Comparing and Contrasting Wong’s “Noodles vs. Sesame Seed Buns” with Dash’s “Rice Culture”

What did you deplete for dinner? is a nous asked thousands of times every day. Admittedly, people argon facing a difficult problem of choosing what to devour, granted the regeneration of options much(prenominal) as Chinese cuisine, Ameri nookie cuisine, and Japanese cuisine, not to mention many variants at heart separately style. Throughout the years, the aliment industriousness has incorporated tralatitious methods as well as adaptations to a changing society. Fast forage, for example, has grown exponentially everywhere the past half century. By contrast, traditional nutriments such as rice remain a crucial part of provender tillage.Two essays that highlight this contrast ar Seanon Wongs Noodles vs. sesame root understructure and Julie expressive styles rice Culture. Wongs essay illustrates the import of unfluctuating nutrient, whereas cannonball alongs essay discusses traditional provision methods. While both authors talk near nutrient and cultural tr aditions, smash up uses an informal voice to discuss preserving her traditions, whereas Wong uses an academic voice to describe the exploitation of food for thought traditions in Chinese culture. The main topic for both address is food.Wong reports on the flourishing of firm food in Hong Kong, showing how Chinese fast food companies have made inroads into the Hong Kong market. For example, as Wong points out, Hong Kongs fast food industry is dominated by Chinese companies such as Cafe de Coral, Fairwood and Maxim. (123) By contrast, darts Rice Culture clearly narrates her own rice tradition. pip begins by telling us I come from a family of rice eaters (138). App bently, food is the main idea of both Wongs and dissipates passages, and therefore, they use food as a reason to develop their stories.Additionally, both authors discuss food in a manner that acts as a springboard to analyzing foods cross-cultural dimensions. Rice is, admittedly, a basic food in the easterly land. However, Rice Culture tell us how Dash and aunty Gertie cook rice American style. Before cooking, auntie Gertie would wash her rice, really invalidate it in a bowl of pissing until all the water was clear (Dash 140). She also asserts that in the years that followed, the southeast Carolinian African captives played a major role in establishing a powerful rice culture in the antebellum South (139).American and African cultures were blended, Dash argues, through the South Carolinian method of introducing a African s in additionp into the American form of rice cooking. Just as traditional cooking benefitted from cross-cultural pollination, so too did fast food, which, Wong argues, created a mixture of American and Chinese food culture. In Noodles vs. Sesame reservoir stooge, he finds that As American fast food chains have boomed in Hong Kong over the eventually three decades, the demand for fast food American or otherwise has grown level scurrying (123).The cross-cultural issues are ostensibly merged. Moreover, both Wong and Dash illustrate the musical modes in which food spoken language and language are altered cross-culturally. Dashs Rice Culture looks at contradictory legal injury used to describe German foods. She compares German spritzal to elbow macaroni and cheese (138). In this case, spritzal is explained as a mixture of German noodle dish. Similarly, Wong uses irrelevant or non-native vocabularies as a way of introducing Chinese food.His article states In 1996, Daniang Dumplings was merely a community restaurant in Changzhou in Jiangsu province with totally sixer employees selling arguably the most prototypical of northern Chinese food Shuijiao. (126) Shuijiao is a foreign bourne that describes Chinese boiled dumplings. Both Wong and Dash explore the ways in which native foods are influenced by vocabulary and foreign influence, and this is a similarity in comparing the two articles. Although both Dash and Wong centering on food wr iting and the intersections between Western and Eastern cultures, there are pronounced differences in shadiness and voice between the two articles.One huge distinction lies in their respective formality of language. In Dashs Rice Culture, she narrates the story in first person. She says, Today as I stand over a bowl of cold water and rice, scrubbing, I feel aunty Gertie reflection me. (Dash 140) I dominates the article her goal in the passage is not to make larger statements, unless quite to share her personal experience of cooking rice. The first person tone is intimate. By contrast, Wongs tone is formal and quantitative, a technique he employs to establish credibility and grab the readers attention.He relies on facts, evidence, and statistics, in contrast with Dashs much qualitative narration. In Noodles vs. Sesame reservoir Buns, Wong cites statistics such as, over 60 percent of the citys denizens eat at drive restaurants at least once a week, compared to only 41 perc ent and 35 percent in mainland china and the United States respectively (123). For most readers, these numbers help to establish Wongs credibility and are more persuasive as arguments rather than simply stating an opinion.The tone of voice contrast between Wong and Dash can subtly lend credibility to their assertions. By analyzing our two main coetaneous food models young and traditionalSeanon Wong and Julie Dash give us contrasting and complementary ways of looking at food culture. Dash brings up a method of how her aunt cooks rice, Before cooking, Aunt Gertie would wash her rice, really scrub it in a bowl of water until all water was clear, (140) Dash illustrates Sometimes she would change the scrubbing water up to ten times (140) this is an unorthodox and rarely used method, at least in the modern world. Thus, it can be regarded as a traditional way of cooking food, one that served the Aunt Gertie of the world well, but a way that even Dash finds hard to emulate. By contrast, Wong summarizes the fast food industry in Hong Kong. In his article, fast food represents a new, modern model for people who eat outside, or for people whose time constraints dont allow for more traditional ways of cooking. In Noodles vs.Sesame reservoir Buns, Wong says Considering the omnipresence of McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut, American fast food has been a revolutionary jam in Chinas everyday culture. Undoubtedly, in Wongs account, this is a kind of cultural invasion, in which he thinks that Western modern fast food has been detrimental to the values and traditions, not to mention health, of Eastern societies. The pervasiveness and assortment of food culture and the importance of cultural distinctions are increasingly obvious in the contemporary world. This awareness is especially important where cultures intersect.In these two essays, both authors come to terms with their own food culture, and manoeuvre cross-cultural issues which are increasingly common. Dash uses a narr ative voice to tell her traditional way of cooking rice, man Wong quantifies the modern fast food trend in Hong Kong. The traditional approach seems to accent quality, while the modern approach (with fast food signifying modern) emphasizes convenience. Most likely, the food industry of tomorrow willing be more mixed, finding a way to integrate quality and offer convenience.When that happens, we will have the opera hat of both worlds Dashs traditional approach melded with Wongs modern sensibilities. Word figure 1260 words Bibliography Dash, Julie. Rice Culture. reverberate on America Essays and Images from Popular Culture. Ed. Joan T. Mims and Elizabeth M. Nollen. 5th ed. Boston, MA Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 138-41. Print. Wong, Seanon. Noodles vs. Sesame Seed Buns. Mirror on America Essays and Images from Popular Culture. Ed. Joan T. Mims and Elizabeth M. Nollen. 5th ed. Boston, MA Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 124-27. Print.Comparing and Contrasting Wongs Noodles vs. Sesame S eed Buns with Dashs Rice CultureWhat did you have for dinner? is a question asked thousands of times every day. Admittedly, people are facing a difficult problem of choosing what to eat, given the variety of options such as Chinese cuisine, American cuisine, and Japanese cuisine, not to mention many variants within each style. Throughout the years, the food industry has incorporated traditional methods as well as adaptations to a changing society. Fast food, for example, has grown exponentially over the past half century. By contrast, traditional foods such as rice remain a crucial part of food culture.Two essays that highlight this contrast are Seanon Wongs Noodles vs. Sesame Seed Buns and Julie Dashs Rice Culture. Wongs essay illustrates the significance of fast food, whereas Dashs essay discusses traditional cooking methods. While both authors talk about food and cultural traditions, Dash uses an informal voice to discuss preserving her traditions, whereas Wong uses an academic voice to describe the evolution of food traditions in Chinese culture. The main topic for both articles is food.Wong reports on the flourishing of fast food in Hong Kong, showing how Chinese fast food companies have made inroads into the Hong Kong market. For example, as Wong points out, Hong Kongs fast food industry is dominated by Chinese companies such as Cafe de Coral, Fairwood and Maxim. (123) By contrast, Dashs Rice Culture clearly narrates her own rice tradition. Dash begins by telling us I come from a family of rice eaters (138). Apparently, food is the main idea of both Wongs and Dashs passages, and therefore, they use food as a reason to develop their stories.Additionally, both authors discuss food in a manner that acts as a springboard to analyzing foods cross-cultural dimensions. Rice is, admittedly, a basic food in the Eastern world. However, Rice Culture tell us how Dash and Aunt Gertie cook rice American style. Before cooking, Aunt Gertie would wash her rice, really scrub it in a bowl of water until all the water was clear (Dash 140). She also asserts that in the years that followed, the South Carolinian African captives played a major role in establishing a powerful rice culture in the antebellum South (139).American and African cultures were blended, Dash argues, through the South Carolinian method of introducing a African influence into the American form of rice cooking. Just as traditional cooking benefitted from cross-cultural pollination, so too did fast food, which, Wong argues, created a mixture of American and Chinese food culture. In Noodles vs. Sesame Seed Buns, he finds that As American fast food chains have boomed in Hong Kong over the last three decades, the demand for fast food American or otherwise has grown even faster (123).The cross-cultural issues are ostensibly merged. Moreover, both Wong and Dash illustrate the ways in which food terminology and language are altered cross-culturally. Dashs Rice Culture looks at foreign terms used to describe German foods. She compares German spritzal to elbow macaroni and cheese (138). In this case, spritzal is explained as a kind of German noodle dish. Similarly, Wong uses foreign or non-native vocabularies as a way of introducing Chinese food.His article states In 1996, Daniang Dumplings was merely a community restaurant in Changzhou in Jiangsu province with only six employees selling arguably the most prototypical of northern Chinese food Shuijiao. (126) Shuijiao is a foreign term that describes Chinese boiled dumplings. Both Wong and Dash explore the ways in which native foods are influenced by vocabulary and foreign influence, and this is a similarity in comparing the two articles. Although both Dash and Wong focus on food writing and the intersections between Western and Eastern cultures, there are noticeable differences in tone and voice between the two articles.One huge distinction lies in their respective formality of language. In Dashs Rice Culture, she narrates the story in first person. She says, Today as I stand over a bowl of cold water and rice, scrubbing, I feel Aunt Gertie watching me. (Dash 140) I dominates the article her goal in the passage is not to make larger statements, but rather to share her personal experience of cooking rice. The first person tone is intimate. By contrast, Wongs tone is formal and quantitative, a technique he employs to establish credibility and grab the readers attention.He relies on facts, evidence, and statistics, in contrast with Dashs more qualitative narration. In Noodles vs. Sesame Seed Buns, Wong cites statistics such as, over 60 percent of the citys denizens eat at take-away restaurants at least once a week, compared to only 41 percent and 35 percent in mainland China and the United States respectively (123). For most readers, these numbers help to establish Wongs credibility and are more persuasive as arguments rather than simply stating an opinion.The tone of voice contrast between Wo ng and Dash can subtly lend credibility to their assertions. By analyzing our two main contemporary food modelsmodern and traditionalSeanon Wong and Julie Dash give us contrasting and complementary ways of looking at food culture. Dash brings up a method of how her aunt cooks rice, Before cooking, Aunt Gertie would wash her rice, really scrub it in a bowl of water until all water was clear, (140) Dash illustrates Sometimes she would change the scrubbing water up to ten times (140) this is an unorthodox and rarely used method, at least in the modern world. Thus, it can be regarded as a traditional way of cooking food, one that served the Aunt Gertie of the world well, but a way that even Dash finds hard to emulate. By contrast, Wong summarizes the fast food industry in Hong Kong. In his article, fast food represents a new, modern model for people who eat outside, or for people whose time constraints dont allow for more traditional ways of cooking. In Noodles vs.Sesame Seed Buns, Wong says Considering the omnipresence of McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut, American fast food has been a revolutionary force in Chinas everyday culture. Undoubtedly, in Wongs account, this is a kind of cultural invasion, in which he thinks that Western modern fast food has been detrimental to the values and traditions, not to mention health, of Eastern societies. The pervasiveness and variety of food culture and the importance of cultural distinctions are increasingly obvious in the contemporary world. This awareness is especially important where cultures intersect.In these two essays, both authors come to terms with their own food culture, and address cross-cultural issues which are increasingly common. Dash uses a narrative voice to tell her traditional way of cooking rice, while Wong quantifies the modern fast food trend in Hong Kong. The traditional approach seems to emphasize quality, while the modern approach (with fast food signifying modern) emphasizes convenience. Most likely, th e food industry of tomorrow will be more mixed, finding a way to integrate quality and offer convenience.When that happens, we will have the best of both worlds Dashs traditional approach melded with Wongs modern sensibilities. Word Count 1260 words Bibliography Dash, Julie. Rice Culture. Mirror on America Essays and Images from Popular Culture. Ed. Joan T. Mims and Elizabeth M. Nollen. 5th ed. Boston, MA Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 138-41. Print. Wong, Seanon. Noodles vs. Sesame Seed Buns. Mirror on America Essays and Images from Popular Culture. Ed. Joan T. Mims and Elizabeth M. Nollen. 5th ed. Boston, MA Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 124-27. Print.