的。有数据表明，中国古今著名菜品有8 000种之多，采用的食材可粗分为600种，不同的基本烹饪方法也有48种，其中包括煎、炒、烹、炸、炖、烤、烧、涮、蒸、焖、灸、烙等。
4)烹饪要求
中国饮食的要求颇为严格，要求“色、香、味”俱全。“色”既指菜肴的颜色，也指食物的造型。厨师会把各类菜肴雕刻设计成风格独特的艺术造型，令人赏心悦目。这些菜肴的造型通常精美绝伦，并深藏一定的寓意。比如说，“鱼”象征着“年年有余”(汉语中，“鱼”和“余”发音相同)。“香”指的是菜未上桌其香气已经扑鼻而来，让人胃口大开。中国人早就知道用香料烹调香气四溢的菜肴了。“味”指的是食物的味道，还有精细的刀工。要做到“色、香、味”俱全，选料、调料、火候、烹炒、摆盘等无一不在考虑之列。正因为如此，中国的每一道菜看上去都是一件造型精美、美味可口的艺术品。
值得一提的还有中国菜的菜名蕴含的深厚文化底蕴。通常中国人自己都很难根据菜名说出某盘菜是什么，直到菜端上了桌。诚然，有疑问可以随时向服务生询问，而服务生们都会随时乐意满足人们的好奇心。
除了达到上面所说的“色、香、味”的要求外，中国菜还很注重菜品的营养。事实上，中国菜很早就同传统中医的养身之道联系起来了，人参、核桃、当归、枸杞等也常用于菜肴的烹制。
2.四大菜系
中国地大物博，为适应各地不同的特产、口味，便逐渐出现了各种不同的调制方法。后来，在长期的实践过程中，又逐渐形成了各种具有地方特色的饮食体系。一个菜系的形成和它的悠久历史与独到的烹饪特色是分不开的，同时也受到这个地区的自然地理、气候条件、资源特产、饮食习惯等影响。因此，不同地方便出现了不同菜系，比如鲁菜(山东菜)、京菜(北京菜)、沪菜(上海菜)、苏菜(江苏菜)、浙菜(浙江菜)、川菜(四川菜)、徽菜(安徽菜)、粤菜(广东菜)、湘菜(湖南菜)、鄂菜(湖北菜)、闽菜(福建菜)、陕菜(陕西菜)、东北菜(东北地区菜肴的总称)、豫菜(河南菜)，以及仿膳菜(仿制的宫廷菜)、清真菜(回族菜的总称)、素菜(由佛教寺院所创、由僧厨执鼎、以非动物原料烹制的菜肴)等。广义上，中国菜可粗分为四大地方菜系，即粤菜、川菜、鲁菜和苏菜。现粗略地介绍一下四大菜系的特色。
1)粤菜(潮粤风味)
粤菜的范围包括广东和广西。它的第一个特点是用料广、选料精，以海鲜和野味为上馔。如禽类，除了普通的三禽(鸡鸭鹅)以外，还常以鸽子、山鹑、鹌鹑等入馔。海鲜最推崇石斑、鲳鱼、带鱼、海鳗、乌龟、明虾、螃蟹等。野味最欣赏爬行动物和两栖动物，如:水龟、甲鱼和蛇。粤菜很讲究选料。
粤菜第二个特色是口味偏重清、鲜、爽、滑，做法以蒸、煮、炒、溜居多。这与气候有一定关系。岭南酷暑时间长，需要清爽的口感，因此岭南人长期惯食海鲜和其他鲜活料，形成追求原味的传统嗜好。食物只是稍加烹制，而且也不像其他3种菜系那么辛辣。岭南人多在冬令进食浓香型及油气重的菜，如开堡狗肉、炖扣肉、炸生蚝、红焖白鳝(海鳗)、红炖猪肘等。
粤菜第三个特色是配菜丰富，这和物产丰富有关。粤北盛产各类蘑菇、竹笋等食物。而因气候适宜，四季各式鲜果不断，菠萝、荔枝、梅子、椰子、香蕉、风栗等，都是做菜的良好材料，也符合饮食卫生。
粤菜第四个特色是粥品点心特别丰富。由于岭南炎热的时间长，人们流汗多、消耗大，需要及时补充水分及易被吸收的养料，各类肉粥是较理想又较方便的食品。粥店(不少大饭店都兼有粥品)以老母鸡、猪骨、干贝、腐竹等熬好一大锅底粥，称为味粥，然后随时把味粥舀进小锅里，用鱼、虾、蟹、肉丸、虾丸、猪杂、牛肉、鸡、鸭等预先备好的粥料，配以姜、葱、胡椒粉筹，生滚出多种粥品，随时供应顾客。岭南人善仿善创，广州又是长期中外交通的要道，粤式点心也特别丰富，吸取了中外许多点心的做法，各大茶楼饭店都有数百款点心的底单，很值得一尝。
2)川菜
四川烹饪(川菜)世界闻名，独具特色。川菜发祥于巴(今重庆)蜀(今成都)，特色是重油重味，偏爱麻辣，将红辣椒、蒜、姜等香料和调味品混合在一起，做出当地人喜欢的独特辣味。这与四川盆地的气候有关，雾多，阴天多，湿气重，麻辣的食物使体表的湿气容易发散。四川人爱吃的“毛肚”(以牛肚、牛杂为主料的重味麻辣火锅)、“麻婆豆腐”(这个菜具有麻、辣、油、烫、咸、嫩、滑7个特点)和其他一些麻辣菜式，都具有川菜的传统色彩。
川菜另一个特点是善于运用一种普通食材制成多种美味菜肴。如拿起一块五花肉，在四川厨师手里，可以做出美味的盐煎肉、回锅肉、萸(鱼)香肉(用泡菜、泡辣椒等为配料做成的香辣菜)、酱爆肉丁、锅巴肉片、甜烧白(豆沙、薯片夹扣肉)、咸烧白(香芋、芽菜夹扣肉)、粉蒸肉、咕噜肉、白煮麻辣肉等。
四川人还善于做小吃，如麻辣牛头肉、怪味鸡、漳茶鸭子、酱兔肉、泡菜、赖汤圆、八宝糯米饭等，这是第三个特色。
3)鲁菜
鲁菜历史悠久，广受欢迎，是古代中国齐鲁文化的体现之一。它带有宫廷菜的余韵，第一个特点是用料讲究，善于以燕窝、鱼翅、鲍鱼、鱼肚、海参、鹿肉、蘑菇、银耳、蛤干等高档食材，做出厚味大菜。
由于华北地区寒冷时间较长，蔬菜品种又较少，练就了鲁菜厨师善于做高热量、高蛋白菜肴的本领，这是鲁菜的第二个特点。如脆皮烤鸭、九转肥肠(烧炸出来的猪大肠，可与烤鸭媲美)、脱骨烧鸡(酥香离骨的烧鸡)、锅烧黄河鲤鱼、红烧海螺、炸蛎黄等，都是鲁菜的佼佼者。
善于以汤调味，是鲁菜的第三个特点。鲁菜厨师的传统习惯是在炒锅旁边备好一锅味汤(以老母鸡、猪蹄等为汤料)，无论炒、溜、烧、扒，都以味汤溅锅，以代替味精，这是一个好传统。鲁菜厨师也善于做奶汤，济南的奶汤蒲菜，就久负盛名。
4)苏菜
苏菜的发祥地是苏州，随后扬州和杭州的菜系也并入这一系列。由于六朝和南宋的都城都在苏菜的地域，加上南北大运河通航一千多年，华东各大城镇成了南北人民长期交汇的地点，为适应南北人的口味，苏菜的第一特点是味兼南北。苏系厨师既能做出清炒、清溜的南方爽口菜，又能做出像火腿炖肘子、狮子头、炒鳝糊等高热量、高蛋白的美馔。苏菜的菜目中，让南北人都能接受的折中菜肴也特别多。
由于盛产湖蟹海鲜，所以河鲜菜特别突出，这是苏菜的第二个特点。如蟹黄狮子头、蟹黄燕窝、虾羹鱼翅、西湖糖醋鱼、清蒸鲥鱼(富春江特产)、鲜藕肉夹、浓汁太湖鲫鱼汤、莲子鸭羹等，都是苏系菜肴中著名的河鲜菜。
苏式点心和小吃也很精美，这是第三个特点。如松子水晶肉甜糕、灌汤蟹黄包、蟹黄烧卖、宁波汤圆等都全国驰名。
有人把“四大菜系”用拟人化的手法描绘为:苏菜好比清秀素丽的江南美女;鲁菜犹如古拙朴实的北方壮汉;粤菜宛如风流典雅的公子;川菜就像内涵丰富充实、才艺满身的名士。
3.筷子
1)食具
说到吃，就不得不提到吃的工具。据说，世界上共有三种吃东西的方式:直接用手拿东西吃的占40%，用刀叉的占30%，还有30%则用筷子。中国人几千年前便开始使用筷子。
筷子，是中国人的一大发明。筷子是人类手指的延伸，手指能做的事，它都能做，且不怕高热，不怕冰冻，真是高明极了。然而，中国人到底从什么时候开始使用筷子作为取食工具只能靠推测了。最早提到筷子是2 000多年前编纂的《礼记》。筷子是如何发明的呢？有人推测，远古人学会用火烤东西吃时，随手折两根树枝或竹枝，用来夹着吃，这样既不烫手，又能趁热吃到美味，于是就演变成了木质的上粗下尖的筷子。据说早在3 000多年前的殷商时代就开始使用筷子，一般认为从明代开始这个取食工具有了“筷子”一名，而在明清时期的文献中，尤其在文学作品中，“筷子”一词很少提到，大多用“箸”一词来代替。
2)制筷材料
郑传寅、张健在《中国民俗辞典》中对筷子的形成、发展作了较精练的概括:“筷子，以竹木等材料制成的挟食器具，广泛流传于汉族和某些少数民族地区。远古时，用树枝、竹棍或天然的动物骨角制成，后改为竹、木刮削后制成。夏、商有象牙筷、玉筷问世。春秋战国，又有铜筷和铁筷。汉魏六朝，始生产漆筷。稍后，又出现了银筷和金筷。以犀角筷、乌木镶金筷和各种玉筷最为名贵。”
筷子可以由各种不同材料做成，如竹、木、金、银、象牙、白镴、塑料等。从横截面的形状来看，可以有圆形或方形。有的筷子上面刻有彩色图案或书法作品用作装饰。中国普通百姓家中的筷子大多用竹木材料;重要宴会等场合会用象牙筷;而金筷银筷多为皇室和贵族所用。
3)学用筷子
无论筷子是用什么材料制成的，用时必须两根一起用，而且应该成双成对。正确使用筷子的方法是:拿筷子的手掌心呈虚空状，一根放在中指和无名指之间，另一根置于食指和中指之间，大拇指压住两根筷子，由中指和食指掌控，像钳子一样夹食物。夹不一样的食物各手指用的劲也不同。要想掌握灵活快速地夹食物的技巧，比如夹豆子、花生那样的小东西，还有像切成一片片的皮蛋之类滑溜溜的东西，必须训练各手指间的协调配合。
4)筷子——中国人的灵巧与智慧
用筷子吃饭同用毛笔写字有很多共通之处。有学者注意到，写得一手好字的人无一例外都很擅长使用筷子，因为运笔和用筷方法是一样的，要想写好字就必须做到肩、臂、手腕、手指的协调配合。中国人用筷子的技巧，常常吸引了许多外国人，甚至还有专门教人使用筷子的“培训中心”。
筷子的发明充分显示了中国人的灵巧和智慧。有些日本学者曾经测定，人在使用筷子夹取食物时，需要80多个关节和50条肌肉的协调运动，并且与大脑中枢神经有关。因此，用筷子吃饭可以使人心灵手巧。
西方人历来对中国人刺绣和泥塑方面精美绝伦的工艺印象深刻，这些巧夺天工的手艺难道与经常使用筷子有关吗？
中国是筷子的故乡，但是世界上第一家“筷子博物馆”据说在德国。这家博物馆展出了一万多双以金、银、玉石、兽骨等不同材料制成的筷子，这些筷子来自不同的国家和地区，出自不同的历史时期，可谓洋洋大观。
Exercises
Section A Thought-provoking questions
1．How would you respond to the challenge by the Westerners that“You Chinese are very cruel because you eat your best friends—dogs”？
2．How would you explain the display of anyone's dexterity by cleverly using chopsticks？
Section B Translate the following ways of cooking into Chinese
1．to deep-fry
2．to stir-fry
3．to saut
4．to assort
5．to pan fry(to fry in boiling oil)
6．to boil in soy sauce，or in light brine
7．to broil，to grill
8．to braise，to fricassee
9．to cook in boiling oil
10．to quick fry
11．frying and simmering
12．twice-cooked
13．soft deep-frying
14．crisp deep-frying
15．scalding
※The man of wisdom delights in water;the man of humanity delights in mountains.The man of wisdom is active;the man of humanity loves tranquility.The man of wisdom enjoys happiness;the man of humanity enjoys long life.
From Analects of Confucius
(智者乐水，仁者乐山。智者动，仁者静。智者乐，仁者寿。)
——《论语》
※Those whose care extends not far enough will find their trouble at hand.
From Analects of Confucius
(人无远虑，必有近忧。)
——《论语》