The Impact Of American Culture (Food) On The Chinese People’s Diet

Many people in the world have adapted American styles of living in terms of dressing, feeding, entertainment products, and even the language (Inglis, 101). This kind of adaption explains the extent of Americanization in most of the countries. According to (Brendon, 162) the concern about Americanization is not to condemn the American culture. Some aspects of American culture are good and helpful to the Americanized nations. Other aspects of the culture are destroying the sense of locality, which makes people prefer more of American culture to their local culture hence a loss of identity. American lifestyle has been introduced as far as China and some of the most practiced lifestyle is feeding (Inglis, 101). American style and drinks have altered the Chinese feeding culture despite the fact the strong confidence that people of China had about their way of feeding.

The adaption of new eating habits by the Chinese is due to the diversity of its population hence necessitating importation of foodstuffs from other countries like America who produce a variety of foodstuffs (Inglis, 102). It was hard feed the increasing population on the scarce Chinese foods that is mostly meat. Due to scarcity of meat, more foods had to be introduced from other cultures like American.

The traditional Chinese diet is characterized by low a low quantity of animal-based foods with plenty of plant-based foods. This diet has always been known for fighting diseases (Caballero, 42). In addition to being delicious Chinese cooking is based to serve as a therapy for harmonizing the body in seasons. The traditional Chinese diet comprises of vegetables that are steamed lightly, accompanied by rice, dumplings, or noodles (Caballero, 42). Fish and meat being part of the diet are normally to be served in smaller in amount compared to the western diet. This is so different from the American cooking style that has changed the Chinese order of diet. The American style of cooking has been introduced in china and most of the Chinese food now is American version. Chinese immigrants created it some time back, adapting style using American ingredients. The traditional Chinese foods include chop suey, won ton soup, moo goo gai pan, and egg foo yung (Caballero, 42). These foods had to be changed when the Chinese immigrants mixed up with Americans and due to lack of Chinese ingredients in America; they were forced to use the American ingredients in preparing Chinese foods. As a result, the Chinese food became Americanized and a new wave of dishes were introduced in Chinese diet including Kung pao chicken, general Tso’s chicken, mushu pork and sour soup.

The introduction of American styles of cooking has several impacts to both china and America and the impacts are both positive and negative. First, with the change in the cooking styles, Chinese have resorted to growing the American ingredients in order to maintain the style of cooking (Caballero, 42). It has also created trade relation between America and china by importing some food items from America to china. This has also resulted into a variety of foodstuffs in china to add the ones that existed. Americans are now free to move to china without worry of what to feed on the other because there are varieties of foodstuffs that favor them the other side (Cody, 10). The Chinese change of food styles promotes diverse population. Americans are advantaged because they establish American hotels in china for their own benefit hence promoting American products.

This adaption of American culture also has a negative impact to the Chinese. There is distortion of culture as the Americans replace the Chinese style foods with the American style. The home commodities or food items lose market since are now introduced to another cooking style which requires importation of ingredients (Cody, 10). American hotels in china have to employ American chefs since they are the ones who have much experience on the American style of foods than the Chinese hence neglecting the Chinese. They also resulted to a fall in the domestic restaurants especially those that cook typical traditional Chinese foods (Cody, 10). The Chinese cooking that aimed to promote health of people is being replaced by the American style, which comprises of a mixture of many ingredients may not serve the same purpose like the traditional Chinese food.

Work cited

Brendon O’Connor, (P161-162) article use for talk about people in other countries know and more familiar with US culture and knowledge than their country’s culture.

Mark Rice-Oxley (P163), article use to talk about US exports its own culture in a very widely range, things like sport, entertainment and food.

Fuller, Sherri G. Chinese in Minnesota. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2004. Internet resource

Cody, Jeffrey W. Building in China: Henry K. Murphy's "adaptive Architecture," 1914-1935. Sha Tin, N.T., Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2001. Print.

Caballero, Benjamin, and Barry M. Popkin. The Nutrition Transition: Diet and Disease in the Developing World. Amsterdam: Academic Press, 2002. Internet resource.

Inglis, David. Food. New York, NY: Routledge, 2007. Print.