Nowadays, we can see lots of Japanese restaurants in Taiwan; similarly, we can observe numerous Taiwanese restaurants in Japan. Geographically, Japan and Taiwan are surrounded by the ocean. Historically, Taiwan is colonized by Japan before. Although Japan and Taiwan share similarities to their location and history, the food culture of Japan and Taiwan are distinguished from their table manners including the use of chopsticks and chopstick rests as well as their food culture comprised the custom of raw food together with cooked food.
First of all, the way of using chopsticks is distinct in Japan and Taiwan. Chopsticks are not only the eating utensils to get the food, but also the spirit to symbolize food culture. Both the Japanese and the Taiwanese have used chopsticks for thousands of years; hence, chopsticks play a crucial role in table manners. In Japan, it is considered unfortunate to use chopsticks to get food for others. Japanese regard the action as exhuming the remains after cremation. However, in Taiwan, using chopsticks to get food for others can express our enthusiasm for the guests coming. Thus, the action of getting food for others differs in these two countries.
After that, in addition to chopsticks, chopstick rests are necessary for the Japanese in daily life compared to the Taiwanese. It is impolite to put our chopsticks horizontally on the bowl（渡し箸）in Japan. If we want to stop eating, we can put our chopsticks on the chopstick rests. One of the reasons is that the pronunciation of 渡し箸 sounds like crossing the Lethe, and it is considerably ominous to do the behavior. The other reason is that it indicates we do not need this meal, and we have no respect for the chefs. In contrast, Taiwanese people do not have this taboo. In Taiwanese families, it is not ordinary to see chopstick rests on the dinner table. The Taiwanese are not used to using the chopstick rests while putting down chopsticks. Hence, we can find out that habit of using chopstick rests is non-identical in Japan and Taiwan.
Last but not least, we can easily find out the Japanese prefer raw food to cooked food, while the Taiwanese prefer cooked food to raw food. Sashimi is just one kind of raw food, and others such as horse meat, raw chicken, or raw eggs are not common raw food seen in Taiwan. The reason why the Japanese are fond of raw food is that they like to taste the natural delicacy of the ingredients themselves. Raw food can reflect the real freshness and original flavor of the ingredients. On the other hand, Taiwanese people consider that raw food may have parasites, viruses or bacteria, so they tend to cook it to entirely boiled. Besides, in ancient time, food cannot be preserved for a long time under hot and humid climate, and this eating habit has been passed on to the offsprings even if we have refrigerators nowadays. Accordingly, tasting raw food is more popular in Japan than in Taiwan.
In conclusion, although Japan and Taiwan are synonymous with their geographical location and historical background, both of them are different from their table manners consisting of the use of chopsticks, chopstick rests, and along with their food culture containing the habit of raw food and cooked food. Due to the distinction of food culture, our life becomes much more colorful. Next time, if we have the chance to dine with Japanese people, we are able to behave elegantly and confidently by understanding their food culture.
Sources
希平方. (2020).【日本文化】（上篇）千萬不要幫日本人夾菜！日本『筷子禁忌』大公開！！！
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japanembassy. (2020). 筷子架：日本人餐桌上的細節之美
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遠在天邊. (2020).【日本飲食文化】內行人才知的日本飲食習慣、餐桌禮儀與禁忌
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野島 剛. (2018).日本人為何愛吃生的東西？
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Food Cultures
in
Japan and Taiwan