Chapter 14 Zheng Zhai Meat Floss

When I was sick when I was young, I first asked Dr. Zhu Futang for diagnosis and treatment, and I often went to see doctors at Zhufu's home. At that time, there was no children's hospital, and Zhufu seemed to be running his own business.Later, Dr. Zhu joined the Children's Hospital and served as the dean, so he was no longer invited.From then on, whenever he got sick, he always asked Dr. Zheng Hexian for diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Zheng Hexian is a Western medicine doctor. I can’t remember whether he studied in Germany or Japan. Anyway, he is a doctor who has studied abroad. He is very famous among some patients in Beijing, especially with Mei Lanfang’s family. When people wait to see a doctor, they all go to Zheng Hexian.

I remember that the person I was most afraid of when I was a child was Dr. Zheng Hexian, and I still remember it vividly.In addition to being afraid of doctors like ordinary children who don't like injections and medicines, I often compare him with Dr. Zhu Futang. Whether Dr. Zhu is visiting or I go to see a doctor at his home, I always see him very kind and patient. Talking to the kids, smiling, and often buying me his chocolate candies, I still miss him so much.I think he treats me very equally. He listens carefully to what I say is uncomfortable and treats me like an adult.Later, Dr. Zheng changed, and the situation was different.First of all, Dr. Zheng Hexian is not a doctor who specializes in taking care of children. When an adult in my family is sick, he also sees Zheng Hexian. As long as I can remember, Dr. Zheng has often come to my house, but he only treats the adults. It seems that he has nothing to do with me.The second reason was that he was afraid of seeing Dr. Zheng's face.Doctor Zheng is from Fujian. He is very short and has big eyes, especially his eyebrows, which are thick and long, protruding from his face and covering his eyes.I have never seen him smile, he is always extremely serious, and he never smiles when talking to adults.He likes to mix English when he speaks, which I can't understand.I think he treats me unfairly, he only talks to adults and never pays attention to me.What's more, every time I see a doctor, besides auscultation, he always touches my stomach. No matter whether it is winter or summer, his hands are extremely cold. I am most afraid of him touching my stomach.

In addition, there is another thing that impressed me deeply, that is, every time Dr. Zheng came to visit the doctor, he would ask the kitchen to prepare snacks for him.Dr. Zheng Hexian is of the Western style and does not eat Chinese dim sum, so he always buys foreign dim sum from "Shi Jin" or "Liberation", and starts making coffee before he arrives.My family does not drink much coffee, and there was no Nescafe instant coffee like today.It is freshly ground coffee beans, boiled in a coffee pot.So as soon as you smell the aroma of coffee, you know that Zheng He is coming first.

Because the whole family sees Dr. Zheng Hexian for medical treatment, the relationship is naturally very good.In addition to the fee for each consultation, some gifts are given to Dr. Zheng every year and festival.And Dr. Zheng also often gives some gifts in return, and this gift is his homemade meat floss.At that time, I often heard family members say: "Zheng's house sent meat floss!" But how this meat floss was delivered, I still think it is a mystery.I have never seen anyone who brought meat floss.Although Dr. Zheng is very short, he is very handsome and dignified. He would never go to someone's doctor with two packs of meat floss, maybe he sent someone to deliver it specially.

At that time, Zheng Hexian was already in his fifties, and his mother was still alive and was also from Fujian.His wife is also from Fujian and knows how to make meat floss.Although there are many varieties of meat floss we see today, there are only two categories, one is Fujian meat floss and the other is Jiangsu Taicang meat floss.The meat floss made by Zheng Zhai is the standard Fujian meat floss.I don’t know the method of making meat floss, but it is very complicated to understand. In addition to pure lean meat, there is also a little soy flour and red rice, but it should be appropriate. A little more soy flour will taste like beans fishy smell.Fujian meat floss is heavy in oil, sweet in taste and very mellow.Zheng Zhai's meat floss is definitely different from the Fujian meat floss that can be bought in the market, and it is better than the meat floss sold by Dao Xiangchun at that time.No matter whether it is sandwiched with bread, steamed buns or just porridge, it is the best side dish.The meat floss made by Zheng Zhai is very oily, and it looks moister than the ones bought outside, and the color is also fresh.A few years ago, when I went to Fuzhou and Xiamen, I went to the famous "Golden Fragrance" and "Ding Ri You" to buy meat floss. Although it is better than Beijing, it is not as good as Zheng Zhai's homemade meat floss.

In the early 1960s, it seems that Zheng He first moved to Qianguaibang Hutong near Di'anmen. At that time, his old lady had passed away, and Mrs. Zheng still made meat floss.My grandmother and I have been to his house, and I remember bringing back meat floss when we left.Some of the families that Zheng Hexian frequented seemed to have eaten his meat floss.Many years later, people still sometimes mention Zheng Zhai's meat floss. Zheng Hexian died in the "Cultural Revolution". In the autumn of 1985, I went to visit Xu Jichuan at Mei’s house in Neilianzi Hutong of Hepingmen. At that time, Mr. Xu lived in the upper room of Mei’s house.In the chat, I accidentally mentioned Zheng Hexian, and also talked about the floss in Zheng's house.I also told Mr. Xu that I was afraid of Dr. Zheng when I was a child.The old man Xu Jichuan sat on the sofa, squinted his eyes and recalled the past twenty years ago, paused for a while and said: "Actually, Zheng Hexian is a very good person, not scary at all, and he has a very good relationship with the Mei family. He is a doctor of internal medicine, and the laboratory tests and examinations were very simple at that time. In fact, he only played the role of a health care doctor in these families. Zheng Hexian has a wide range of contacts, and many people know him." Then he said: "The Zheng family's meat floss is all made by his wife. I must make a lot of it in a year. It is really good. Uncle Mei also liked to eat his family's meat floss back then."

In what year did Zheng Hexian die?How did you die?Mr. Xu couldn't remember either.