"Scholar" was the name of intellectuals in ancient China. Scholars are also called Confucian scholars and literati. Some scholars believe that the dietary life of ancient scholars in China has its own characteristics compared with other social classes, that is, "the pursuit of the art of diet, elegant style, and no emphasis on luxury and food." From the economic and cultural point of view, literati have cultural literacy, and most of them have no worries about food and clothing, so they have the energy and time to study the art of life and have the conditions to pay attention to eating and drinking. The dietary patterns of ancient scholars were mostly dominated by their dietary concepts-
Since the pre-Qin period, people have attached great importance to the relationship between diet and hygiene, diet and health, and formed a progressive concept of diet. Confucius was very particular about diet. He put forward the dietary requirements of "food essence is not greasy, food essence is not greasy" and advocated that more than ten people should not eat. Its words say:
If you eat it, the fish will be hungry, the meat will be defeated, and you will not eat it. Evil color, no food. It stinks and does not eat. No food, no food. From time to time, there is no food. Don't eat it if it's not cut properly. No sauce, no food. Although there is a lot of meat, there is nothing better than eating. There is no limit to wine, and it is not chaotic. The wine market is full of pickled food. Don't withdraw ginger food, don't eat more ... sacrifice meat within three days. Go out for three days and stop eating.
According to Confucius' "no food", most of them meet the hygiene standards, which is still the dietary principle that should be followed today. For example, rice will deteriorate and stink when heated, fish will deteriorate and rot, and meat will deteriorate and rot, which is extremely harmful to human body.
"If you don't cook, don't eat" means you don't eat uncooked food. "Selling wine without eating" means that some bulk foods and drinks bought on the street are not clean and cannot be eaten casually. "Although there is a lot of meat, it doesn't make it better than eating gas", which means that the diet should be based on whole grains and not too much meat. "Don't eat too much" means eating moderately and not overeating.
In short, more than two thousand years ago, Confucius put forward so many ideas about not eating food that does not meet the hygiene standards, which is commendable.
In China ancient literati's diet view, they paid great attention to the reasonable diet structure. During the Han and Tang dynasties, people advocated the use of mixed foods such as grain, fruit, vegetables and livestock to ensure the reasonable collocation of food nutrients. Sun Simiao, a medical scientist in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in "A Thousand Daughters Should Be Prescribed?" It is pointed out in Daolin Nourishing Nature that every meal "often needs to eat less meat and eat more". This principle of food collocation, with food as the main ingredient and meat as the supplement, meets the requirements of nutrition and health care.
Ancient scholars also generally believed that it was necessary to control diet and oppose eating many delicious things, which would increase the burden on the stomach and affect digestion. "Lu Chunqiu?" "Bunsen" said: "Fat is thick and wine is thick, so we must constantly strive for self-improvement, and life is like eating rotten intestines. "Sun Simiao also believes that eating too much will make people short-lived. He is in "1000 dollars? Nourishing Nature says, "You don't have to stay for dinner. You're not one month overdue. You're sick ..."
Li Yu, a famous playwright in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, was versatile and very particular about diet. In his book "Leisure", "Nursing Department? There is a special comment on eating in Article 4. Li Yu's diet view is different from the traditional diet health preserving theory. For example, he thinks that "food color is also important. If you want to stay healthy through diet, you should get close to those who are not dependent on sex. "That is, the diet should be arranged according to everyone's" gender "." Sex "refers to temperament and habits. Because "sex" varies from person to person, the dietary taboos stipulated in books such as Edible Materia Medica may not be suitable for everyone.
According to the principle of "sex" to arrange diet, Li Yu put forward six specific diet methods:
First, food lovers eat more; Li Yu believes: "If you love food all your life, you can keep fit, and you don't have to look up materia medica." Second, people who are afraid of eating eat less; If you eat food that you don't naturally like, it will not only be bad for your health, but also lead to disease. Third, I am too hungry to eat enough; Is to control the diet, not overeating because of hunger. The fourth one is too full to be hungry; Li Yu said: "The degree of hunger and drinking should not exceed seven points." Fifth, don't eat when you are angry and sad; Because "food is easy to get rid of when you are angry, and it is difficult to get rid of food when you are sad." Sixth, don't eat when you are tired and bored; Because when you are tired, you can't eat half, and when you are bored, you can't eat unless you are special, and vomiting will follow.
Yuan Mei, a famous scholar in Qing Dynasty, was also very particular about diet. Menu with the Garden is a cooking monograph written in his later years, and it is an important work that systematically discusses the cooking techniques and dishes in the north and south.
Yuan Mei believes that cooking, like learning, requires "foresight". Yuan Mei put forward in the Quit List that bad habits should be eliminated in diet. If he says "stop eating". What is "ear rice"? "Those who eat by ear are called service names". He accused those who blindly flaunt their diet and unilaterally pursue luxury dishes: "In the name of greed, the truth of praising customers is to eat with their ears, not with their mouths. I don't know that tofu is far more delicious than bird's nest, and seaweed is not as good as bamboo shoots. " Yuan Mei also advocated "no eating with eyes" and "people who eat with eyes are greedy". Yuan Mei said:
Multiple folding bowls are for seeing, not eating. If you don't know how to write by hand, you will fail. If a celebrity writes poetry, you will have very tired sentences. With the efforts of a famous chef, the dishes are only four or five flavors, which is difficult to determine. What is the difference?
Yuan Mei is also disgusted with "compulsion" in diet. He said:
As soon as a dish is served, it is reasonable for guests to raise chopsticks. It is thin and fat, and each has its own advantages. It is reasonable to listen to the changes of the guests. Why force it? It's annoying to see the host holding it with chopsticks and there is no bowl in the dirty plate before folding the guests.
It is unscientific or even impolite to send gifts by force, no matter from the perspective of food hygiene or personal eating habits.
Lu You, a famous poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, lived for more than 80 years. He is an old man. In his later years, he was still alert and able to collect firewood on the mountain, which was directly related to his good physical adjustment and proper diet. He has a poem saying, "I have no worries at all. I have a proper health care." If you don't care, all diseases will be caused by it. "In his later years, he summed up his own regimen. The first is a moderate diet: "Eat and drink in the morning, and you can only do what you can. You don't have to do anything until you are full. "Secondly, take a walk after dinner." After eating, take 50 or 70 steps, then untie your belt and lie down with a low pillow. This is a top priority for health care. "In the daily diet, Lu You likes to be a vegetarian, drink porridge and eat rice, and wild vegetables are also his hobbies.
Ancient scholars in China knew the importance of diet, and many of them were well versed in it. Their dietary concepts and habits are reasonable and still worth learning.
(Excerpted from Sun Liqun's Life of Ancient Scholars in China, Commercial Press, June 20 14, issue 1).