First of all, table manners are reflected in family banquets.
The third time in the book, Lin Daiyu's first meal in Jia's family was in Jia's family. The rules at the dinner table were too big, so Lin Daiyu, who just arrived, was careful everywhere to avoid making mistakes and attracting jokes. The book describes it this way: after entering the back door, there are already many people waiting here. Tables and chairs will be installed when Mrs. Wang comes. Jia Zhu's wife, Li, has a meal. Xifeng is safe and Mrs. Wang is in the soup. Jia Mu sat alone on the couch with four chairs on both sides. Xifeng hurriedly pulled Daiyu to sit in the first chair on the left, and Daiyu was very reluctant. Grandmother Jia said with a smile, "Your aunt and sister-in-law don't eat here. As a guest, you should sit like this. " Daiyu sat down. Jia mu ordered Mrs. Wang to sit down. The three sisters of Yingchun sued the car. Yingchun sits first on the right, Tanchun sits second on the left and Xichun sits second on the right. Next to the maid, persistent dusting, mouthwash, towel handkerchief. Li and Feng are standing beside the book case. Although there are many daughters-in-law and maids waiting outside, they don't even smell a cough. After dinner, each servant girl brought tea with a small saucer. On that day, Lin Ruhai's goddaughter took good care of her health. After dinner, she should swallow all the grains, and then drink tea for a while so as not to hurt her spleen and stomach. Today, Daiyu saw that many things here were out of place at home and wanted to change them one by one, so she brought tea. I saw someone holding mouthwash again, and Daiyu gargled her mouth in the same way. After washing my hands, I brought tea again. This is edible tea.
There are many rules for family dinners, from which we can read traditional table manners.
As can be seen from the seating of the dinner, Jia always takes his seat first, then Mrs. Wang's generation, and then takes his seat in turn. It embodies the family rules of giving priority to elders.
From the description, we can see that after grandma was seated, Wang Xifeng took Lin Daiyu as a guest and sat next to her. Then others will sit down in order of seniority. It embodies the style of guests first.
It is always two daughters-in-law who serve the elders for dinner, and the daughters-in-law must serve them well. It embodies a strict family style.
Li Wan and Feng Wei are sisters-in-law, and Jia, Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun are sisters-in-law, sitting at the table for dinner. It embodies the custom that unmarried people in the same generation take precedence over married people.
The order of eating is also very particular. Eat first, then rinse your mouth, then use tea. It embodies the exquisite requirements for life.
From the table manners, we can see that the traditional family rules are rigorous, and the elderly have absolute authority at home. Jia's table manners truly reflect China's traditional thought of respecting the old and caring for the young and treating guests with courtesy, and embody the connotation of traditional food culture.
Second, the connotation of China traditional food culture
1, filial piety
In traditional culture, food culture is not only the pursuit of food, but also the filial piety thought of the society at that time, which has become the core of today's food culture. Traditional values transmitted in food culture are extremely rich. In this food culture, food is not the focus, but one of the ways to express politeness and filial piety. In fact, courtesy is to treat people with courtesy at a banquet, behind which is the display of China's traditional etiquette culture in diet. Filial piety is based on elders, and it shows the traditional culture of China through a series of regulations such as elders eating first. The daily diet mentioned in A Dream of Red Mansions and some large banquets all show this idea in detail. For example, Lin Daiyu has many detailed descriptions in Jia's first meal. As an important part of China culture, food culture also embodies a person's cultural accomplishment and even the cultural connotation of a family.
2. Aesthetic concept
The pursuit of beauty in A Dream of Red Mansions has a brand-new realm, involving not only the traditional color and fragrance, but also ingredients, workmanship, containers, serving order and so on. The selection of ingredients is very strict, and only high-quality ingredients can make high-quality food. The workmanship of food is also very particular, especially in shaping the shape of food. Only by making attractive shapes can we attract the attention of diners. The container is a beautiful scenery on the dining table. Only by ensuring the exquisiteness of the utensils can the food be better set off. For the order of serving, through reasonable arrangement, arouse the appetite of diners. Eating with a happy mood is a wonderful enjoyment in itself.
3. Ways to keep healthy
Describe the food culture and convey a strong concept of health preservation. A dream of red mansions uses a lot of pen and ink to render the content of dietotherapy and health preservation. In Jiafu, we have always paid more attention to health preservation, and achieved the purpose of health preservation by eating ingredients with health preservation value. In addition to the traditional methods of health preservation, it also involves dietotherapy to treat diseases, such as clearing hunger to treat colds and coughs. By expounding the different effects of various diets, this paper shows the dietary health-keeping thought of A Dream of Red Mansions.
4, advocating exquisiteness
Fu and Fu, as representatives of the aristocratic class, also show the pursuit of exquisiteness in diet. For example, when Granny Liu entered Guo Rongfu, she was treated as "eggplant". Although it tasted a little eggplant, it was not like eggplant. When asked about the practice, Xifeng also fully demonstrated the exquisiteness of the production process through her words. The dishes or snacks displayed in various banquets all show this exquisite craftsmanship and highlight the traditional food culture concept of advocating exquisiteness.
To sum up, it can be seen that A Dream of Red Mansions is a classic, and its profound content is really a wonderful flower in the history of literature. It seems to be a novel about love, but it has a lot of space to show the food culture. The author uses banquet description as the narrative theme of novel creation, and describes the colorful banquet activities of many characters. Through this series of banquet activities, not only the life scenes of ancient feudal aristocratic families are truly outlined to us, but also vivid characters are shaped in this group activity. Thus, let us truly understand the connotation of China's traditional food culture, and reflect the traditional aesthetics of China and the traditional culture of China from one side. Since ancient times, China's food culture has been mentioned in many classic documents, and perhaps A Dream of Red Mansions is the best.