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| We can see from this sampling of Japanese cuisine that it is very different from
American cuisine. Some of this is due to the fact that geography and climate affect the
availability of certain foods, and some of it is just different for no reason we can
pinpoint. One of the differences is, of course, that in Japan chopsticks are used to eat. We may say "Yeah, so what?", but this small difference is an expression of what is perhaps a larger cultural difference in Japan, manual dexterity is much prized, partly because a certain amount of manual dexterity is needed to eat with chopsticks, and partly because in order to write the Japanese language with a brush (as it used to be written all the time), a great deal of manual dexterity is needed. Strength is not considered to be as important as dexterity; we can see this in the fact that boxing, which needs strength, is not as popular as martial arts, which require more physical dexterity. This is just one example of a way that a small item-or in the case of chopsticks, two small items-can have a very large cultural significance. |
| Oriental food has become increasingly popular in the U.S., but not much care is taken
to distinguish Japanese food from Chinese food, or to tell a Japanese restaurant from a
Chinese restaurant. In terms of physical appearance of the restaurant, Japanese
restaurants are usually earth and wood colored-brown and beige-while Chinese restaurants
are usually decorated in red, which is considered to be a good luck color. A Chinese meal is ordered in terms of dishes: usually one dish is ordered for each person, and then the food is shared. On the other hand, each person orders his own Japanese meal, which comes with rice, pickles, and soup. Chinese food frequently has a sauce, and Japanese food almost never does. These are some of the ways to tell Japanese food and Chinese food apart. It is important to realize that the types of dishes found on the menu of a Japanese restaurant in the U.S. is different from the types of dishes found on the menu of a Japanese restaurant in Japan. Many Japanese restaurants have posted their menus on the internet. You can log onto these sites to see what types of dishes are offered, not only in Japanese restaurants in the U.S., but in Japanese restaurants in Italy, Brazil, Spain, Australia and around the world! |
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