A plate of thin lettuce on a spring day, suddenly recalling the plum blossoms in the two capitals - Du Fu
Food is the most important thing for people, eating is the biggest thing in a person's life, no matter what happens, you can't delay eating, and in China's dietary standards In China, three meals a day is a dietary rule passed down from our ancestors, so modern people also abide by this eating time. Except for individual manual workers, most people maintain the standard of three meals a day.
But in ancient times, there were actually no three meals a day. People at that time basically had two meals a day. Why did our country switch from two meals a day to three meals a day.
Traditional dietary rules
Whether it is three meals a day or two meals a day, they all represent the system of regular meals. The system of regular meals in my country can be traced back to the Shang and Zhou periods. With the gradual development of etiquette and system content, Perfect, the dietary rule of two meals a day has been recognized by most people, so why did ancient people choose two meals a day.
Strictly speaking, whether it is three meals a day or two meals a day, it is aimed at ordinary people, that is, common people. In ancient my country, except for businessmen and nobles, most people were farmers, and two meals a day The standards of meals are also based on their living habits.
Working in the fields is very hard. Before the emergence of modern agricultural machinery, all crops were sown and harvested by humans. Therefore, for farmers, eating is not only to survive, but also to ensure sufficient physical strength. This is two meals a day in ancient times. The origin of.
The first meal of the ancients was similar to today's breakfast. It was often eaten after the sun rose, because this determined whether they would have enough energy to work in the morning. To this day, many southern regions attach great importance to breakfast. Still very high.
However, the second meal of the ancients was not what modern people often call lunch. Their second meal was more like afternoon tea, which was eaten around 2 o'clock to ensure that they had enough energy to continue working in the afternoon. However, After work, ancient farmers did not have meals. According to the ancients, they would not continue working after the sun went down and needed to rest as soon as possible, so there was no need to eat.
Moreover, the ancients tended to go to bed earlier, and might go to bed around six or seven in winter, so the ancients did not have the need for dinner, but behind the traditional dietary rules, two meals a day often represents a lack of food, and The hardships of life for farmers at the bottom.
The lives of ordinary people
During the World War II period, in order to save domestic expenses and allow the army to have more supplies, the Japanese Emperor took the lead in restoring the two-meal-a-day system, and supplied all the saved food to the army, and Behind the two meals a day in ancient my country, it also represents the shortage of food.
Chinese people are short of food, so they must eat less to ensure that they will not be hungry. If you eat three meals a day, the food will definitely not be enough. This is why peasant uprisings often broke out in ancient times. Until the Qing Dynasty , ancient civilians still We have to keep running around to fill our stomachs. So there is no scientific basis for saying two meals a day, nor is it a so-called healthy diet. It is just a helpless move by people to survive in a more difficult environment.
But for the wealthy and aristocratic classes in ancient times, there was never the concept of two meals a day.
Differences in Life
In terms of staple food, ancient ladies and aristocrats seem to have maintained the system of two meals a day, but this does not mean that they only eat during these two times of the day. Take the ancient masterpiece "A Dream of Red Mansions" ", the Jia family in Dream of Red Mansions represents the ancient aristocratic class, and their food culture is also a true portrayal of ancient society.
In Jia Mansion, the so-called two meals a day refers to the time period when the whole family is in attendance and eating together. In addition, the kitchen in Jia Mansion once had such a description. In addition to the kitchen responsible for the main meals, there are many In the small kitchen, cooking for different people is basically done all day long.
According to this situation, let alone two meals a day, even one meal a day will not leave them hungry. For them, two meals a day is more like a big family gathering, rather than Normal dietary needs, you can eat or not eat at such a big party, because there is always hot food when you are hungry.
Similar situations are very common in modern society, especially in large companies. Because of their busy work, everyone basically eats every chance they can. However, this way of eating will cause a great burden on the body, which is also a lot of The main reason why young people have stomach problems
Three meals a day
So when did my country start having three meals a day? This has to be mentioned in the dynasty with the highest economic peak in ancient my country, the Song Dynasty . Although the Song Dynasty suffered Criticism, but I have to say that the overall economic strength of the Song Dynasty was very strong, and basically anything could be solved with money. Under the huge commodity economy, our country's eating habits also began to change.
In the Song Dynasty, dinner and late-night snacks appeared in the real sense. The Song Dynasty not only canceled the curfew policy, but also appeared a dazzling array of night markets. In the night markets, there were not only wealthy people, but also ordinary people. In the huge Song Dynasty Under the economic system, the income of ordinary people has increased, and they have the confidence to have dinner.
But it is a pity that the eating method of three meals a day was not popular at that time. Because only big cities had night markets. In small cities and villages, the streets would be very quiet at night, and there would be very few Some people finished eating, and it was in the late Qing Dynasty that three meals a day became fully popular in China.
As the results of the industrial revolution and entered China, the factory system began to appear in China, and electric lights began to spread on a large scale in China. People also adapted to the mode of working at night, and dinner became popular. In various TV series, night There are many vendors selling late night snacks, and some even operate until early in the morning.
There was no dinner in ancient my country because people did not engage in activities at night. However, in modern society, with electric lights, people’s activity time has been greatly extended. Naturally, they need to eat dinner. Some people even regard dinner as the most important part of the day. The first important meal is because I was so busy eating breakfast and lunch that I had no time to enjoy the delicious food. I could only have a relaxing meal in the evening.
However, at this time, some people also suggested that two meals a day is the most scientific and healthy way to eat, and encouraged not to eat after six o'clock in the evening. If we follow the nine-to-five life schedule of civil servants, this kind of eating method is not possible It's a problem, but most people still can't adapt to this way of eating. After all, you may have to be active for nearly ten hours after six o'clock, so how can you not eat.
Changes in food culture represent changes in living conditions. As society accelerates, only dinner can be enjoyed at will. Some young people even ignore breakfast. But no matter how you eat, the most important thing is good health. is the most important.
