As we all know, China first adopted the separate meal system. With the alternation of dynasties and the change of social forms, the dining system in China actually began to appear after the Song Dynasty and has been in use ever since.
China's diet system was recorded in the documents of the Warring States Period, and an allusion at that time was also recorded in Historical Records and Biography of Meng Changjun. At that time, Corporal Li Lixian of Meng Changjun during the Warring States Period invited guests from all walks of life to dinner.
For a long time, Meng Changjun has always followed the principle of dining without grading. One day, a new knight-errant was invited to a dinner party in Meng Changjun. Maybe it was because there was not enough candlelight that night. Chivalrous man didn't see the rice in Meng Changjun's bowl clearly, thinking that what he ate was different from what Meng Changjun ate. He felt insulted and left angrily. At this time, Meng Changjun quickly showed the food in the bowl to the chivalrous man, proving that everyone ate the same food. The chivalrous man was ashamed and committed suicide that night.
We didn't intend to attack the paladin blx. At this time, it can be seen from this allusion that the dining system at that time was mostly a separate dining system. Everyone sits on the floor, and the dining table is not as straight as the modern one. When eating, everyone knelt down and put the tableware on the table. This is the original source of the so-called "feast".
The history of ancient dietary system The earliest dietary system can be traced back to the primitive tribal period, but it was not for hygiene. Because the productivity and production level were too low at that time, there was not enough food to eat at all, so in order to meet the needs of survival, human beings adopted the policy of eating together and working together.
At that time, the distribution policy of more work and more pay was not implemented, but the main purpose was to distribute evenly, mainly to maintain the survival and development of the tribe. After simple cooking, people will divide the food into several parts evenly and then give it to the tribal population. This is the original meal sharing system.
In Shang Dynasty, with the development of living and working standards, millet porridge was produced in addition to the captured meat. At this time, people began to share food with Wei. Similar to the pickles we use today, there are not many porridge that can really be shared by everyone.
But in ancient times, there was also a traditional celebration ceremony, in which people shared meals and changed their lives. But this is not a routine operation, and only when the whole country celebrates will it spend so much money. On weekdays, we still eat separately.
During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the development of productive forces improved, and the people basically met the level of food and clothing, which was no longer as difficult as in the previous period. But at this time, we still follow the dining system. Why? Not because there is not enough food, but because of the dining etiquette since ancient times.
In ancient China, the so-called "ceremony" should be interpreted in a more hierarchical way, with different levels. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, dining etiquette was very strict. Except at the dinner table, people and nobles should use etiquette to stipulate the code of conduct of their respective classes in their daily lives. And "food ceremony" is the most important system of meal sharing in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
In the Book of Rites, it is recorded that "when eating, eat left and right, eat left and people, and soup is right and people."
The etiquette of the Western Zhou Dynasty stipulates that the specific way of family dining is that a 60-year-old man sits in the main seat and a 50-year-old man stands on the service, and he should always obey the orders of his elders when dining, which is a respect for the elders in the family.
At the same time, it is also stipulated that 60-year-olds should serve three dishes, 70-year-olds should serve four dishes, and so on, and 90-year-olds should serve six dishes. Of course, this is aimed at aristocratic families. The poor don't have that many dishes at all, but respect their elders in table manners.
And how to eat between the monarch and the minister? The Book of Rites also clearly stipulates that the tableware of emperors and ministers cannot be shared, and everyone's tableware has strict regulations to show the difference between monarch and minister.
It can be seen that the system of separate meals has been implemented since the primitive society, and it was only because of the lack of food at that time that the average distribution was adopted. In the Zhou Dynasty, the dining system was the embodiment of etiquette and respect for elders.
The change of trousers and dining table promoted the development of dining system, and the change from dining system to dining system was actually decided according to the social productivity and lifestyle at that time. However, the most direct relationship is that changes in dining tables and services have changed the dining system.
In ancient times before the invention of trousers, most clothes were up and down. The biggest feature of these clothes is that they are very long.
Before the Tang Dynasty, most of the costumes used this style of wide robe and long sleeves, so sitting down can not only be more appropriate, but also reflect the etiquette of China Hanfu. Generally, in the formal dining occasions in ancient times, the ancients all ate on their knees, and the wide robes could just block the thighs, but the sleeves were too long to sit together and eat.
Until the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the culture of ethnic minorities and Han nationality began to merge, which led to a lot of style changes in food, clothing, housing and transportation, first of all, the change of clothing style.
Before that, Han people didn't wear pants. It was not until the living habits of ethnic minorities began to integrate into the Central Plains that the costumes of Hu people began to slowly penetrate into the Central Plains, and the costumes gradually developed from the original tops to the lower half of pants, and the development of pants also changed from the original crotch-free to crotch-free. It is this subtle change that makes the habit of sitting on the floor gradually become sitting with your feet down.
Later, with the deepening of ethnic integration in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Hu Chuang was gradually introduced into the Central Plains. Hu bed is more like a small table board for us to eat now. In ancient society, the introduction of Hu bed greatly facilitated people's diet at that time.
With the change of dynasties, crescent stools evolved from Hu beds appeared correspondingly, and dining tables also developed from low tables to high tables. It is under the fusion of minority furniture and clothing that the dining habit of sitting on the floor has gradually changed.
When Han people began to wear Hu clothes, the troubles of long-sleeved bowls were gone, not to mention that long-sleeved bowls could not be washed clean when they were stained with dirty things; After the integration of Hu bed, people feel the comfort and convenience of sitting with their feet down, and this way of dining is gradually spreading among the people. It is precisely because of "the right place and the right time" that the catering system has gradually become the main way for people to eat.
It can be seen from the records in many historical documents that at that time, the system of separate meals and separate meals appeared in society, but under the influence of long-term etiquette, most families still followed the way of separate meals.
Many murals and documents handed down to later generations describe the dining style at that time in detail. Gu Kaizhi, a painter in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, recorded the picture of Mrs. Gong Ling having dinner with her husband at that time.
The mural of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, The Feast Map, clearly recorded the picture of four people sitting at a big table listening to songs. At this time, the catering system has gradually gained a niche foundation among the people.
Although this dining system was widely used in the Tang Dynasty, it was never supported by the upper class. It was not until the Song Dynasty that the catering system really began to spread from top to bottom.
In fact, this is related to the imperial examination system in Song Dynasty. Song Dynasty is one of the few dynasties in which "the literati were in power", and many people joined the officialdom with the literati, thus gradually bringing the folk dining system into the officialdom. At this time, under the impetus of this atmosphere, the court gradually began to use the dining system.
With the continuous development of the catering system, the earliest public chopsticks appeared. It was Song Gaozong Zhao Gou who invented chopsticks. Although he is the king of a country, this merciful emperor is also a civilized and polite monarch.
According to tian hu Zhiyu, Song Gaozong always has a pair of chopsticks and a spoon when eating. Which dish I like, I will divide it in half with a spoon and chopsticks, and give the rest to the ladies-in-waiting. He said that although I am a palace maid, I don't want others to eat my leftovers.
As for the record of dining system, there is a detailed record in the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival in Song Dynasty, which records that many people dine at the same table. It can be seen that the dining system at that time has become a recognized way of dining from the upper level to the lower level.
The combination of catering system reflects the economic development and productivity level of each dynasty. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, China's productivity was improved and its production efficiency was greatly improved. Especially in the Song Dynasty, various food crops from the north and the south gathered. However, people in Song Dynasty could not only eat white steamed bread, but also derived various staple foods such as noodles and jiaozi. The appearance of iron pots promoted the invention of various cuisines in Song Dynasty.
Because of this, people no longer use separate meals because there is not enough food. The development of the dining system also reflects the level of economic development and people's diet in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and is a witness to the improvement of productivity.