Many people will often see people excited because they can "go out to eat" when they are in old movies and TV series, as if it is an extremely pleasant thing.
However, when we listen to modern people discussing eating out, we often hear words like "It's still the food at home".
This change seems to indicate that people's joy and happiness about eating out no longer seems to be what it used to be.
Today's F&B industry.
Food culture has always been an important part of the development of human civilization.
From the solution of the problem of food and clothing in the primitive society, to the three meals and clothing in the agricultural society, and then to the rise of the modern takeaway platform, this reflects the continuous progress and innovation of human beings under the changing dietary needs.
Social development has led to an increase in the demand for dietary diversity. In order to make it easier for people to eat, hotels quickly sprung up. Restaurants go a step further by offering a variety of dishes and spacious dining spaces, eliminating the problem of "difficult to reconcile". Restaurants not only provide food, but also a place for people to rest and socialize.
At first, the word "lower restaurant" was associated with satirizing merchants. However, over time, this behavior became common and gradually lost its pejorative connotation.
In the 70s, the first impression of this era was "poverty".
At that time, eating enough had already made ordinary people grateful, so how could they still have the heart to pursue food and quality?
However, food has always played an important role in the course of human civilization. Humans have been dealing with food since primitive times. In order to feed themselves, they can only hunt or gather wild fruits and vegetables. At that time, humans didn't even know how to use fire, so they had to eat raw food.
With the development of cooking techniques, people are slowly discovering that food can also have delicious tastes.
Therefore, the food culture has also continued to develop with the progress of human civilization. Each country has developed its own cuisine based on local ingredients and eating habits.
China's eight major cuisines are typical representatives. Food not only satisfies people's taste buds, but also reflects regional culture, traditions and lifestyles.
But the pursuit of good food is not just a luxury.
Back in the 70s, many might think so. But in fact, food represents not only food and clothing, but also the pursuit of a higher quality of life. When a society is affluent enough, food culture becomes an important way to improve the quality of life.
Therefore, food is actually a microcosm of the development of the times.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the catering industry has also undergone historic changes.
In the 70s of the planned economy era, "going down to the restaurant" was a luxury.
At that time, strict food controls and household registration prevented rural residents from enjoying the benefits of urban food stamps. If ordinary people want to "go to the restaurant", they must be invited by powerful people, otherwise even if their wallets are bulging, they will not be able to start.
Years later, the takeaway consumption we took for granted was unimaginable at the time.
In the early days of the People's Republic of China, the infrastructure was backward and there was a shortage of food. In order to ensure the basic livelihood of urban residents, strict food control has been introduced. Food stamps are rationed to urban dwellers on a monthly basis. Without food stamps, even if you have money, you can't buy food. However, rural residents are not entitled to food stamps because of the restrictions of the household registration system.
At that time, people's lives were difficult, and eating enough was a great happiness. However, people are still full of yearning and longing for "going to the restaurant".
"Going down" was a rare luxury at the time. Because hotels were not as common as they are now, only people with strength and capital could run hotels.
A restaurant needs managers, accountants, cooks, waiters, etc., and these expenses cost thirty or forty yuan a month. Coupled with rent, water and electricity and other expenses, the cost of the hotel is at least thirty or forty yuan. This has also led to the high price of the food in the restaurant.
Most rural residents even have a problem with food and clothing, let alone going to restaurants. In the early days, most of the restaurants were run by the state or collectives, and ordinary people had no chance at all.
Even ordinary residents in the city need a collective banquet or an invitation from the leader to enter the hotel.
In contrast, only the nouveau riche class of the time had the ability to afford to spend. They will entertain employees or related households on special occasions, giving ordinary people the opportunity to experience high-end dining. It has also become a symbol of power.
At that time, ordinary people who wanted to take the initiative to eat in restaurants often needed to think carefully, and sometimes they were even reluctant to spend this money, preferring to use it to buy daily necessities.
However, on the occasion of the New Year's festival or family celebrations, ordinary people will try their best to save money to "go to the restaurant". Even at that time, it was very exciting and proud to be able to go to a restaurant for a meal.
In fact, the cost of hotels is not cheap. Two dishes and a bowl of rice cost four or five yuan. For ordinary people, this is a large expense. However, everyone is happy to spend this money on a celebratory day. Because eating a restaurant meal is such a rare thing for them.
Therefore, every time I go to the restaurant, the people cherish this opportunity and will definitely eat the food cleanly. Waste is intolerable in their eyes. The daily simple diet is in stark contrast to the rare restaurant meal. Even if you don't have a rich life, you still have expectations for good food and small happiness.
People's desire to pursue a well-off life has always existed. This also explains why, in those days, "going to the restaurant" was very meaningful, not only to have a meal, but also to mean a desire for a better future life.
However, the number of health problems caused by modern lifestyles, such as the increase in chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, has shifted to a light and healthy diet with less oil and less salt. In addition, the development of the times has caused a surplus of materials, and people's needs for spiritual and cultural life far exceed material needs.
We no longer just crave to be full, but also pursue healthy green and organic ingredients.
However, the average restaurant food is often greasy, and in order to stimulate the appetite, many chefs will add too much salt and seasoning, thus losing the delicious taste of the ingredients themselves.
As a result, people would rather cook their own food at home than go to a restaurant to eat this food.
What used to be a restaurant can now be boring. We have not lost our sense of well-being, but we have become accustomed to the richness and diversity of material life, so we need to find new fulfillment on the spiritual and cultural level.
In particular, the frequent food safety incidents have shaken people's confidence in the catering industry.
Among them, the most shocking and disgusting is the "gutter oil" incident. This kind of edible oil extracted from sewers and garbage dumps, filtered and reused, not only seriously exceeds the standard, but also may contain various harmful substances, posing a threat to human health. The mere thought of having ingested this oil makes people feel sick and uneasy.
In addition to the gutter oil incident, incidents such as water-injected meat, hormone chicken, and counterfeit ingredients also occur from time to time.
Behind these problems is the business ethics that some businesses are gradually giving up in order to maximize profits. In order to reduce costs, they use unscrupulous means to make food with inferior ingredients, and market products that may be harmful to health as high-quality goods, without regard for the rights and interests of consumers.
At the same time, some catering companies also use other means to fool consumers. For example, although the amount of food on the advertisement ** is grand and exaggerated, the actual food served on the table is almost impossible to correspond. Consumers pay the same** but get a much lower than expected product.
Compared with the 70s of the last century, the service concept of "the customer is God" was more common at that time. Merchants pay more attention to product quality rather than simply pursuing profits. In addition, the regulation was stricter at that time, and all kinds of illegal acts were relatively reduced. This made people feel more pure and at ease in the consumption environment at that time.
With the development of the times, people's living standards have been continuously improved, but at the same time, there have been some moral failures. Businesses seem to be less socially responsible, and consumers are more vulnerable to violations. Of course, we can't simply dismiss this era, but we also need to be wary of the various problems that a lack of business ethics can bring.