Abstract: Diet is the base of living. There is always a place for dietary culture in national culture. Because of the great differences between Chinese and American cultural traditions, the Chinese and American dietary cultures differ in many aspects, such as manner, concept, pattern and even target. We study these differences because we want to digest some points which could help facilitate the communication about diet between China and America. What’s more, even their differences can be complementary. Both countries could absorb merits of the other country or weed out demerits of their own. By the analysis and comparison of the differences between Chinese and American dietary cultures, we can better understand the respective cultural traditions of China and America. And it can also contribute to improve the dietary cultures of both countries.

Key words: dietary culture; cultural tradition; difference; improve