Chapter 3 Chrysanthemum soup and sweet-scented osmanthus dew

Chrysanthemum soup and sweet-scented osmanthus dew One day I went to Tamsui to visit a friend. As soon as I entered the door, my friend said that the five epiphyllum trees in the yard bloomed at the same time last night. "Where's Epiphyllum?" I said. My friend brought out a plate of food from the refrigerator and said: "Here is the epiphyllum." I was shocked because the epiphyllum had disappeared and a layer of frost formed on the plate. "This is my new way of eating epiphyllum. Put epiphyllum and agar in a pot and boil until they are all melted. Add rock sugar and then cool it. It is especially delicious after freezing. This is called epiphyllum jelly, which can cure asthma. .”

We sat down and ate Epiphyllum jelly, and it was really fragrant. It was quite a friend's ingenuity. It turns out that Epiphyllum can be eaten like this? A friend said: "The epiphyllum can be eaten raw. When it is in full bloom, pick it off and dip it in osmanthus dew, which can clear the liver and transform the fire. It is a must in the world, especially the petals of the epiphyllum are extremely crispy, and there are few products that can match it." "What is sweet-scented osmanthus dew?" I was really startled. "Osmanthus dew is when the sweet-scented osmanthus blooms in autumn. Pick all the sweet-scented osmanthus in the garden and put them in a bottle. When the sweet-scented osmanthus is half filled, fill it with sugar and spread it on top. In spring, the sweet-scented osmanthus in the bottle It is completely dissolved in sugar water, and it is clearer and sweeter than honey, so it is nicknamed 'Osmanthus dew'."

"You are amazing, how did you invent so many ways to eat flowers?" I asked him. "Actually, it's nothing. I've been in the mountains for a long time. The neighbors around here have taught each other. I heard that they have eaten it for several generations. I tried it myself when the hanging flowers bloomed last year. I didn't expect that it would be done once I made it. You just ate it. The epiphyllum jelly is dipped in sweet-scented osmanthus dew." Later, we chatted until noon, and we ate at a friend's house. He was busy in the kitchen for a long time and brought out a large plate of dishes. He said, "This is chrysanthemum soup." It was as fresh as above, and the petals were scattered on the plate, which was scary—he even boiled the chrysanthemums and meat soup together.

"General meat soup is too turbid. In my chrysanthemum soup, chrysanthemum is used instead of cabbage, and the powder is relatively small, so it is clear and edible. Try it." I ate a big bowl of chrysanthemum soup, it was so delicious that my tongue was tied up, "You should open a shop in Taipei City called 'Flower Food Shop', as long as you sell epiphyllum jelly, sweet-scented osmanthus dew, and chrysanthemum soup Things are suitable for spring, summer, autumn and winter, and you can make a lot of money." I said. "Of course I thought about it, but where do we get so many flowers? Chrysanthemum soup is easy to make, and epiphyllum jelly and sweet-scented osmanthus dew can't find ingredients. Besides, the flowers in Taipei City are all treated with pesticides. It's no better than growing your own, so it's safe to eat. "

Then we talked about many interesting stories about eating flowers. My friend has a theory. He thinks it is wrong for us to eat plants and only eat their roots, because flowers and fruits are the essence of plants. Since the fruits are edible, the flowers are also edible. , It's just that most people are reluctant to eat it. "In fact, all things are equal and come from the same source. The roots of plants are also beautiful. Why do we eat them? Besides, if we don't eat flowers, they will naturally wither the next day or the third day; fall into the soil, and Eating it in the stomach is no different.

"The first time I ate flowers was when I was in the sixth grade of elementary school. At that time, I was in a taxi with my mother. Someone came to sell magnolia flowers. My mother bought two bunches, one for herself and one for me. I thought that magnolia flowers must be delicious when they smell so fragrant, so I tore off the petals and chewed them one by one. Dun, from then on, I wanted to eat any flower I saw, so I naturally learned many ways to eat flowers, some were taught by others, and some were invented by myself. Anyway, I learned by analogy. "Have you ever eaten day lily?Of course I’ve eaten it, but what you ate was boiled daylilies. I’ve eaten raw ones, and chewing them carefully can make you feel better than boiled. "

A friend told a story about eating flowers, and I couldn't help asking: "Maybe some flowers are poisonous?" He laughed and said: "After you know the name of the flower, look it up in the dictionary. I guarantee that if you lose ten thousand yuan, there will be poisonous dictionaries." I nodded frequently and quite agreed with his opinion, but I thought that I would never be able to eat flowers boldly in this life. I suddenly remembered an old incident. I once brought a friend from England to Baiyun Villa in Yangmingshan to drink orchid tea. , the waiter brought a pot of tea, my friend opened the lid curiously, and found that the dried orchids in the pot were still lifelike after being soaked in boiling water. The British friend sighed and said: "Chinese people really do all kinds of evil!" Such things as "eating flowers" are really inconceivable in the eyes of foreigners, because they believe that flowers have a flower god, so how can they eat them like that.At that time, my national pride exploded, so I quickly said: Eating flowers is better than eating raw beef or raw horse meat!

It can be seen that everything can be viewed from both sides. Eating flowers may seem cruel at first glance, but if you are really wise, isn't it an elegant thing?Even the bamboo that the Chinese consider to be the most representative of integrity, don't they eat it without regret?Plum, orchid, and chrysanthemum, which are also "Four Gentlemen", are there any sins in eating them? —September 23, 1981