Chapter 8 Hundred Days Banquet

The Chinese have a fixed joke: A humble name is easy to support.It wasn't just Huang Hong who called himself "my nickname is Gousheng" in the Spring Festival Gala. Boya such as Qian Zhongshu also borrowed the eloquence, "It's easy for children to grow up, and they are often given nicknames, such as dogs, sheep, dogs, horses, etc. ...Sima Xiangru is a dog in small characters, Huanxi is a stone in small characters, Fan Ye is a brick in small characters, and Murong Nong is an evil slave in small characters."In fact, who wants a cheap name?It's nothing more than easy growth.In ancient times, the infant mortality rate was high, both in China and in the West.In the early years, everyone had no knowledge of modern medicine, so they had to think that the gods and Buddhas were responsible for the troubles, and they were forced to make their names lower to avoid the limelight.When the child is a month old, he has to celebrate, and he has survived; when the child is one year old, he has to celebrate, and he has grown up.Therefore, it is not easy for children to grow up, and every step is frightening. It is not a bad thing to have more banquets.

The 100-day feast is sandwiched between the full moon and the first birthday. It seems a little awkward, but numerically speaking, it is the most correct.This banquet has existed since ancient times. In the "Tokyo Menghualu", which describes the customs of the Song Dynasty, it is said: "Having a child for a hundred days, and setting up a meeting, it is called a hundred." In a hundred days, he can already walk and speak, and he is a real child prodigy.Of course, most children are still ignorant at this time...why pick this date? The Chinese have always attached great importance to numbers, and a hundred means perfection, and the sound of "hundred" and "hundred years old" are similar, so take a homonym; "" itself has a meaning of one year old.Of course, there is no need to delve into the meaning of its semiotics, anyway, it is to carry on the past and open up the future: it is not easy for a child to live a hundred days; wishing him another hundred years is a blessing.

If you want to go deeper, the hundred-day banquet is much more scientific than the full moon wine and the first birthday celebration.During the full moon wine, the mother was still recuperating, the father was in a hurry, and the child was in a daze. Although the guests were full of enthusiasm, they still couldn't help being out of order.One-year-old wine is a must, but it is a little longer.In comparison, during the hundred-day wine, parents can pack up and go out, and the child will start to cry, cry, and move, half-understanding. Each hundred-day banquet has its own rules and regulations.In the early years, there were customs such as "wearing hundreds of clothes" and "eating hundreds of meals".This is similar to giving a child a humble name, in the form of borrowing the light of neighbors and friends.Therefore, a family with a long-lived old man cannot avoid the obligation of being "borrowed", and often has to borrow a piece of clothing and a handful of rice from the old man to extend the life of the child.This custom is still common in cities today. Although only the form remains, the meaning is somewhat retained: the improvement of hygiene and health makes children live stronger, but everyone still fears God and knows their fate, and only wishes their children to be safe.

The 100-day banquet is a wedding banquet, so the specifications cannot be too elegant and elegant, and the side dishes that play with individuality and creativity will inevitably lack steaming joy.However, the theme of the 100-day banquet is children after all, so it can't be too grand and overbearing. The heavy fire and fresh seafood will be a little more hostile.During the period of the Republic of China, some Buddhist families cherished health and cherished blessings. They even dared to set up a table of vegetarian banquets with noodles and vegetarian dishes in the children's hundred-day banquet. The wanton killing made the wine pool and the meat forest, always felt that it was a little bit worse.

In fact, looking at the hundred-day banquet menus that the old people put their minds to, the specifications are often based on southern, especially Cantonese dishes.First of all, Cantonese cuisine is not too greasy with thick oil and red sauce, but also heavy fire, stewed and stewed, the dishes are moist and delicious without losing their naturalness.For example, the Cantonese-style Caobai salted fish is more elegant and mellow than the northern-style braised pork elbow; secondly, there are many small snacks in Cantonese cuisine, whichever is clean and neat, and suitable for rice or porridge; thirdly, Cantonese cuisine has its own set of special knowledge, The tonic formula of yin-yang and five elements, although many places are suspected of pseudoscience, but the word "tonic" is very suitable for the atmosphere of the Hundred Days Banquet.What everyone is looking for is peace and comfort, warming and nourishing qi.

The protagonist of the Hundred Days Banquet was said to be a child, but in fact, the child could only cry, laugh and wriggle his hands and feet at that time - after all, child prodigies like Yelu Abaoji were rare, not to mention that the history books used to brag about the emperor - nothing more than being praised by the adults Sentences with a good appearance and a good voice are full of blessings, so the real protagonist is still an old lady.If the baby is a boy, the new mother is more confident and can make the mother-in-law half shorter.According to the rules, the main course of the hundred-day banquet should be dedicated to mother. Although it may not be enough to eat a few bites, the meaning is there.The main course has another point: it must nourish qi, benefit deficiency, be rich, delicious and fragrant, but not too tacky.I have already eaten such things as crucian carp soup and big elbows during confinement, but now it has to be more refined when it comes to the scene?Dishes such as Braised Topaz Ginseng with Scallions and Steamed Abalone with Black Bean Sauce are prepared for this occasion.

It is said that during the period of the Republic of China, Cantonese people loved to use carp maw as a gift for the full moon, which was a unique mouth color.But this dish actually makes sense. The fish maw nourishes Qi and nourishes the heart, and its function is not inferior to that of bird's nest and white fungus, and its taste is far superior.Of course, carp belly is expensive, and it is impossible to choose such fine dishes. The method of fish maw, according to Yuan Mei, is "a man with a false reputation for abalone's belly and wings".Both fish maw and shark's fin are simmered in thick sauce.A good way is to use hibiscus fish maw. After the fish maw has been modified, simmer the feet in high soup—some people say that the milk soup is used to supplement the shape, hoping it will be beneficial to breastfeeding mothers.Then season the egg white with refined salt and starch, and fry it into a hibiscus shape. After that, put the fish maw together with ham, choy sum, garlic, scallops, scallops, sliced ​​ginger, green onion, etc. stew.In the end, there are many ways to deal with it. If you are looking for fineness, you will add thickening and drizzle some chicken oil. If you find it troublesome, you can directly take the stewed fish maw out of the pot and serve it with hibiscus.

This dish is extremely hot, the quality is rotten and the taste is mellow, and it is so soft that there are no edges or corners, and you don't need to chew it.The fish maw and eggs are full of protein, tender and soft, soft as if there is no bone, and the taste penetrates into it, which is extremely ecstasy.Moreover, chicken and fish are not aggressive and aggressive, they are natural tonics, and mothers will not feel killing after eating them. It is like swallowing a soft, white and smooth elixir, and they will be round and full with their children all at once.Of course, the best thing about Furong fish maw is that it embodies the essence of the dishes on the day of the 100-day banquet: look, even my mother only eats such a high-protein but low-fat dish, so everyone is really embarrassed to eat it, right?Suck some mild and moist taste, that's it.