iComparative Study of Chinese and Western Food Cultures摘要：食品文化的研究是一个宽泛的概念，它包括许多方面中西食品文化差异研究是跨文化交流研究的一个重要方面这篇文章主要聚焦于三个方面，文化定义设定，礼仪差异和对食品满意差异涵盖了整个文化交流研究的一小部分事实上还有许多其他的方面由于缺少信息和资料，这里的西方文化主要是指的英美食品文化然而这篇研究为更深层的研究提供了一个开始Abstract: The study of food culture is a broad issue, which involves a wide ranger of aspects, and a comparative study of Chinese & Western food cultures form the cross-cultural communication perspective which contains even more. This research is mainly focused on three general aspects.They are theoretical foundations, etiquette difference and contents difference which covers only a small part of the whole study. Actually there are many other aspects to be studied. Besides, food cultures in Western countries concerned in the research are mainly confined to America and Britain due to the fact that the available information or materials is limited. However, this research makes a start for the further study. OutlineThesis: As an important part of culture, Chinese and Western foods differ to some extent not only in ingredients and way of cooking but also in the way of service.Ⅰ. Significance of understanding disparities between Chinese and Western food culturesA. Importance of foodB. Importance of comparative study of Chinese & Western food culturesⅡ. Theoretical basisA. Definition of cultureB. Concern of food cultureⅢ. Difference of Etiquette in Chinese & Western food culturesA. Different tablewareB. Different time-orientation: lateness vs. punctualityⅣ. Different focusses placed on dishes in Chinese & Western Food Cultures A. Exquisiteness and taste in Chinese foodB. Nutrition and balance in Western foodComparative Study of Chinese and Western Food CulturesFood, as essential prerequisite for existence, is any substance that provides the nutrients necessary to maintain life and growth when ingested (Pamela & Kathryn, 1998:2). It plays an irreplaceable role in the development of society and in the progress of human beings, whether in ancient times when primitive man ate the raw flesh of birds and beasts or in modern times when humans have entered the new era of information, and whether in East or in West.There are great disparities between China and Western countries in etiquette and content of food cultures, so the comparative study of Chinese & Western food cultures will help us increase cross-cultural awareness that tolerating, understanding, and furthermore, appreciating and respecting cultural difference is essential if we are to achieve cross-cultural competence during the interaction. Moreover, as we communicate with people from different cultures, we will learn more about them and their way of life, including their history, values and the substance of their personality, and eventually, we will understand them better, or feel empathy with them. Based on the above-mentioned purposes, the author of this thesis hopes this research, to some extent, be of significance both theoretically and practically.Culture is a system of shared benefits, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of a society use with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation through learning (Longman Dictionary, 2002:535) We define culture as the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, actions, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, role, spatial relations, concepts of universe, and artifacts acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving (Samovar et al, 2000:36).Food culture obviously belongs to popular culture that is overt, explicit and objective. Actually, till now, nobody has ever made a widely recognized definition because of various reasons. However, here, as far as this research is concerned, in order to make the comparison more concrete and practical, the author confines food contents, food habits, food etiquette, the attitudes towards food, the function of food, etc. that are derived from each individual culture.Chinese food culture in this research mainly refers to the one in Han nationality. As we all know, China is a nation with 56 ethnic groups, each of which has its unique food, food habits, etc. But the Han nationality and its culture are the mainstream in China due to some historical, political and economic reasons, which, however, are not the main concerns of this research. Besides, the author which is much more familiar to the Han cultural background, than that of any other ethnic group.Western food culture in this research is mainly concerned with the one in the English-speaking countries, especially in America and Britain due to the fact that their cultural patterns and influence have become dominant in the West, which is generally recognized by the international community. On the other hand, most of the materials and information on food culture collected by the author are all 。