Thursday, October 15, 2015

Eating Culture
       There are many different eating cultures in the world. Each country has 
its own history and culture which is the reason there are many special eating 
habits. It helps people realize where are they come from and influences their 
own lifestyle. I lived in China for twenty-five years and loved the Chinese 
food very much. As it has a long history, the eating habits in China have 
special styles, and they are famous around the world. Even though there are 
many Chinese restaurants in Chicago, they also mixed with the local culture 
and the tastes are different compared to China. The unfamiliar style makes 
me have a particular nostalgia for the eating culture of China.
        When I was in China, the food market was near my house, and the 
ingredients in the market were fresh. Most of the vegetable and meat, they 
were selling just in one day. If they left in the second day, the sellers always 
sold them at a lower price. That was the reason that I went to the market 
everyday to buy some fresh food for my family’s dinner. However, it 
changed when I arrived in the United States. My first place in Chicago was 
far from the market, so I couldn’t go to the market everyday because it would 
waste a lot of time on shopping. In addition, the most of the food was stored 
in the refrigerator. People consider that keeping the meat frozen is safer than 
into the air and putting the vegetable in low temperature can retain its 
freshness. This new approach to storing and selling food made me feel that 
the food was not as fresh as I had eaten in China, even I just bought them 
from the market.
     When I lived in China, I loved eating soup because soup always followed 
the seasons. In the summer, my family would cook vegetable soup because 
they can provide me much vitamin C to make us feel healthier. In the winter, 
my family liked to put some medicinal ingredients and meat to cook the 
soup. It would let me feel warmer and provided me more energy. In the 
United States, I have tasted the soup in the restaurant, but it was dense and 
sweet. It made me feel very strange and didn’t want to eat it at dinner. 
It tasted more like the dessert than soup. In addition, another reason that I 
like Chinese soup is because it can help me relax and remember my mother. 
Since I have immigrated to Chicago, I liked to eat a cup of soup. At this 
moment, I always remember how my mother was always busy working on 
the chicken and how she taught me to cook the soup. 



 
 
          Finally, the happy family time is reason that I miss my the Chinese 
eating culture. In China, I was busy working on the daytime. When I sat 
together with my family around the table, I would feel relaxed and always 
shared some interesting information with our family, it was the time that I 
communicated with my family. When I arrived in the United States, my 
family and I didn’t eat together everyday. Their working times were 
different. Sometimes, they had to work until 11 o’clock at night, so I 
needed to eat the dinner just by myself. It always made me feeling lonely.  
         I have been living in Chicago for one year, and I am still nostalgic for 
the eating culture of China. I have considered that time will change it, but it 
hasn’t yet. Now, the Chinese eating culture has a deep place in my heart 
because it is not only the culture that I miss, but it is also represent how I 
miss my parents and my countryside. Even though I have to adapt the native 
culture in Chicago, I still try my best to keep our own eating culture with 
my family.
 

 

 

 

12 comments:

  1. your essay is very smooth, and your essay is thoughtful. Yes,the eating culture reminded me that I had a wonderful time in china .

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  2. Oh, I feel hungry when I see your essay.
    You give nice pictures and transition words.
    Good job!

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  3. Yes, I agree with what you wrote because I have same experience like you. In China, the market is near my village, they only sold food in the morning. When we came to United States, everything is change.

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  4. your essay makes me miss the food in my country. The Arabic food in Chicago does not taste as same as the food in country; it is totally different. Even if I decide to cook by myself, the Arabic groceries are far. I need to talk two buses in order to reach my destination. Moreover, they are too small and not totally clean!
    Anyway, I have adapted to the American food, such as Pizza, burger, and so on

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  5. your essay is very good because you write this essay from general to specific.
    it is very easy to read.

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  6. Nice job! Your essay is organized, your ideas are clear, and you used good details to support the thesis. I like the interesting parts about the Chinese soup and the conclusion. I think the reasons why we miss the Chinese soup not only its good taste, but also its family's flavor.

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. I like the part that describe the soup. Eating soup is a very important traditional in my family. Even though my family immigrated to Chicago, they still cook different kind of soups every weekend.

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  9. your essay remind me that how i love my country's food, especially when you describe the soup. as a cantonese, soup is very important for my family. people in my family are good at cooking delicious soup. maybe we can discuss how to make a great soup next time.

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  10. After read your essay, I feel very hungry. My favourite Chinese dish is Sliced Chilli Sauce because it tastes very delicious. I think Chinese food is the most delicious food in the world.

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  11. After read your essay, I feel very hungry. My favourite Chinese dish is Sliced Chilli Sauce because it tastes very delicious. I think Chinese food is the most delicious food in the world.

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  12. Your essay organize is good and very clear. My favorite food is also Chinese food, and Chinese food is very delicious.There are many different places food in Chicago, and the food taste is really different from China.

    ReplyDelete