How does consuming a hamburger compare to nimbly using chopsticks to ingest rice? Well I’d say it’s no different than comparing the cover of a Flaming Lips album to an austere pagoda. In China as in many cultures, food is an artful and deeply social practice, the preparation, ingredients used, and presentation act like an umbilical cord to the beating heart of Chinese philosophy, ancient tradition, and generations of social relations. Art and cuisine are inherently cultural, why else would Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup can be a national icon of the rebellious sixties? Why else would the main searches on TripAdvisor be related to finding delicious, authentic local cuisine when…