Welcome to this edition of China Lifestyle Journeys, the series that brings you chats, discussions and insights on all aspects of Chinese living. We will cover festivals, food, traditions, customs and much, much more. I’m your host Jocelyn … and I’m Mat, just an English guy with lots of questions.

So, Mat, what’s your big question today?

(Mat)

Hello again, today, we're talking about staple foods in Chinese cuisine. Now this can be a difficult topic for some people. Let me tell you why. I remember when I first came to China, we had a huge meal, a dinner, my workmates and I. Our boss took us to a very fancy restaurant, and we had like ten or twelve dishes, everything from beef, pork, chicken, fish, shrimps, vegetables, eggplant and things like that …so many different dishes. We were eating for over an hour, and I remember being quite full because I was trying all of these different dishes, and then someone asked me, ‘Mat, what do you want for your main food?’

And I thought ‘My what?’ I’ve just had like twelve different Chinese dishes. Twelve! Surely that was main food. What were those twelve dishes? Were they just a starter? What do you mean by main food? I was really confused by this question.

(Jocelyn)

OK, let me tell you. In China, we have a concept of 主食, which is the ‘staple food’ that goes with your meal, such as rice or noodles. This ‘staple food’ is the main source of energy in a meal. So it’s always eaten with other dishes. In Chinese food culture, having a balanced meal is important, and 主食 is a crucial part of that balance. Historically, food wasn’t always easily available all year round, sometimes people didn’t have an abundant supply of meat or fish or even fresh vegetables, especially in winter – so the concept of staple food, really comes from this, being able to have a filling meal even during times when food is not easy to find. Eating rice and noodles means that you have a steady reliable supply of food throughout the year.

(Mat) 

OK, that makes sense. Now I have another example that has kind of confused me at the time. I remember someone once said to me, people in North China eat wheat-based staples such as bread, dumplings,and noodles. And people in South China eat rice-based staples. What do people in your country eat? Now when I was asked this question I didn’t really know what to say. What do people in my country eat? I don’t think we eat a staple.

(Jocelyn)

OK, I understand that question from the perspective of a Chinese person and I can also understand why it would be confusing for you, as someone from England. So, in China the types of staple foods people eat can vary greatly depending on their cultural background or geographic location. For example, in the example you just mentioned, people in Northern part of China tend to prefer wheat-based staples, while people in Southern part of China tend to prefer rice-based staples. And this is very true and there are reasons for this. Remember China is a huge country, and regional differences in things like climate, farming have always been different.

If we draw a line across the middle of China, and make a rough North and South divide, because of the differences in soil and climate, different crops have traditionally been grown in the two regions. In the north, the harsh climate made it difficult to grow rice, so wheat became the staple crop. In the south, the warmer climate and fertile land made it easier to cultivate rice, so rice became the staple crop.

(Mat) 

Ah, I’m understanding this a lot more now. So, when I think about the food in my country, there isn’t a specific staple food because there is no traditional or cultural importance attached to one particular food item that is eaten regularly. I think the food in the UK consists of a diverse range of foods and dishes from different regions and cultures around the world, especially from around Europe. The UK has a long history of foreign trade and exchanging things, exchanging culture, especially with food. So I guess the concept of a single staple food doesn’t exist in the same way that it does in China. I mean we eat certain ‘high-carb energy foods’ ‘sometimes’ but not every day, like sometimes we eat bread, sometimes pasta, potatoes, we even eat rice sometimes, but we don’t eat them every day and sometimes we eat none. In fact, it’s really popular in my country for people to follow a zero-carb diet.

(Jocelyn)

Yeah so exactly, that’s why English people get confused when people ask them the about the ‘main food’, 主食.

(Mat) 

Yeah, it’s really confusing for most English people, and probably American people, I don’t think they have this concept of a staple. I'm also curious though, are there any customs or etiquette rules that are associated with Chinese staple foods? I've heard that in some parts of China, people take their staple food so seriously they won't even leave a single grain of rice in their bowl. Is that true?

 (Jocelyn)

Yes, its’ true. In some parts of China, it's a tradition to finish every single grain of rice on your plate. This is a way to show respect and gratitude for the meal, which is pretty cool. It's like saying, "I enjoyed this meal so much that I want to enjoy every last little bit of rice”.

Well, that’s it for today. We hope you enjoyed this episode, thanks for listening. We hope to see you again next time. Until then, goodbye. Stay wise.

世界各地的饮食结构存在着较大的差异，例如今天欧洲人的主食是以肉食为主，而我们中国则以植物性的作物或者稻米、豆科类植物制品来补充人体所需的能量。

东亚地区包括中国南方的主食来源就是水稻。稻子是人类所知的最有用的食物，它解决了人类将近一半人口的粮食问题。稻子成熟后加工成米，经过蒸煮就成了我们日常所需的“饭”，放的水更多，煮的时间更长，就成了另一种形式的米制品一一粥。然而在这么多民族的共同努力下，米制品不仅仅只局限于“饭”和“粥”。人们把米磨成粉，以水调和制作出肠粉、河粉等米制衍生品。

欧洲的许多国家都位于北温带的温带海洋性气候区。这种气候适宜大范围牧草生长却难以种植不适宜谷物，因此，以牛羊为主的等畜牧业就相对发达，这种结构决定了西方人的肉食性特点，并且在此基础上形成了主食以肉食为主的饮食习惯。此外，相对中国而言，欧洲的大部分地区纬度较高，光照和热量摄入远不如亚热带温带地区的人来得容易，所以欧洲人的饮食始终坚持高热量、高营养。

如果说自然地理因素给了人们选择食物的大前提，那么长期以往的历史文明则在细节上影响人们对主食以及配合主食的食材的需求。中西方文明形态的差异导致人们对主食的选择不尽相同。农业社会为主的中国主要依靠植物性食品来获得养分他们长年定居、聚居，形成了热烈友好的饮食习惯，因此在饮食礼节上，中国人多崇尚热闹、欢快的气氛。而西方人在饮食礼节上好静，这大概跟工业文明的影响有一定的关系。

摘自《中西饮食文化中主食的差异性》