Clash of Cultures

Just because two cuisines center around sticky white rice does not mean that they are identical. Yet far too many restaurants, like Empire Szechuan Gourmet, serve both Chinese and Japanese cuisine out of the same kitchen. Perhaps the reason is not simply profit, but a certain degree of ignorance.

Among college students, sweet and sour chicken is its own food group, and in New York sushi is a way of life. But out of respect for centuries of history and culture, it must be made clear that the only commonality between Chinese and Japanese food is sticky white rice.

Historical records dating from 297 CE note a fundamental difference between the two cuisines. The Chinese do not eat raw foods, while the Japanese do. All ingredients in Chinese cuisine, such as meat, vegetables, and eggs, are cooked and, with few exceptions, served piping hot.

Japanese cooking, as most know, includes several varieties of raw dishes. Besides sushi and sashimi, which are composed of raw fish, raw vegetable dishes and raw eggs used as a dipping sauces are commonplace.

Temperature is also an important component of Japanese cooking, ranging from cold to hot. Female sushi chefs do not exist in Japan because their higher body temperature is believed to diminish the freshness of fish in the preparation of sushi.

Based on these differences, Chinese food has evolved into a robust cuisine built on the overlapping flavors of its ingredients, while the Japanese have focused on more delicate fare that emphasizes purer flavors.

There is also the issue of geography. China is a vast country, and several regions boast distinctive dishes and styles of cooking based on what their environments provide.

Food in Beijing is based on the city’s imperial heritage with rich dishes such as Beijing (or Peking) duck, thin slices of skin wrapped in a crepe with green onions and plum sauce. Cantonese (or Guangdong) food is usually steamed, boiled, or stir-fried using a small amount of oil. The teatime specialty dim sum is a product of the Canton style. The southwestern China province of Sichuan uses chili pepper oil for a distinctively spicy taste.

Because Japan is a small country it lacks distinctive regional styles like those found in China. Japanese cuisine relies on the same principles across the archipelago. The only exception is Okinawa. This southern island became part of Japan only 100 years ago and still maintains its own distinct cooking style. Heavily influenced by Chinese styles, Okinawan cuisine leans toward stronger and spicier flavors than traditional Japanese food.

Regional specialties are abundant, though, in dishes like kitsune-udon, noodles with fried tofu, and Osaka’s okonomiyaki, a thick pancake with meat or seafood. Osaka also has its own style of sushi, Osaka-zushi, made by pressing sea bream, sea eel, or mackerel with vinegar between rice layers. The word kuiadore, which is to become poor by eating extravagantly, describes the plight of Osaka’s people.

One of the most obvious differences between Chinese and Japanese food lies in the presentation. The Chinese meal is served family style, with every dish placed on a platter and served all at once. Diners transfer food from these platters onto their own plates. The ultimate goal of the Chinese meal is to achieve a balance between fan (rice and other starches) and cai (vegetables and meats), similar to the Taoist ideal of the balance of yin and yang.

Japanese food focuses on the concept of shun, or what is in season, and the innate beauty of not only what one is about to eat but of the serving dish. The kaiseki meal, served in more upscale restaurants around the city, is the epitome of this form. Composed by a series of small dishes arranged in a decorative manner to accent the taste of the food, the kaiseki meal provides a sense of the season and showcases the beauty of the serving dish.

It could be said that Chinese and Japanese cuisines share the same utensil, the chopstick. But even those are different. Traditionally, Chinese chopsticks have blunt ends and Japanese chopsticks are pointy.

Even the rice is different. Chinese rice is a long grain and Japanese rice is a rounder medium grain. Try making fried rice with rounder medium grain rice—the bite is not the same. Try making sushi with long grain rice; it simply does not work.