The Military Origins of Western Cuisine

I religiously follow the YouTuber Mikey Chen and his youtube channel, “Strictly Dumpling.”
Mikey is a Chinese-American (he was born in Brooklyn, but he spent his late childhood and
adolescence in China) epicure who travels the world, primarily Asia, in search of delicious
cuisine; in other words, he travels around the world and eats stuff. While on his escapades,
Mikey offers the viewers an in-depth view into the culture of the nation. Without fault, women
lead the kitchen in these Asian countries. In many Asian nations, the word “auntie” refers to
an older woman who not only cooks with attention and care, but she also leads her business
with a sense of ruthlessness and cunning. Eastern culture has always maintained a strong
legacy of female “chefs” while Western culture has discouraged women from the restaurant
industry. 

In  “Why There Are No Great Women Chefs” by Charlotte Druckman, she describes the
distinction in America between a “chef” and a “cook”. Yet, the Chinese word “厨师” translates
to both “cook” and “chef”, and the word is gender-neutral. Asian cuisine blends the comfort
of a “cook” and the formality of a “chef”; the food is expected to be made with the care of a
home cook and the quality of a restaurant.

This distinction between Western cooking and Eastern cooking is a result of their difference
in origins. Since ancient times, Western militaries defined their empires cuisines. For example,
the breads and special meats eaten in the Roman Army quickly disseminated into common
society. As well, the Roman field guides specialized how meals for the army cooks should
prepare meals for the legionaries. Again, civilians rapidly adapted these martial practices to
civilian kitchens which set a precedent for the next millennium. In China and other eastern
Asian nations, the application of martial values to civilian society never occurred. As a
matter of fact, no eastern Asian military achieved the level discipline and organization of
the legionaries. Ultimately, the civilian origins of cuisine in Eastern Asian lead to a less
misogynistic culture around cooking than in the West.