Food.
Its a necessary thing for survival, but with the improved tastes of the recipes and meals we've created, and the increased availability of the different types of foods, food has become much more than a way to survive.

The Chinese and other Asian nationalities believe that the making of food recipes is an art, while most of the rest of the world see making food as a craft. Regardless of how you view cooking,

it's probable that you eat more than you need to live, because it tastes good! Because we've made it a community event, even social in nature, spending time around the dinner table is important for families to talk about their day, and having meals with friends is a typical form of spending time with one another.

Television is the home to a variety of cooking shows, in which master chefs teach us how to make their signature dishes by following their recipes, giving us even more opportunity to make delicious new meals.

While all areas of the world seem to have their own specialty recipe, and a few particular recipes that they consider to be their 'own', the world is starting to include other nationalities recipes into their own, every day cooking routines, meaning we are starting to see less of the same meals on the dinner table and our taste buds are enjoying samples from all over the world. A typical American family dinner could include tacos or sweet and sour chicken while an Australian family dinner might feature spaghetti and chicken parm. European countries each offer unique recipe and food ideas, but you will be able to find the same dishes throughout the continent as well, from fish and chips to shepherds pie to Asian style cooking.

Across all nationalities of cooking, you'll find that almost all countries make use of vegetables, typically carrots and potatoes, along with others. Fruits are a commonality among the different recipes as well, with many tropical fruits being featured as an ingredient in Mexican food, while other countries- such as America for instance, would more commonly use tropical fruit as a side dish, dessert, or snack item. One of the most obvious differences about the ingredients and recipe foods that different nationalities call for, are meats- primarily, red meats like steak, hamburger, roast beef, etc. Germany and America are known for being countries whose people tend to eat red meat on a regular basis, weekly, if not daily! Other countries eat it much less frequently, including Asian countries, and Britain for example. If you look at the American food pyramid and compare it with the Asian food pyramid (the food pyramids are a visual depiction of the types of foods in recipes that are considered healthy to eat, and they indicate how often one should eat that form of food), you will notice that meats are listed prominently on the American pyramid, while it is eaten only once a month on the Asian food pyramid.

The way different nationalities perform the actual cooking and making of the recipes is different as well. Different cooking utensils, pots, pans and other food preparation equipment varies depending on the area of the world that you are in. You'll find wok's in many Asian countries, while the rest of the world uses the standard pots and pans more frequently. Crock pots are a much loved item in America- allowing American's to slow cook meals by tossing in all the recipe ingredients- such as cut up pieces of steak, potatoes, carrots and juices- and allow them to cook all day while they are at work. In Italy, where pizza originated, you'll find them using stones to bake their pizza on, since it heats evenly and ensures a perfect pizza, every time!