Chinese Food: Chinese American Food: Main Meals

At lunches and dinners, the Chinese in the United States still prefer their grain food in individual bowls. They eat lots of rice or noodles at main meals, and they put their cai, or meat and vegetable accompaniment dishes, in bowls or on platters in the center of the table. The Chinese in the United States still eat celebration or banquet meals one main dish at a time and at ordinary meals put all the dishes on the table at the same time.

Most Chinese people still eat three meals daily, and they almost always combine a little meat with one or more vegetables or unripe fruit when making a cai dish. Many Chinese people in the United States snack two or three times each day, a practice in which Chinese in their native land rarely indulge. They still consider meals eaten with family ordinary while special meals are occasions to be shared with guests. These special meals are often eaten away from home because the younger Chinese do not have the time, do not know how, or do not want to prepare these special foods. While Chinese Americans still eat less meat than typical Americans, they now eat lots of ice cream, candy, pizza, and pastries, all items that were never part of the Chinese diet.