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I think on the surface, people can look at the general make up of a dish and say that there are similarities as your daughter has pointed out.
Pretty much every culture has similar dishes such as the congee, gruel, stew, gumbo but the key difference is what goes into those dishes.
Chinese don't use basil, oregano, tomato sauce or cheese for the most part until you get into fusion cooking.
An Indian friend told me that when he first came to America, the only thing he could eat here was Mexican food because it was kinda of close to Indian food with similar textures and seasonings. I still don't see the similarities but his theory is that the countries share the same global longitude.
That's amusing coming from a kid, yes, but in actuality they're nothing alike, either in technique or end result.
that's true. process is definitely different.. really, anyone can make italian food, ie spaghetti, layer up some lasagne. stew up some gravy.. can't say that for chinese cuisine which i find much more complex, more skill based using an extremely hot wok to cook and make sauces, a short timeframe to not screwing up. i find it similar to french cooking requiring techniques such as searing, deglazing, etc. most people can't make chinese food at home as good as the chefs (epecially me). it's too complicated and risky.
My daughter raised a point tonight. She said, "dad, why is that every Italian dish looks like Chinese food."
She said,
Risotto is Congee
Spaghetti is Lo Mein
Parpadelle is Chow Fun
Tortellini is Wonton
Ravioli is dumpling
Cannoli is sweet Egg Roll
"Dad, if they just changed some ingredients like put in more cheese and tomatoes is that just Chinese food with cheese and tomatoes?"
Really the only difference for noodles is rice vs wheat, and there's an old argument on who had the noodle first. Both are pounded into flour and extruded into noodles. So both are noodles. Really it just depends on what your carbohydrate source is. Same goes for beer, but thankfully your daughter hasn't discovered this yet. Other cultures use potatoes or maize.
Soy vs marinara. Vegetables in vs on the side. Thick hot and spicy soup stock vs creamy cheesy sauces. The spices....not the same at all.
The result is different tastes and textures that couldn't be more different in many cases, but can be similar looking in many cases.
Really the only difference for noodles is rice vs wheat, and there's an old argument on who had the noodle first. Both are pounded into flour and extruded into noodles. So both are noodles. Really it just depends on what your carbohydrate source is. Same goes for beer, but thankfully your daughter hasn't discovered this yet. Other cultures use potatoes or maize.
Soy vs marinara. Vegetables in vs on the side. Thick hot and spicy soup stock vs creamy cheesy sauces. The spices....not the same at all.
The result is different tastes and textures that couldn't be more different in many cases, but can be similar looking in many cases.
my observation is that while the west use milk and dairy, and extract the curds to make cheese, asia uses the soybean "milk" and it too can be extracted for curds to make tofu, which is the same exact process, just different liquid protein.
it could very well be that all cultures share similar templates of nutrition, just differing permutations of ingredients.
Awww. I like Jon Stewart, but he needs to switch from sativa to indica. Deep dish rocks.
i agree, i am from new york, but i enjoy eating a chicago pizza too. and they don't make ny slices in italy, it's very different, made napoletana style in a wood fire oven, more like indian naan with very minimal tomato and cheese, olive oil and ripped basil on it.. wheras ny pizza is inundated with cheese and tons of toppings. i do enjoy all pizza of all kinds tho. especially those with long sliced fennel ridden "mystery meat" sausage slivers.
I've been to Chinese restaurants in Italy (hey, you always need a break from the same old, same old!) It's pretty close to the food you get in a Chinese restaurant in the US, not at all like Italian food. Zuppa di wonton is not zuppa di scarola after all
I do have to say that it was pretty weird watching Chinese waiters speaking Italian, but I realize that's just my own narrow perspective and there's of course no reason why that's any odder than someone from China speaking English in the US.
I've been to Chinese restaurants in Italy (hey, you always need a break from the same old, same old!) It's pretty close to the food you get in a Chinese restaurant in the US, not at all like Italian food.
tastes differ because of different ingredients, but a noodle is a noodle, and there are no other cultures with noodles besides china and post roman italy. even the japanese and koreans, southeast asians took noodles from china. prior to the eastern silk roads trade, romans were eating flatbread and pastes. it is safe to say that noodles aka pasta was not invented in europe but inherited via extensive trade which the romans were privy to via expansionist policies.
tastes differ because of different ingredients, but a noodle is a noodle, and there are no other cultures with noodles besides china and post roman italy. even the japanese and koreans, southeast asians took noodles from china. prior to the eastern silk roads trade, romans were eating flatbread and pastes. it is safe to say that noodles aka pasta was not invented in europe but inherited via extensive trade which the romans were privy to via expansionist policies.
We are talking noodles only or you are: most countries use some form of noodles regardless of where they originated. Add to that, there are many ingredients that go into cooking whether American, Asian, Italian or whatever. The far east food, overall is very different in my opinion that Italian or most European foods. It is interesting to see how we all think differently.
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Other cultures use potatoes or maize. 
