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Introduction:
As the saying goes, food is the most important thing for the people. The activity of eating plays an important role in people's daily life activities. Enjoying delicious food is also our pursuit of quality of life.
At the dinner table, in addition to enjoying the food, we also need to pay attention to some table rules. As a country of traditional etiquette, our ancestors naturally set many rules at the dinner table.
Regarding the dining table rules, our ancestors once said this: "Do not place dishes in threes, chopsticks in fives, and tables in sixes." This sentence actually represents some aspects of the dining table rules of our ancestors.
The truth also reflects our ancestors' yearning for a better life. How much do you know about dinner table rules? In today’s article, let’s talk about it together.
- Not showing three dishes has a bad meaning
The ancients paid a lot of attention to food culture, especially some aristocratic families, who attached great importance to various etiquettes during meals. If behavior that does not conform to table rules appears in public, then they will regard it as an act of shame.
Therefore, ancient aristocratic families attached great importance to the cultivation of the next generation's food culture from childhood. When they teach the next generation etiquette, they will emphasize the rules of the dinner table and what should and should not be done at the dinner table.
In terms of some dining table standards, the ancients actually had a bit of metaphysics in them.
The ancients had a rule: don’t put three dishes on the table. This is because Sanhesan is a homophonic word. If three people appear at the dinner table, then metaphysics believes that the family will eventually face a scattered ending.
Therefore, in order to avoid such a situation, the ancients would deliberately avoid the number three when serving food. Of course, there cannot be only three dishes of various kinds at a large-scale banquet. In small family gatherings, or in daily three meals a day, people will try to avoid the amount.
Sometimes, if they really can’t make another dish, people would rather subtract one dish, or use cold dishes to make one more dish. Whether it is two or four, it will be more auspicious than three.
In addition, the ancients also believed that the three dishes would only appear when offered sacrifices to ancestors. Generally speaking, on specific festivals, people will hold solemn sacrificial ceremonies. When facing their ancestors, most people will choose to offer three dishes. Over time, this has formed a conventional form.
Under the influence of sacrificial rituals, of course, the combination of three dishes cannot appear on a living table. Otherwise, something unlucky may come to your door.
In addition to being particular about serving food, the ancients had many rules when eating food.
Generally speaking, Chinese people generally believe that one cannot be picky when eating vegetables. You have to eat whatever is on the table. Whether you are eating at your own home or visiting someone else's home, being picky is the most impolite behavior.
When using chopsticks to pick up dishes, we must also choose the dish closest to ourselves. Even if you want to eat food that is far away, it is impolite to stretch your arms to pick up the food, so you should try to avoid it.
From this point of view, the turntable table we use today is much more convenient. If you want to eat a dish from a distance, you only need to turn the plate on the table to bring the dish in front of you, thus avoiding impolite behavior.
Moreover, the ancients have a rule that has been passed down to this day, that is, you must not choose over and over again among a dish. Using your own chopsticks to dig through the dishes that everyone eats is an extremely unqualified act. People working at the same table as you may put down their chopsticks because of this.
So, there are many rules at the dinner table.When you eat by yourself, you must not only take care of your own taste, but you must also take care of the feelings of those around you. Because only in this way can this meal be enjoyable.
- Chopsticks should not be divided into five, there are many things to pay attention to
After talking about the number of dishes and the rules for picking up dishes, let’s talk about the use of chopsticks.
Chopsticks are a unique eating tool for the Chinese, so they actually carry the Chinese people’s national feelings and emotions about their country and family. Some young people studying abroad will definitely feel a strong sense of homesickness if they see chopsticks on the dinner table.
The Chinese are also very particular about the use of chopsticks.
Our ancients said that "chopsticks cannot be arranged in five", which means that chopsticks must not be placed in three ways, nor in two types.
These three placement methods respectively mean that chopsticks must not be placed horizontally, vertically, or crosswise on the bowl. And this reason has to start with the hexagrams of the Yi Jing.
The ancients believed that the paradise place was the normal state of nature. The different shapes of the upper and lower ends of chopsticks naturally represent a state of the universe. Therefore, when placed on the dining table, the chopsticks themselves form a hexagram representing good wishes.
Whether placed horizontally, vertically, or crossed, the placement of chopsticks has destroyed this hexagram. In other words, the ancient people's expectations for a better life can be broken by the use of a pair of chopsticks. Isn't this a waste of money?
Therefore, the ancients would never allow such a thing to happen.
And the two types of chopsticks are tear chopsticks and dipsticks. Tear-stained chopsticks refer to chopsticks with wine or tea on them, making them look stained with tears. Tears are often associated with pain. The appearance of tears will inevitably remind people of some bad past events, so everyone will try to avoid them.
Soaking chopsticks means that there are some food residues stuck on the chopsticks. For example, you use chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat, but some small meat residue on the piece of meat is left on the chopsticks. From the appearance, this pair of chopsticks gives people a very unhygienic feeling. Therefore, if dipped chopsticks appear on the dining table, it is very unappetizing.
In addition to the saying that chopsticks cannot be divided into five pieces, the ancients also had many taboos when using chopsticks.
Our ancestors often said that chopsticks cannot be inserted directly into rice. This is because when we offer sacrifices to our ancestors, we often burn incense. The method of inserting chopsticks into the rice seems to be no different from that of incense.
So, this is a very unlucky move. Especially on some special holidays, such actions often cause people to get angry.
In addition, when holding chopsticks, we must also pay attention to the fact that the tip of the chopsticks cannot be pointed directly at others. The ancients believed that if you point the tip of your chopsticks at others, it is a provocative behavior towards others and is somewhat insulting.
Therefore, this kind of behavior must not happen at the dinner table. When children in ancient times received education on table rules from an early age, they would definitely be mentioned in these aspects.
When using chopsticks, we must also pay attention to the occasion. Of course it is normal to use chopsticks to pick up food, but it is very rude to use chopsticks to stir the soup plate.
This will not only hurt the appetite of people at the same table, but also expose personal qualities. Therefore, there are certain rules for what chopsticks should be used for.
The many considerations when using chopsticks actually reflect the ancients' concern for food culture.
- Don’t sit at six seats, seating issues
When eating, in addition to paying attention to the quantity of food and the etiquette of using tools, the Chinese are also very concerned about seating issues.
The ancients did not seat six seats at the lecture table, which means that when a banquet is held, there cannot be exactly six seats.Obviously the number six represents good luck in traditional Chinese culture, so why do people still reject six seats?
This is because the ancients valued symmetrical arrangement. On a rectangular table, one person sits on each of the two narrow sides, and two people sit on each of the two long sides. Taken together, there are six people in total.
The ancients believed that this arrangement was very similar to a turtle and was particularly unsightly. Although turtles have a reputation for longevity, in universal values, people still don’t want to be called turtles.
Therefore, when the ancients arranged seats, they would deliberately avoid the number six, and also avoid such a special arrangement.
In addition, the ancients still had many rules regarding seating. For example, the idiom " virtual left waiting" came into being because the ancients believed that the left side is the most noble of the four directions. When a distinguished guest comes to your home, leaving a seat on the left is a sign of respect for the guest.
There is also the issue of age in seats, which the ancients also attached great importance to. The main position should be reserved for the mainstay of the family, or for the elderly who are highly respected. After the old man takes his seat, the rest of the people can take their seats in order according to age, status, etc.
If someone violates this norm, it will be considered disrespectful to the elders and will be punished by family rules.
Ordinary families attach less importance to seats than princes and nobles. In upper-class families, the person sitting at the head of the family must be the most distinguished person.
For example, when a banquet is held in the palace, the emperor himself sits condescendingly at the top. Beside him were the Queen Mother and the Empress, the two most noble women in the harem. Looking down, the concubines in the harem will sit from front to back according to their rank.
The dining table rules of the ancients were actually very detailed. Those who really delve into this issue will find that there are too many ways to do it.
Conclusion:
When today we understand the dining table rules of the ancients, we must learn to look at those rules and regulations with a dialectical perspective. We can choose not to believe in various superstitious or metaphysical claims.
However, we should pay more attention to the sayings about the rules when picking up food and the elderly being seated first in our daily lives. Discussing rules at the dinner table can actually reveal a person's character and temperament.
Reference materials:
1. "Love to eat and be polite"
2. "Chinese-style socializing"
