China vs. Japan

1. China vs. Japan

2. China • China is the home of one of the oldest civilizations • Largest population in the world • Third largest country which occupies nearly ¼ of Asia • Geographical features have kept China isolated for most of its history

3. Geography & Climate • Pacific Ocean & South China Sea form the coastlines • Western China is mountainous • Himalayan & Tien Shan Mountains • Much of the area is barren • Mountains are too high and rugged • Valleys are too cold and dry • Eastern China is more suitable for life

4. More Geography & Climate • Eastern China • Lower mountains • Rolling plains are fairly level • Wide valleys with rich soil • China’s northern most region stays frozen for 2/3 of the year! Brrr!!!!! • In China’s southern most region rainfall is ample due to the subtropicalclimate

5. A little more about rain… • Monsoons that come off the Pacific Ocean produce dust storms to the North • Monsoons also bring unpredictable rainfall to much of the eastern third of the country • Drought and flooding are both common

6. Chinese Culture Take 1 • Largest population on the planet • Invented… • Paper, gunpowder, magnetic compass • Built the Great Wall wish stretches about 4,000 miles through northern China

7. Chinese Culture Take 2 • Most of China’s people are farmers • Farmers do mostly all the work by hand • China’s chief agriculture product is RICE! • Other important products include… • Wheat, corn, oats, barley, soybeans, sugarcane, and tea

8. How about one more slide? • Important vegetables include • Celery, turnips, radishes, and eggplant • Where weather permits the Chinese also grow • Pears, grapes, oranges, apricots, nuts,and figs. • The Chinese raise few beef or dairy cattle; • instead they raise pigs, chickens, ducks, geese and other small animals that eat scraps • Fish are abundant due to the ample amounts of water

9. Let’s take a Holiday! • Spring Festival • Recognizes the new year • Each year is named a different animal • Dragon Boat Festival • Mid-summer; boat races; rice cakes are eaten • Moon Festival • Mid-autumn; celebrated by eating moon cakes • which are pastries filled with bean paste or lotus seeds

10. Chinese Cuisine Chinese have a very nutritious cuisine Chinese cuisine is moderately low in fat High in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. A nutritional weakness is the high sodium level that results from a liberal use of soy sauce. • Meals include large amounts of rice and vegetables • Only includes small amounts of meal

11. Common Ingredients Bamboo shoots Bean sprouts Black Mushrooms Chinese cabbage Chinese pea pods Oyster sauce Soy sauce Water chestnuts A little more Cuisine…

12. Cooking Methods Stir-frying Most common Heat small amount of oil in wok Steaming 2nd most popular Deep-frying Seals in juices and flavor Simmering Roasting Peking duck is the most well known Cooking Utensils Wok Metal bowl with sloped sides Steamer Round, shallow basket with openings Cleaver Used for all cuttings tasks as well as for crushing & pounding Chopsticks Chinese Cuisine

13. Chinese Food • Rice is the backbone of the Chinese diet because it is inexpensive and filling • Vegetables are used more often than meats which makes cooking economical • Fish is more important to the Chinese diet then meat • Soups are popular in Chinese cooking and is the only dish eaten without chopsticks • Tea is China’s national drink and is given upon arrival or departure as a sign of hospitality • Sweets are less common than in other Asian countries

14. Fried rice Egg rolls Wontons Sweet & sour pork Egg drop soup (Eggs are good luck!) Egg foo yung(like an omelet) Shark fin soup/bird nest soup (very interesting!) Eight treasure rice pudding(molded rice pudding with dried fruit) Popular Foods

15. Chinese Meal • The Chinese eat three meals a day • Breakfast is usually a bowl of congee • thick porridge made from rice or barley • Lunch and dinner are similar, and at both meals the dishes are served all at once • Rice always accompanies the main dishes.

16. Japan • The nation of islands • ¾ of the land is mountains which has made farming difficult • Providing enough food has always been a challenge for the Japanese • Japan’s fish industry is one of the largest in the world

17. Geography • Mountains have made farming difficult • Lowlands have crowded living conditions with little land left to work with • Many rives and clear lakes

18. Climate • Southern Japan is subtropical • Summers are hot/humid; winters are mild • The bulk of the population reside here • Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island has cold winters • Below freezing temperatures for at least 4months • At risk for typhoons and monsoons

19. Japanese Agriculture • Rice is the most important crop • Sweet potatoes, wheat, and sugar beets are also popular • Scarce land • Mandarin oranges and strawberries are grown in the south. • Buddhist teachings forbid the eating of meat • Seafood provides most of the protein in the diet

20. Fish • Catches include • Sardines, salmon, herring, cuttlefish, yellowtail, and seaweed • Frozen or canned seafood is exported

21. Japanese Festivals • Japanese New Year • Eat long noodles as a symbol for a long life • Setsubun-New Years celebration • In early February, people eat one soybean for each year they have lived. • Cherry Blossoms Festival • Welcoming of Spring, Cherry Blossoms are Japan’s national flower. Families picnic under blooming trees and eat cherryblossom cakes.

22. Basic ingredients Rice Gohan (means rice) Sake & mirin are made from rice Fish Tuna, bass, flounder, cod, carp, & squid Soybeans Tofu is made from soybeans Seaweed Usually use it dried Veggies and Fruits Daikon white radish Negi leek Wasabi horseradish Persimmons Mandarin oranges Japanese Cuisine

23. Cuisine Cont. • Main dishes • Meat was not traditionally part of the diet but now appears on more Japanese tables • Beef is famous for the tenderness which results from the treatment the cattle receive • Cattle feed on bran, beans, rice, and beer

24. Cooking methods Cook food in small pieces Boil Steam Fry Broil Japanese cooking is prepared at the table Aesthetic Appearance of food Japanese cooks place great emphasis on color, shape, and arrangement of food on the serving dish Food may be arranged to represent mountains, rivers, trees and flowers of Japan Japanese Cuisine

25. Japanese Eating Customs • Japanese do not use napkins. • Use oshibori, which are warm, damp, and fragrant. They use these to wipe their hands and faces. • Bowls for warm foods are served with covers -Diners uncover the rice first to show that it is the most honored food. • Japanese drink soup from a cup rather than spooning in from a bowl. • They hold the soup in their left hand and hold their chopsticks in their right hand to secure their food.

26. Japanese Meals • Eating customs • Eat at a low table • Napkins are not used, instead soft towels are brought to the table • Bowls served with hot food are covered and the rice is always uncovered first which indicates the most honored food.

27. Meals Cont. • Many dishes are served at the meal • Dishes are light and served in small quantities • Lunch is not very fancy usually left over rice and vegetables • Dinner is very elaborate and served late • The young children eat first • Desserts are reserved for special occasions.

28. Tamago dashimaki omelet Kimini Seasoned shrimp with egg yolk glaze Nimono Foods cooked in boiling liquid Mushimono Steamed foods Agemono Fried food Yakimono Broiled food Nabemono Food prepared at the table Nihon-cha Green tea Interesting Words to know