History of Chinese Cuisine Culture: Book spine or cover has flaws

Author: Wang Xuetai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: The Chinese are adept at savoring the beauty and meaning of life in the most ordinary aspects of daily diet, and philosophers are no exception. Zhuangzi believed that the ancient society was so wonderful and worth remembering and pursuing because people could "reel their bellies and roam," meaning they could fully enjoy the pleasures of life after being well-fed and hydrated. The author argues that food culture primarily refers to the relationship between food and people, as well as the social significance it generates. Here are two examples as evidence: The Chinese are adept at savoring the beauty and meaning of life in the most ordinary aspects of daily diet, and philosophers are no exception. Zhuangzi believed that the ancient society was so wonderful and worth remembering and pursuing because people could "reel their bellies and roam," meaning they could fully enjoy the pleasures of life after being well-fed and hydrated. Even Zhuangzi, a pre-Qin philosopher known for his pessimistic views, was like this. Then, how much more so were the active and engaged figures like Confucius, Mencius, Mozi, Shang Yang, and Han Feizi? The Chinese handle their relationship with ghosts and gods just as they do with human relationships—through food to smooth things over. Westerners can honor the deceased with a bouquet of flowers, but the Chinese cannot; they treat the dead as if they were alive. What the living eat, the sacrifices for the dead are at least equal in treatment (and often even better). Ancient rituals for ghosts and gods always involved food, and the richness or simplicity of the offerings depended on the status, closeness, and desires of the spirits being honored. This was entirely similar to how ordinary people dealt with officials who ruled over them, which is why some people said that rituals were merely bribes offered by humans to the spirits.