Chapter 66 on eating

on eating We have two sayings that have been handed down since ancient times: one is "sufficiency in food and clothing is enough to know honor and disgrace", found in "Guanzi Herdsmen", and the other is "food is the most important thing for the people", which was said by Li Shiqi in the Han Dynasty.These are the recognition of the basic nature of people's food in terms of actual politics, that is to say, from the perspective of the people, food comes first.On the other hand, Gao Zi said, "Food and sex are also related to sex", affirming from the philosophy of life that food is one of the two basic requirements of life. The "Book of Rites · Li Yun" also said that "eating and eating men and women can keep people's great desires", which is more clear.According to the following two sentences, eating and sexual desire are equally important, but according to the order in these two sentences, "food" or "diet" comes first, so eating comes first.

This principle of eating first seems to be accepted by the general society.Although there are no clear records in history, the modern situation, based on what we have heard and seen, seems to be enough to teach us to believe that it has been like this since ancient times.For example, groups of hungry people in northern Jiangsu go to the south of the Yangtze River to eat, almost every year.This was mentioned in Mr. Fei Xiaotong's article "It's Not Collapse or Paralysis" that was recently published in Tianjin's "Ta Kung Pao".Although these refugees are annoying to people, they have to be fed.Of course, 10-20% of feeding them is out of charity, that is, compassion, but 80-90% of them are afraid of them, afraid that they will take risks, "the villain is too poor", and nothing can be done!Giving them food, the Jiangnan people recognized it.

But does the law have nothing to do with them?Don't officials care about them?Why are you afraid of admitting it?But the law is nothing more than human favors. It is human favors to eat without food, and favors cannot be suppressed by the law and officials.If you don't have food, you will starve to death, and if you are severely punished, you will just die. This is a group of people, and the group is power: whoever is afraid of whom!Those who are afraid are those who have food, they have no choice but to recognize some.The so-called human feelings are natural needs, basic desires, and in fact, basic rights.But the hungry people do not realize that they have this right, and the general society does not recognize that they have this right; the hungry people just want to eat impulsively, and the general society only acquiesces in their reasoning when they are given food. The truth is that eating comes first.

The author lived in Chengdu in the summer of 30 years and knew the situation of the so-called "big eaters".That was the time when there was a shortage of grain, the weather was dry, the price of rice and grain rose sharply, and it was not easy to buy.As a result, groups of poor people robbed rice warehouses and "eat big households" at the same time.They drove into the houses of rich families and asked them to cook and eat before leaving.This is called "big eater". "Eating big households" is a peaceful means, which cannot be refused according to the usual practice, although the people being eaten are not happy.Of course, those who are really powerful, especially the big households with guns, and the poor are also sensible, so they dare not eat.Those big families who dared to eat had no choice but to admit it when they were eaten.That time, I continued to eat like this for two or three days, and at the same time, I was rushing to do flat cooking on the ground, and at the same time strictly prohibited it, so I stopped.It is said that "eating big households" is an ancient practice; then the above-mentioned saying that the hungry people eat food should be even more ancient.

But Confucianism has another standard for eating.Confucius believed that political credit is more important than people's food, while Mencius regarded people's food as the foundation of benevolent government; this is because it was not necessary to win over the people in the Spring and Autumn Period, but it was necessary to win over the people in the Warring States Period.However, when they talked about scholars, they all regarded eating as an insignificant item.Confucius said, "A gentleman is always poor", he said that eating rough rice, drinking cold water, "enjoys himself in it", and praised Yan Hui for not eating and drinking enough, "not changing his enjoyment".Taoists call this happy place "Kongyan happy place", and they teach people to "find Kongyan happy place" and learn this spirit of starving for ideals.This ideal is what Mencius said, "If you are poor, you will be good for yourself, and if you are rich, you will be good for the world", which is the so-called "section" and "Tao".On the one hand, Mencius disapproved of Gao Zi's statement that "food and sex are related to sex", and on the other hand, he included the condition that "poverty and lowliness cannot be removed" when discussing "big man".The "big husband" in the Warring States period is equivalent to the "gentleman" in the Spring and Autumn Period, and they are all hard-working people who govern people.Although these people also have times when they are hungry, eating is not a problem once they get it, unlike Xiaomin who often struggles to eat for a lifetime.Therefore, it is not difficult for scholars to put Tao and festivals first, and think that eating seems to be an unimportant item.

It is said that Boyi and Shuqi opposed King Wu of Zhou's overthrowing Zhou and believed that he should be overthrown by his ministers. Therefore, they did not eat Zhou millet and starved to death in Shouyang Mountain.This is also the ideal festival without regard to food.Cooperating with Confucian theories, Boyi and Shuqi became a special standard for scholars to stand on.The so-called special standard is the highest standard of ideals; although not all scholars must achieve this level, it is best to be able to achieve this level. Advocated by Taoists in the Song Dynasty, this standard has become a general standard, and scholars and even women have to do this.This is the so-called "starving to death is a small matter, but injustice is a major matter."This phrase was originally applied to women, but it has since been expanded and applied generally, resulting in countless cruel and stupid martyrdoms.This is exactly the "ethics of cannibalism".People don't eat, and etiquette eats people. It is always unreasonable to reach this point.

Scholars have another practical view on eating.Brothers Song Jiao and Song Qi in the Northern Song Dynasty both became high-ranking officials, and their houses were next to each other.Song Qi often had banquets and dances, Song Xiao couldn't listen to it, so he asked someone to talk to his younger brother, and asked him if he still remembered eating vegetable roots in the monk's temple?Song Qi answered brilliantly: May I ask why you bitten vegetable roots back then!This is exactly the so-called "only by suffering and suffering can one become a master".To become a "superior person", eat well, dress well, and play well; "be good at the world" thus becomes a pretense.According to this view, enduring hunger or eating rough rice and drinking cold water is just so that one day you can eat, drink, and have fun.The first thing to eat is human affection, and most scholars are probably thinking this way.However, in the era of Song Jiao and Song Qi, Daoism had just begun, so Song Qi dared to openly express his hedonism; later, the status of scholars increased, and their responsibilities increased. The strict standards of Daoism both covered and restricted the status of rulers. Scholars, most of them are thinking so much in their hearts, but they dare not say it out of their mouths.Although I dare not say it out of my mouth, I am actually enjoying myself.So they eat more and drink more, and there are people who eat less and drink less; the people who eat less and drink less are naturally the broad masses of the people who are being ruled.

Most of the people, especially the peasants, resigned themselves to their fate. They were used to suffering from hunger and hunger for thousands of years.They won't act until the last minute.They went to other places to eat, rob rice, eat rich people, and even rebel, all because they were forced to have nowhere to go.What can be noticed here is that they don't speak; they act when they are "unbearable", and keep silent when they can't bear it.They ask for food, but do not know that they should have food; they act, but feel that this action is illegal, so they simply say nothing.Those who speak are still scholars.Due to the invention of printing and the development of education, etc., the number of them has increased, but the opportunities to eat have not increased, so many people also find it difficult to eat.This leads to the lament that "the world is as difficult as eating".Although it is difficult, it is still easier than Xiaomin.Because they belong to the rulers after all, "Centured insects, dead but not stiff", some of them are family members, relatives and friends who are officials, and they have to eat; this meal is better than that of ordinary people.Mencius said that being an official can let "those who know the poor find me". Since ancient times, being an official has the obligation to quote poor family members, poor relatives and poor friends.In the Republic of China, President Li Yuanhong even put forward the words "everyone eats if there is rice".This is really a "Bodhisattva" heart, but it was only a joke at the time.It turns out that this sentence is said by a president, which means that the virtuous and the foolish are not distinguished, and the rewards and punishments are not clear, which is muddled.However, by that time, this sentence has been hidden in the hearts of almost every scholar.It's rare to be so confused!

The First World War and the May 4th Movement brought about a series of changes. The Republic of China zigzagged and moved toward modernization.We have the intellectual class, we also have the working class, we have wage demands, and we have strikes, all of which demand "everyone eats".The intellectual class changed the face of the scholars, and the working class changed the face of the ordinary people. They started collective action; Eating is not about eating and drinking, but enough to eat and drink, even as long as there is food and drink.Yet this is just the beginning.During this world war, President Roosevelt proposed four freedoms, the fourth being "freedom from want". "Deficiency" is naturally headed by lack of food, and people should at least have the freedom from lack of food.This strengthens the people's right to eat, and also affirms the people's demand for food; this is also "everyone eats when there is food", but focusing on the common people, the whole people, the meaning is quite different.

In China after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, it was even more difficult to eat, and more people had no food to eat.Today, ordinary people are really terrible, they can't bear it anymore, they can't eat enough or even have nothing to eat, and they can't talk about etiquette and culture.Even if they don’t know the right to eat these days, they will take action. If they know the right to eat, how can they not take action and demand this kind of “freedom from want”?So the students wrote the slogan "Hunger is a big deal, reading is a small thing", and the workers shouted the slogan "We want to eat".This is the first time in our history that ordinary people have publicly admitted that eating is the first.In fact, this is much better than the turmoil that is boring and confused; this is the request of the collective, and the collective is organized, and it is not easy to cause chaos if it is organized.But being organized is not easy to disperse; human feelings plus human rights, this collective action cannot be suppressed nor dispersed until the day when everyone has food to eat.

Made on June 21, 1947. (Originally published on July 6, 1947, No. 9 of the supplement "Weekly Literature and Art" of Shanghai "Ta Kung Pao")