The difference in attitude to eating between England and China was made famously clear in the comical HSBC advert, namely, the English find it rude not to finish their plate whilst the Chinese find it rude not to supply more than enough food for their guest to leave each meal stuffed. The meeting of these two cultures helps explain why England is fat and China is poor.
The type of food on offer in each country is vastly different. The Chinese are among the finest chefs in the world. Taking a single main ingredient such as rice they can produce tables and tables of dishes, complete with starters, main courses and desserts. Multiply this ability over the vast number of ingredients on offer and one has a menu which can take days to read. A typical Chinese market contains all the fruit, veg and meat available in England and then a large variety of others which the average English person will never in their lives know exist.
England, on the other hand, has next to no food that it can call it’s own. Anyone considering a meal in England will think “Italian, French, Greek, … , or Chinese?” and it fails even in imitation to produce.
The final blow comes in with the price. The price of food in England in pounds is pretty much the same as the price of food in China in RMB. With a conversation rate of 1 to 15 China wins round one with little effort.
England 0 – 1 China.
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