Chinese Food vs. Mexican Food by leslie lau

Chinese Food vs. Mexican Food



The Chinese and the Mexican had never seen eye to eye much food wise. They each represent different side of the world. China representing the eastern culture, and Mexico representing the western culture. Although they are located in different areas and have different type of resources, they both are very similar in their different ways.

Like many cultures, the Chinese culture clashed with the American culture. Many Chinese restaurants offer different varieties of food but some of the food served are a style of Chinese food that were found in America rather than China. America has influence some dishes. For example, chow mein, a dish consisting of noodle, meat, cabbage and other vegetables, is an American influenced Chinese dish. This started in 19th century when the Chinese were experimenting with the local ingredients they had when they were working in the railroad. The food mostly change for an American taste, for you can not imagine looking at a menu that have dogs, snakes, turtles, etc.

The American Culture did not have mercy on the Mexican culture too. Many food you see in America is not really Mexican food. America has changed a lot of dishes. Tacos, for example, had so much American influence that it had lost its true nature. A lot has to do with the fast food chain, Taco Bell, which gave the image of what a taco would look like. If you go to Mexico and order a taco, it would be very much different from the one you would order in Taco Bell. Instead of your regular ground beef and lettuce and sour cream, you may see strange things such as stomachs, liver, and head from cattle.

American cultures are also conveyed differently in other cultures. For example, during Thanksgiving, Chinese add a little more than the traditional turkey and the mash potatoes. They also have their own kind of food. You may see sweet and sour pork, chow mein, fried rice, and of course fried pig. The Mexican culture celebrate thanksgiving with their own twist also. They have dishes like sweet potatoes dish for dessert. They also serve the traditional Mexican food like tamales, nachos, and salsa.

In the Chinese culture, they celebrate many traditions, but the most important and popular is the Chinese new year. During the Chinese new year, they have a lot of food and festivities. One of the important time is the dinner on the day of Chinese new year. The dinner is like a big family reunion. One of the food served is “fat choy” which a black hair-like algae. It symbolizes prosperity. They also serve the usual chicken and pork but one unique dish sets itself out from the others. This dish is the shark fin soup. It is the most expensive probably the most important dish on the table.

The Mexican culture too have a holiday where family reunite, but not with the living. The Day of the Dead is an ancient celebration of the memory of the deceased. Families of the decease build alters or shrines for them. With the alter, the favorite food of the person in the alter is laid next to them. Water is also offered because belief has it that the spirits of the dead are very much tired after a long journey to the world of the living. Families will also have other offerings such as sugar skulls, candied pumpkin, and pan de muerto (bread of the dead). The food is left outside the house as a welcoming for the dead. They also believe that the ghosts eat the food spiritual so even though the celebrators eat the food after the festivities, it has no nutritional value.

One big ingredient to both culture is rice. Rice plays a big role in both culture. The Chinese eat rice with every meal they eat while the Mexican also use it but in a different way. The Chinese usually eat rice on the side with their main course. For example, at a casual Chinese dinner, entrées such as fish, chicken, and vegetables are set in the center of the table. Everyone would have a bowl of rice and they would get the item they would like to eat and have it with the rice. Another way the Chinese use their rice is they would make rice noodles or rice sticks. Rice sticks are made from rice, flour, and water. They use it to make dishes like rice noodle soup or sometimes included in egg rolls or won ton. Rice plays a key role in Mexican culture too. Besides bean, rice is in almost every Mexican meal too. A lot of dishes include rice such as burritos, Mexican rice or just on the side of many varieties of food. Rice is the heart of every Mexican meal and without it isn’t very Mexican at all. There is a big difference though on how they make their rice. The Chinese way is that you just put it in water and put it in the rice cooker or put a little bit more water and make porridge. The Mexican way is they cook in a slightly spicy tomatoe sauce which gives it the orange tint color you see.



In both cultures, their home countries are both in poverty. Food is not as plentiful as here in the United States. Food symbolizes a lot of things for these people. One thing is it symbolizes the struggle and hard work they had to get the food. Food also symbolizes life. Everyday there is a thin line between life and death and food separates them. They would eat anything to survive. In China, they would eat from anything to dogs or as gross as snakes. In Mexico, they would make concoctions such as Chocolate Cover Ants or a Cow Stomach Taco Supreme.

As different as it may seem, Chinese cuisine and Mexican Cuisine are almost the same thing. Even though they are located in the opposite end of the world, they have similar food traditions and culture. The Chinese celebrate Chinese New Year with a dinner with their family while the Mexican celebrate the Day of the Dead with family members of the dead. They both share the struggle in the struggle for food. Things like rice may not seem like a big deal, they also share a big common use in the two cultures. Even though the two cultures do not clash together, one thing could bring them together and that is food.