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Since I came to Canada, I have
observed Canadians have different ways to use ingredients and different
cooking methods when making a meal. This is especially true when compared
with Vietnamese. For example, only baby dill is used for seafood dishes in Vietnam,
simply because it smells like seafood. However, it is not unusual if I see
baby dill on meat dishes in Canada.
Therefore, the ways in which Vietnamese cook and use ingredients differ a lot
from Canadians.
First
of all, it seems to me that Canadians consume many more food cans than
Vietnamese. Actually, in general, Vietnamese do not like to use any food cans
to cook their daily meals. Things such as cans of tomato or vegetables are
barely used in Vietnamese dishes. They tend to use fresh ingredients. Also,
frozen foods are very common in all Canadian supermarkets; on the other hand,
they are not very popular at all in Vietnam. Although there is a
variety of food in the market, and Canadians like to eat seafood, they do not
make a lot of sea food dishes. Instead, they often buy pork, chicken, or
beef. Meanwhile, almost all Vietnamese families enjoy sea food as often as
they can. Besides, obviously rice always accompanies every meal in Vietnam; in
contrast, Canadians eat pasta, potato and bread. Using flavors and spices is
another difference between Vietnamese and Canadians. Vietnamese use a variety
of sauces to strengthen or lighten the flavor of the food, whereas Canadians
mainly use salt and pepper. The types of sauces used for cooking in Vietnam are
varied; for instance, fish, shrimp, soy or sweet and sour sauce. So it is
clear that Vietnamese use more various types of sauces than Canadians.
I
surveyed a number of Canadians at the Vancouver
Public Library. I asked them about what ingredients they often use for cooking
and how often they use those ingredients.
Secondly,
the way Canadians cook their meals is also dissimilar to Vietnamese.
Basically, this comes from the difference between the two cultures. Canada is in North America, while Vietnam is an
Asian country. Lifestyle and social pace in each country are not the same.
Therefore, those influences result in the dissimilarity of daily living
activities, such as cooking. It probably takes a longer time for Vietnamese
to cook than Canadians due to the cooking process. Vietnamese’s dishes often require a lot of stewing and simmering. As well
as soup, fish in clay pot, or pork hot pot, which are very popular in Vietnam, take
a lot of time to prepare and to cook. In addition, Canadians often eat fresh
salad; in contrast, Vietnamese eat cooked vegetables. For instance, broccoli
can be served as salad in Canada,
but in Vietnam,
it will be boiled or stir-fried before serving. These are examples for the
difference in cooking methods between the two countries.
In
conclusion, it would be so boring if the food tasted the same in every
country. The difference and diversification of food enrich people’s knowledge about culture and characteristic of each nation. People should be happy to
have a variety of food to try. Therefore, this kind of difference only makes
the world become better and more tasteful.
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