Feeding the Body, Cultivating Wisdom: A Collection of Insights

Author: Nie Fengqiao
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: When this book was about to go into print, I realized it was still incomplete—missing a "tail." Under friendly encouragement, I added it. Humans originally had tails. Later, as our spines straightened, the physical tail disappeared (though occasional atavistic tails can still be seen), but the concept of the tail was not abandoned, otherwise, it would be impossible to maintain balance. When doing things, one must have both a beginning and an end. When nearing completion, one must tidy up; one must never leave things unfinished halfway. In ancient Chinese warfare, there was the "One-Character Long Snake Formation," where striking the head would cause the tail to respond, striking the tail would cause the head to respond, and striking the middle would cause both head and tail to respond. It seems that tails are indeed useful. Because they are one side of the unity of opposites, they are indispensable. However, people often forget about the tails. In recent years, while engaged in cooking, I have discovered this issue in the realm of food and drink: as long as one's stomach is full or one indulges in delicious food, after eating, one simply sets the chopsticks down and forgets about it. Fortunately, our ancestors long ago arranged for a highly secure system of food and drink for us—there are dishes with rice and vegetables, dry and liquid, meat and vegetables, salty and sweet—allowing us to enjoy it without much thought. Why should we eat this way? How did this dietary system form? These questions are rarely asked. Later, Western nutrition, which emerged over 150 years ago, came and criticized our dietary system, saying this was not suitable and that was not scientific. While Westerners might have had their say, those who have learned a bit of Western nutrition in the East also repeat it, as if our diet is wrong on both sides, with no one questioning whether it is appropriate to use a Western dietary model to judge an Eastern one. They only know about the West and forget about the East. Only in recent years, after Western nutritionists conducted surveys in China, did they discover that Chinese cuisine is scientific, even superior to theirs, warning Easterners not to Westernize their diet, seemingly beginning to realize and awaken. Even so, some still say that the theoretical foundation of Chinese cooking is modern nutrition, making it difficult to defend. The great achievement of modern nutrition lies in its basic scientific analysis of dietary components. This is exactly what we need to adopt. China has its own nutrition, more accurately called dietary health science. It is included in traditional Chinese medicine and is knowledge summarized through long social practice, quite extensive. Unfortunately, we are too busy treating illnesses, and these valuable preventive medicine aspects are often neglected. Only in recent years, when overseas interest in our dietary therapy and medicinal cuisine has grown, did we become excited and begin new research and development. However, this still falls under the category of "treating," while the "preventing" aspect has great potential. Chinese dietary health science is broad and profound, and it needs to be established. This is an interdisciplinary science. It is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine, with much of its content summarized in traditional Chinese medical literature. Chinese culinary science must also study it, because dietary health is the goal; otherwise, from cooking to eating, it becomes aimless. Of course, there are different focuses. Modern scientific analytical methods must be used to explore its mechanisms and mysteries, forming a knowledge system. If done well, it will be a contribution to all of humanity. In the process of pondering these issues, an old friend wanted to start a newspaper, and after a conversation, we immediately agreed to write them down. As a result, they found a place in the China Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Unexpectedly, after a few years, they even attracted the attention of readers. Kind friends urged me to compile them. Here, I extend my deepest gratitude to my old friend and all those who helped. However, my knowledge is limited, and I have mostly borrowed from others, often failing to complete things properly. Mistakes are inevitable, so I humbly ask the experts to teach me. I sincerely hope for your guidance. In recent years, the discussion of food culture has been very popular, and this small book is just joining in the fun.