"Shiyang Shi Hui Lu: Book spine or cover has flaws"

Author: Nie Fengqiao
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: When this book was almost ready for printing, I realized it was still incomplete—missing a tail. With 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. Tasks must have both a beginning and an end; when nearly finished, it’s time to wrap things up—never to end with a weak start and a strong finish. In ancient Chinese warfare, there was the "One-Character Long Snake Formation," where striking the head would make the tail respond, striking the tail would make the head respond, and striking the middle would make both respond. It seems the tail is indeed useful. Because it is one side of the unity of opposites, it is indispensable. Yet, people often forget the tail. In recent years, while engaged in cooking, I’ve noticed 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 puts it out of mind. Fortunately, our ancestors had already arranged a highly reliable system of food and drink for us—rich and varied, with both dry and liquid, meat and vegetables, salty and sweet—allowing us to enjoy it without much thought. Why eat this way? How did this dietary system form? These questions are rarely asked. Later, Western nutrition, which emerged over 150 years ago, came along and criticized our dietary system, calling it unsuitable and unscientific. While Westerners might have said this, those in the East who had studied Western nutrition echoed their concerns, as if our diet was wrong on both sides, with no one questioning whether it’s appropriate to use a Western dietary model to judge an Eastern one. They only knew about the West and forgot about the East. Only in recent years, after Western nutritionists conducted surveys in China, did they discover that our diet is scientific, even superior to theirs, warning Easterners not to Westernize their diets. It seems they began to realize and awaken. Despite this, some still claim 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 a knowledge system summarized through long social practice, quite extensive. Unfortunately, we are too busy treating illnesses to pay attention to these valuable preventive medicine aspects. Only in recent years, when overseas interest in our dietary therapy and medicinal cuisine grew, did we become inspired to conduct new research and development. However, this still falls under the category of "treating" diseases, while the "preventing" aspect has great potential. Chinese dietary health science is vast and profound, and it needs to be established. It 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. We need to use modern scientific analysis methods 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 agreed to write about them. This is how they found a place in the China Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Unexpectedly, a few years later, they even drew 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 ideas, often failing to complete things properly. Mistakes are inevitable, so I humbly ask for your guidance. In recent years, discussions about food culture have been booming, and this small book is just joining the trend.