I would like to start a new project here on Connect whose purpose is to further enhance knowledge about Italian and Chinese cultures, understanding also many affinities there are between these two countries which are physically far, but culturally similar in various aspects. From food to lifestyle, let’s discover all together similarities and differences between Italy and China in different aspects of their culture, their history and lifestyle of their population.
How to participate?
It’s simple: let’s post something which you think is common between Italy and China: something about culture, about similar food or different food but eaten in similar ways among the two countries… about social habits… it can be really everything. You can start a new topic or just comment existing ones. If you like, you can use the hashtag #ChitalianProject
Why this project?
This project is made in order to join the efforts in helping people discover something more about different cultures, in addition to what they see in common life. Some people don’t have enough knowledge of what really characterize these two countries and mass media, popular knowledge and other factors contribute to this lack of knowledge. They can be minimal and trivial things (like believing Alfredo sauce is really an Italian sauce) or more serious things (like believing Chinese people eat dogs, when at the fact a very small percentage of them actually eat them). Shared knowledge and experiences is the key in order to make the world more open and free, something which can help people discover more about different cultures and also, something which can help combat prejudices.
I hope you will like this project and you are welcome to participate. I hope this can stimulate new ideas about posts on Connect regarding Italian and Chinese world. I finally hope this project can be of inspiration for other projects aiming to highlight similarities and differences among other countries physically far but sharing something in common culturally or about other things.
@user_not_found A very interesting topic. Here are some quick ones that come to my mind.
Chinese Shou Zhua Ping (手抓饼) or scallion pancake is a very light, crispy delicious food not very dissimilar to Italian Pizza. Stuffed with green onions or scallions and then rolled and fried/baked.
One of the main staple since longest time ago is noodles. Most noodles are handmade, like the traditional La mian (Ra men) below.
La mien is usually always eaten in soup, for example the photo below is a super spicy sichuan style mala soup.
And we have our Chinese versions of Tortellini which we call Ziao Zhi, usually stuffed with meat and vegetables, boiled and eaten with hot oil on top.
With regards to drink of choice, in Italy, it’s always usually espresso. Chinese culture traditionally always have Chinese tea. However nowadays, especially younger generation, espresso coffee drinking culture is growing significantly.
We have small variants of Shou Zhua Ping also in Chinese shops and small Chinese restaurants in Milan (obviously those proposing an authentic Chinese cuisine) and one of them (a Chinese shop) also sells them as “Chinese pizza”, considering the strong similarity (this in order to find a name also Italian people can easily understand).
One of my favorite noodles of all times is the Biang Biang Mian (artisanal ones can be found in this restaurant) while this other restaurant makes their own La Mian just like in that photo.
The third photo is really similar to Italian “tortelloni” which are quite bigger than “tortellini”, but I have seen also some kinds of wontons (especially in Douyin videos) shaped exactly liked Italian tortellini.
Every country has their own symbolic convivial dishes. Italian’s convivial dish is pizza: usually eaten at home with family (after having ordered it) or at the restaurant with friends (or the opposite). Usually everyone gets their own pizza and maybe tries a slice from the other ones, otherwise, pizzas are eaten together (this especially happens in “giropizzza” all you can eat restaurant, where different pizzas are served to large groups of people so that everyone can eat different kinds of pizza. In general the most traditional way to eat pizza is to just eat one pizza for yourself.
Chinese hotpot puts the concept of sharing something all together: a central pot is shared and everyone has to cook ingredients disposed around the pot. You put the ingredients, then pick them and eat after they are cooked. Similar to a fondue, available with many kinds of broths (from non spicy to very spicy), the only thing which is yours when eating hotpot is the dish where you put ingredients cooked which you want to eat and the Irish where you put sauces. The experience of cooking together and eating together from a large central pot is 100% convivial.
Differences and similarities between Italy and China
they both have a symbolic convivial dish: one is very simple, while the other involves a more complex preparation and disposition of ingredients, a central pot and induction cooker at the center of the table
one dish is meant to provide a 100% sharing experience (hotpot) while with pizza everyone tends to eat their own pizza, even if some slices can be exchanged. The conviviality, in this case, is just made by the fact you sit at the same table
they are both available also in vegetarian and vegan options, as hotpot can feature ingredients like vegetables, mushrooms and tofu, the same, many Italian pizzas are vegetarian and can be also made vegan with particular mozzarella-style cheese made with soy or rice
This is some nice out of the box thinking @user_not_found
I hope many LGs get involved so we can all learn more
I agree that maybe by comparing different cultures we can see how similar we actually are and also how amazing differences can be I hope to read more on this soon
Dear @user_not_found , Thanks for sharing Your Happy enjoyable moments experiences of Chitalian together projects- with us into the Local Guides. Amazing photos with colourful and cute visions. I really appreciate Yours hardworking and talented attitude in this Field.
A great topic you’ve chosen here and I Look forward to following this thread to learn more about the close similarities and differences between the Italian and Chinese cultures, food and people.
I hope to read more on this soon