MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY ======

ASSIGNMENT ON INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

COMPARISION BETWEEN ENGLISH MEAL AND VIETNAMESE MEAL (SO SÁNH BỮA ĂN CỦA NGƯỜI ANH VÀ NGƯỜI VIỆT)

Teacher:

Hanoi, 2016

INTRODUCTION As we know, there are many countries in the world. Each has own its culture. Scottish philosopher David Hume wrote: “Culture, then , is the great guide of human life” it is true that knowing the culture of the country is, in effect. A guide to understanding the soul of that country and its people. culture refer to many factors such as art, music, food, literature, ect. However, on the assignment, I would like to show my understand about meal culture. As a English learner, I am interested in English culture in common, English meal is particularly. On this paper, I would like show my understanding about English meals. Specially, I will compare and contract it with Vietnamese meals to show the differences and similarities between meals of two countries. I hope that my study will help people who are interested in English culture, will have more knowledge about English culture and intercultural communication of it with Vietnamese culture.

DEVELOPMENT 1. BACKGROUD OF MEAL 2.1 Definition about “ meal” There are many different definitions about meal. In larouse Cobuild English learner dictionary: “ A meal is an instant of eating, specifically one that take place at a specific time and includes specific, prepare foodstuffs. According to Wood, R, C, (1995): “ A communal meal in a dream is an image of communal activity of a ritual or magical nature. When interpreting the dream, note should be taken of the dreamer’s religious belief. In website: http//cn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meal: Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time In short, although each person has own way to express the definition about meal, the ideal are in similarity. 2.2 Category of meal In common, there are three main meals in a day: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Breakfast is a meal, often light, usually taken in the morning. Lunch is a meal that is taken at noon or in the early afternoon. Dinner is a meal that is generally served in the evening, starting sometime between 6:00 and 8:00. 2. Finding 3.3 The breakfast The breakfast meal in England and in Vietnamese is also considered that is a light meal. In breakfast meal, people often eat few dishes which is simple. However, the breakfast of each country is different from each other. Each country has typical meal. What is a typical English breakfast? Most people around the world seem to think to a typical English breakfast consist of eggs, bacon, sausage, fried bread, mushrooms and baked bean all washed down with a cup of coffee. Nowadays, however, a typical English breakfast more likely to be a bowl of cereals, a slice of toast, orange juice and a cup of coffee. Many people, especially children in England will eat a bowl of cereals. They are made with different of grains such as corn, wheat, oats, ect. In the winter, many people will eat “porridge” or boil oats. One other hand, the Vietnamese breakfast is often lighter such as: phở (noodle soup), xôi , bánh mỳ (bread), cháo (Grilled paste), bún(rice vẻmicelli), bánh cuốn (rice flour steamed rolls),ect. In the past, wives in Vietnamese family often get up early to make breakfast meal for the whole family. Nowadays, although they don’t cook it, wives buy it to prepare breakfast meal. 3.4 The lunch Both in England and Vietnam, lunch foods are varies. In the past, very similar things are eaten at lunch as at dinner- a hot meal, sometime with more than one course. Evenly, lunch is actually the main meal of a day, supper being a smaller cold meal. However, since many people eat lunch while at work and school, this can be impractical. In England, more appropriate are relatively simple foods that can be packed in the lunch box. They consist of the sandwich, a packet of crisps, a piece of fruit and a drink. The packed “packed lunch” is kept in a plastic container. In contrast to England, Vietnamese children often have a lunch at school that cook make. 3.5 The dinner According to tradition, English dinner and Vietnamese dinner is also main meal of a day. Dinner is an opportunity for them to share a meal and to talk together after a hard day. However, in England, the traditional dinner meal is rarely eaten nowadays apart from on Sundays. A recent survey found that most people in Britain eat curry! Rice or pasta dishes are now favored as the “British Dinner”. Vegetables grow in England like potatoes, carrot, peas, cabbages and inions, are still very popular. What is traditional England Dinner? A typical British meal for dinner is “meat and two vegetable”. We put hot brown gravy, (traditionally made from the juices of the roast meat, but more often today from packet!) on the meal and usually the vegetables is almost usually potatoes. And the Sunday roast is a traditional meal eaten by family. For example, roast beef with roast potatoes, parsnips, peas, Brussels sprouts, green beans, Yorkshire pudding, bread sauce and gravy. Mint since redcurrant jelly is often eaten with lamb, apple sauce with pork, and horseradish sauce (a type of mustard) with beef, cranberry sauce with turkey, Stuffing may be eaten with chicken or turkey. Whereas, a typical dinner meal for the average Vietnamese family would include: * Individual bowls of boil rice * Grilled, boiled, steamed, stir fried (with vegetable) or stewed meat or fish or other seafood dish * Stir-fried, raw or steamed vegetable dish * “Canh”(a clear broth with vegetable and often meat or seafood) or Vietnamese- style soup * Prepared fish sauce and/or soy sauce for dipping. All dishes apart from the individual bowls of rice are communal and to be share 3.6 The desert The word common deserts include cake, cookies, fruits, pastries, ice cream, and candies. It is common that typically comes at the end of a meal usually consisting of sweet food but sometime of a strongly flavored one, such as some cheese in England. However, pudding or after would be more typical terms in the UK. Although the custom of eating fruits and nuts after a meal may be very old, desert as a standard part of a Western meal in common and English meal in particular. It is common to eat a desert (also as a pudding, or informally as after) after the main dish. Some have a separate final sweet course but mix sweet and savory dishes throughout the meal, or reserve elaborate desert concoction for special occasions. Often, the desert is seen as a separate meal or snack rather than a course, and may be eaten apart from the meal (usually less formal settings). Deserts are often eaten with a dessertspoon, intermediate in size between a teaspoon and tablespoon. In Vietnam, desert has very much kind. Almost of them also are made to fruit. The desert dish that is the most popular is “chè”. “Chè” is asweet desert or pdding usually made from beans or beans and sticky rice. Many variaties of “chè” are available, each with different fruits, beans (for example: mung beans or kidney beans), and other ingredients. Fruit smoothies are also popular. They are simple to make and require just a few teaspoons of sugar, crushed ice and fresh localy available fruits. The smoothies come in many varieties, include apple custard, avocado, jack fruit, durian, strawbeery, passion fruit, dragonfruit, lychee, mango, and banana. The most different between English desert and Vietnamese desert is that people in Vietnamoften add some ice to desert when having because of the weather is very hot in summer. English people do rarely it 3. Summary Almost every nation has a repulation of some kind. As England, Vietnamese cuisine reflect its geography and history. English food at its best is hearty, simple, delicious fare, with the food and cooking of England developed to feed the colonial empire, which in its time influenced the rest of the world. The food and cooking of England is steeped in history and heritage, and the modern face of British food presents a dynamic. In Vietnamese, the food has to be healthiest on the planet. With the heavy reliance on rice, wheat and legumes, abundance of fresh herb and vegetables, minimal use of oil, and the treatment of meat as a condiment rather than a main course.

CONCLUSION It is important to know traditions and customs of other countries. It help to know more about the history and line of different nations. In this paper, I give some information about English meals. Beside, I also contrast and make a comparison it with Vietnamese meals. It is considered that: different cultures might have different rule for eating the same item. However, because of the process of sharing meaning through communication between people from two countries, both Vietnamese meal and English meal has been intercultural communication its mean changes. I would like this paper is helpful to people are interested in English culture and Vietnamese culture in common and English meal and Vietnamese meal in particular.