Food Production in South of China
The agricultural trends in south China have been of major
importance in the nation since time immemorial. As a matter of fact, China is
one of the chief producers of food in the global arena. From the ancient days
of human civilization the Chinese masses have been very active in agricultural
processes such as crop irrigation and utilization of animals such as cattle in
farming. As is to be expected, therefore, the dietary culture of the Chinese
has been one that is primarily composed of grains. In the modern day the staple
food of most South Chinese remains grains, with meat being the occasional
supplement. Grains are therefore responsible for more than three quarters of
the carbohydrate energy found in diets of the South Chinese people. After
cereals, vegetables and fruits make up most of the food culture in this part of
the world followed by milk and related products and finally eggs, fish and the
other forms of meat. Another well known aspect of the dietary patterns in South
China is the utilization of chopsticks in place of forks, spoons and knives.
Foods like longan, peanuts and Chinese dates are the traditional foods that
soon to be parents to wish them luck.
Nabhan (2002: 22-27) asserts that there is a need for
people to consume more locally produced food. In his piece of writing he
mentions that they once ate food that had travelled miles to reach them and
exchanged hands more than six times! It is this strong inclination towards
local food that caused Nabhan’s great revulsion by the occurrences that he went
through at the Casino. The food that was served at the restaurant included
those from France, Sicily, Italy and Cuba; there was absolutely nothing from
Lebanon. The location, topics of discussions and recreational activities that
are associated with meal time in South China are also very relevant. We can
clearly perceive that the discussions that occurred over the meal at the casino
about political issues such as taxes were very offensive to Nabhan. Unlike the
Lebanon dances, singing and shouts described by Nahban (24), the Southern
Chinese masses rarely cause such commotion during meal times; this is more so
if the people at the table are from different age groups.
Just like Nabhan, many, modern day families have taken a
keen interest in the foods that they eat; this is especially so due to the
increased occurrence of obesity as well as other diet related health
complications. Those with the ability to do so have even resorted to growing
their own food so as to make sure that they eat food that is as fresh as
possible.
The South Chinese people are very proud of their culture;
consequently, they tend to prefer their traditional food more than they do
international diets. The most widely known Chinese food, the cuisine, is a
mixture of the traditional culinary habits of the Chinese Han people in
addition to many other diet cultures collected from various cultures. The value
attached to dietary patterns by the South Chinese people goes past the dietetic
value of food to its ability to provide the eater with happiness and good luck.
In addition to this, unlike other cultures the South Chinese people do not necessarily
attach time frames to the foods eaten; this implies that one can eat whatever
they want for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
In his essay Nabhan (2002: 17-27) is very pertinent in his
evaluation of the discrepancies that exist between local and international
foods. In the first chapter of this piece of writing, Naban describes the culinary
experience he had in Lebanon; despite the fact that he had had a wide variety
of foods in the past, it is then that he realized the importance of food in an
individual’s interaction with their family as well as the environment. In
Southern China people have particular mannerisms when they eat; firstly,
visitors in any house, or guests taken out to a restaurant for any meal should
never eat before their host invites them to, after a few words of pleasantries
and greeting. Behaving contrary to this would imply rudeness and disrespect. In
addition to this, the elders are treated with utmost respect. As a consequence
of this, Southern Chinese people practice their old age tradition in which the
elder people at the table are served first and allowed to eat of the choice
delicacies; the younger people can then eat their fill.
In conclusion the perceptions of food and how it is
consumed vary from one Southern Chinese to the other. Nevertheless, all of them
believe that more than the nutritional value of food, the dietary patterns that
are adopted by a person ought to increase their happiness as well as their well
being. In addition to this, they foods also ought to be healthy especially for
the elderly. As stated by Nabhan (2002: 17-27) local food is also more
preferable to international ones.
Work Cited
Gary Paul Nabhan: ‘Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasure and
Politics of Local Foods’ Norton:
New York, (2002) Pages 17-27
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