Chapter 20 Sad Carrot

The taste of vegetables can be sweet or not, but in terms of life, most of them are bitter.Speaking of hard-fated vegetables, the first thing that comes to mind is cabbage.However, the sadness of this dish has nothing to do with the cabbage itself, it is basically based on the emotions accumulated in the famous murder case of the peach color family in the Qing Dynasty and the later folk song. bred.Of course, this does not hinder our wishful thinking and passion.Recently, I read an article written by a nutritionist from Taiwan about Chinese cabbage. The title was "The Beauty and Sorrow of Chinese Cabbage". Before I finished reading it, I felt like crying.

In fact, whether it is in the field or on the dinner table, it is more bitter than life, and it is the radish that is more bitter than the cabbage, whether it is worth or taste.When it comes to appearance, "beautiful" is not at all, only sad. Botanically, vegetables belong to leaves, and radishes belong to roots.Those who make vegetable leaves can at least sway in the warm spring breeze for a few days during their lifetime. Even if they are as miserable as small cabbages, "the ground is yellow", the sadness is sadness, but at least it is still yellow on the surface of the ground, and the sadness can be seen , Let the sad people see it, and they can also show sympathy for each other.And those who have returned to their "roots" like radishes, no matter how much sorrow and grievance are, they can only silently lie under the loess and feel sad secretly, which is worse than the Cantonese saying "decay to the ground".

Except for ginseng and bamboo shoots, most of the "vegetable roots" are lowly food, especially radish, which has a bad background, complicated production, four seasons, easy to live, high yield, rough appearance, and low taste And it is easy to store, and so on, even people who don't eat radishes very much can count a lot without blinking.I found that, in fact, no matter whether it is vegetables or meat, people or things, as long as any three of the above eight qualities are combined at the same time, people will be a bitch for a lifetime, and vegetables will not be "proper dishes" for a lifetime.Of course, sometimes geniuses and idiots, wealth and poverty are actually separated by such a thin layer of paper, so it seems a bit absolute to say this, but if you think about it carefully, you will believe that I am not just talking about it.For example, there are a lot of heroes with bad backgrounds in history, but they are easy to live, have strong vitality and willpower, and they will not die no matter what the enemy does. "The yield is not high", even if there is a queen, it is not easy to live, even if it survives by luck, it is not easy to store.It's really a dish like this, so how can people be embarrassed.

In fact, in history, radish has never been threatened.In ancient Greece, radishes had a place among the sacred offerings of the Olympic gods.In China, it is said that a farmer once planted an extra-large white radish in the field. He was so shocked that he did not dare to eat it without authorization. Empress Tianwu tasted great joy and named it "Fake Yancai".After waiting for a thousand years, it was finally tied to the bird's nest, but the noble surname bestowed by the emperor was still shockingly crowned with "fake".If Wu Zetian really knows how to be a man, no matter what, it would be nice to give him an "honorary jelly".Radish is also known as Laifu, Luofu, Tusu, Wensong, and Qinsong in ancient Chinese. The history of planting in China can be traced back to the earliest times.However, the status of radish in the history of Chinese food is not "Book of Songs" at all (in fact, the status of radish in the western arena is even lower), except for some home-cooked dishes that do not make a big scene, generally, radish is only in the following Two unusual situations to get a little poor attention:

1. Medicinal use.According to Liang Tao Hongjing's "Bielu of Famous Doctors" in the Southern Dynasties, radish is cool in nature and sweet in taste, and enters the two meridians of the lung and stomach. Hematemesis, epistaxis, thirst, dysentery, headache, dysuria embolism.Guangzhou people also have the habit of drinking the old fire soup of "green carrot and pig loin" to clear away heat.Western medicine research has found that, in addition to calcium, phosphorus, carbohydrates and a small amount of protein in radish, the most vitamins are A and C, which are some common goods.Although there is a folk saying that "radish enters the city, the pharmacy will close", although I have seen a "modern radish dealer" advertise that "radish is better than SK II", but the pharmacy not only did not close, but opened more and more. Driving outside the city, SK II did not lose its female customers because of carrots. The female stars in the advertisements became more and more beautiful and juicy.

Second, compare with fruit.Regarding radishes, we all know that there is a saying in the north that "radish matches pear".In fact, even if some fine varieties are counted, it is difficult to compare the taste of radishes with pears. The word "Sai" is not without bitterness, because it obviously starts from the cost performance of radishes and pears. Xu Youxiang, a native of the Yuan Dynasty, once praised radish as "cooked food is as sweet as taro, and raw food is as crisp as pear." His words have been passed down as golden sentences, sad husband!Isn’t it just a taro, isn’t it just a pear? What’s the comparison? What’s there to compete with?

Once pulled out of the pit and brought into the kitchen, the fate of the radish begins as Li Shizhen said: "It can be raw or cooked, it can be sauced, it can be fermented or vinegared, it can be sugared or cooked." They are all female, almost as human as possible, and if the radish is liquid, it should almost be Coca-Cola. Therefore, radish not only has a bitter life, but it is also difficult to accept its fate.Even if there is an opportunity to play the leading role in the following few common dishes, these "movies" are all fragments of Cantonese, and no matter whether it is an Oscar or a bear or a tree, they will not have their share.All snacks in Guangzhou, such as the radish beef brisket on the street or the radish cake in the teahouse, are delicious. Locals and people from other provinces say that they are delicious, but they will never be considered elegant, nor can they enter the palace.As for the shredded radish cake which is said to have originated in Huaiyang and is now blooming all over the country.However, it is such a delicious home-cooked snack, which is now being continuously upgraded, with minced ham and even shrimps added to the stuffing. In contrast, shredded radish has lost its position as the main choice. became a supporting role.The best radish dish I've ever eaten is the "shredded radish crucian carp soup" in Jiangsu and Zhejiang: shred the white radish, wash the crucian carp, fry in chicken oil until fragrant, then put the shredded radish and shredded green onion and ginger into the pot Boil in water, then add salt or wine to taste and serve.To be honest, both crucian carp and white radish have their own bitterness in taste. If there is no proper control and enough patience in the heat, this soup is easy to make mistakes.More than ten years ago, many small restaurants in Shanghai had excellent dishes. The taste was sweet and slightly bitter, and the soup was milky white. It was indeed the most memorable.However, it is very difficult to find this soup in Shanghai today, and even if it is available, the quality is not as good as before.This may be because shredded radish and crucian carp are cheap goods after all, and they cannot be sold at a price enough to make the store serious.

Although it is said that "vegetables and radishes, each has its own love", but not only are there more people who love vegetables than radishes, but even those who are as miserable as cabbage, as long as the time comes, they can still eat A big money like puffer fish and shark's fin can fill the bottom of the pot, fill the room, and share the applause of the guests.What about radishes?Of course, there are also opportunities to participate in such important occasions, but every time it comes to this juncture, you have to endure the pain. Ren Chef carves his body with a sharp knife, and finally he is carved into an unbelievable flower that even he can't imagine. The radish flowers, staying on the edge of the plate in an existential posture, add to the fun of those who are seated in the front row and in the middle of the rostrum.

If there is one extravagant thing that can be called "temperament" for those who are as miserable as carrots, I think there is only one word: stay. Staying is not only the temperament of the radish, but also its taste.Of course, as far as the meaning of the word is concerned, staying can also refer to dullness, simplicity, reality and duty. Of course, more intuitively speaking, the "dumbness" of radish is mainly reflected in its appearance.In the past, the Chinese and Japanese devils were short and short, so they nicknamed them "radish heads". In fact, the Japanese who eat radishes the most in the world prefer to use radishes to curse people.Radishes are called "big roots" in Japanese. Those entertainers who only have appearance but no acting skills are called "big root servants" harshly. Poor Honami Suzuki once held this title for quite a long time.Although I don't know Japanese, but based on the principle of image thinking, I think the key to the notoriety of a "big root servant" is not the acting skills, but the shape of the legs.

As for those who are not professional in using emotions as "flower-hearted radishes", it is a great injustice.Although radish also blooms, and its flowers look beautiful, but few people pay attention to them, and no one uses them to express love. How can it bloom?In fact, the so-called "flower-hearted radish" is not as common as those who are not professional in use. It is a kind of bad meat tissue in radishes with poor quality or stunted growth. This kind of radish will inevitably become angry from embarrassment and speak mean words.If you really want to talk about love, the only one that is barely qualified is the juicy and crispy white radish produced in Daxing County, Beijing, which is "beautiful in the heart".Of course, although the selling point of "beauty in the heart" is "radish and pear", what I have never figured out is: "beauty in the heart" refers to the "inner beauty" of the radish, or the inner beauty of the person who ate this kind of radish at the time. feeling?Since radishes are dull in nature, people who eat radishes will inevitably be in a daze.In the 1970s, there was a kind of "children's food" that was always available in Shanghai cigarette paper shops. Shredded salted radish was as thick as noodles and short and long as fingers. Newspapers are loosely wrapped, and they cost a penny a pack, which is so cheap.As long as you eat two of these things in a row, people will be stunned for no reason.When I was in elementary school, every time I was left alone in the office by the teacher and punished me to stand until I was extremely bored, I would put my hand into the pocket of my coat numbly, and I would always "discover" one or two things that had leaked out of the paper bag a few days ago. The shredded radish that came out.Stuff it in the mouth numbly, and then chew it numbly, you can often stick to it numbly, and stay in a daze until dark smoothly.