Food is an important part of any culture; it's often a source of pride and enjoyment. Unfortunately, many people fail to make a distinction between Japanese and Chinese foods. The information listed below will help you learn distinguish between Japanese and Chinese cuisines.
Instructions
1. Learn about typical Japanese cuisine. Meals usually include a bowl of rice, soup, vegetables and fish. A wide variety of fish, squid, octopus, eel, seaweed, clams, mushrooms, beans and ginger are used to flavor the rice and soup. Japanese cooking is eaten with chopsticks or flatware, depending upon the food.
2. Become familiar with standard Chinese fare. A meal will often contain rice or noodles and a complementary dish with vegetables, meat or fish. Fish and chicken are popular meat sources in Chinese cuisine. Food is usually served in small, bite-sized pieces that can easily be picked up with chopsticks.
3. Understand the different seasonings in Japanese and Chinese foods. Japanese flavors are often subtle, while Chinese cuisine is heavily flavored with spices. Common Japanese seasonings include soy sauce, mirin, miso, sake, rice vinegar and wasabi. Chinese food may contain five-spice powder, hot mustard, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise and soy sauce.
4. Look for many small bowls. Japanese food is often presented in an aesthetically pleasing manner, with careful thought put into dish selection and food arrangement. Each diner receives a number of little bowls, each of which contains a small portion of food, giving the diner a wide variety of options.
5. Watch out for big, communal dishes. Chinese food is served in much larger portions than Japanese foods. Each diner receives a bowl of rice and the rest of the food is served in large dishes. Everyone picks food out of the large dishes with their chopsticks or another utensil.
Tags: Japanese Chinese, between Japanese, bowl rice, Chinese cuisine, Chinese food