The word "lower restaurant" is so familiar and unattainable in the mouths of the older generation. At that time, going to a restaurant was not something that could be achieved casually. It represents a special treatment, a rare enjoyment.
In the seventies, for two bucks, what could you eat in a restaurant?Maybe it's a steaming bowl of ramen, or a few crispy side dishes.
Don't think that two dollars are not worth anything, you must know that in those days, the gold content of these two dollars was quite high. At that time, two yuan was enough for the family to eat a delicious home-cooked meal. And today, let us walk into that special era and feel the breath of life in that era.
2 bucks in the 70s: a monetary journey through time
In China in the 70s, it was like traveling to a whole new world of currency. At that time, socialist construction was in full swing, but materials were scarce, and bills were an indispensable "currency" in life. Looking back at that era, the price level and social living conditions were completely different from today's, as if they were two parallel time and space.
In that ancient era, 2 yuan was like a brilliant gem, and its value was far greater than today. For ordinary people, this 2 yuan may be half a month's living expenses, and for children, it is the pocket money they have worked hard to save for two months. At that time, it was not easy to make money, so every penny was particularly precious.
The daily income of the production team in the countryside is about.
Five or six cents, and even two cents in poor areas. By comparison, two yuan is almost equal to the income of a worker in two to three days in the city, which is now worth about 300,400 yuan.
When shopping, there are a lot of things that can be bought for 2 yuan. For example, 30 eggs, enough breakfast for 6 people, more than two catties of pork or more than ten catties of rice. These items, which seem ordinary today, were luxuries in those days. Ordinary families only buy a little during the Chinese New Year, and they are usually reluctant to eat more.
People living in the 70s have more than one child at home. In order to feed them, the family has to pay carefully. 2 yuan in your hand, as if holding a gold brick, you have to spend it carefully.
Despite the limited material conditions, the people of that era had a positive spirit. Their wishes are simple and sincere: a hearty meal, a chance to go to the restaurant.
These simple wishes may seem insignificant now, but in that era, they were pinned on people's yearning and pursuit of a better life.
The 70s: A rare extravagant feast
In China in the 70s, walking into a hotel was no small matter. At that time, the lower restaurant was like a rare extravagant feast. For most ordinary people, this can be a special experience that can only be had for a year or even years.
At that time, prices were staggeringly low, and wages were naturally pitiful. The monthly income of ordinary workers is about thirty or forty yuan, while the peasant friends work even harder, earning less than 100 yuan all year round. So, if you want to go to the restaurant, you really have to think about it.
If you want to go to the restaurant, you must first hold a food stamp. If you don't have food stamps, even if you have a lot of money in your pocket, the hotel won't let you in. Food stamps were a rarity at the time, and the quota was so much a month, which made every time you go to the restaurant meaningful.
When you walk into the restaurant, you will see the big square tables and long benches. What about the menu at that time?Hey, no menu!If you want to eat, you have to ask the waiter if you have it. The waiters don't rely on pen and paper to record, they all rely on their brains to remember.
The matter of paying the bill is also quite old-fashioned. You have to go to the counter with the food stamps to pay the bill, and then take a row number to find a place in the restaurant. When the food is ready, the waiter will shout your number in the lobby, and when you hear your number, you have to rush to the counter to pick up the food.
At that time, the waiter was really not very service-minded. The finished food will not be delivered to your table, you will have to run to get it yourself. It's no wonder, because most of the restaurants at that time were state-run, and the waiters were paid a fixed salary. Such an environment inevitably gives some people a sense of superiority.
In those years, 2 yuan could eat well
Back then, the position of waiter was very hot, comparable to today's civil servants. At that time, if a young man from a family found a hotel waiter as a partner, it would be a face-saving thing. It's a pity that these are now memories.
At that time, when I walked into a restaurant to order a dish, the waiters were like uncles. But then again, as long as you know a waiter in a hotel, the treatment is different. Ordering one dish will serve you three, which is not blown.
Of course, the food in the restaurant is really delicious, and those dishes are rare to see. No matter how bad the waiter's attitude is, it can't stop everyone's enthusiasm to go to the hotel. After a meal, the aftertaste is endless, ** is also close to the people, 2 yuan can make you eat to your heart's content.
Believe it or not, a plate of vegetarian dishes costs only a few cents, and a meat dish with meat is only 5 dimes. A bowl of beef offal costs 1 dime, and the soup powder has 2 dimes and meat. The most rare thing is that bulk liquor costs 1 dime a bowl and beer costs 5 cents, which is even cheaper than the current snack street.
So, at that time, a few people went out to dinner, and 2 yuan could be done. Two servings of meat dishes, two or three servings of vegetarian dishes, and two taels of wine per person, isn't this life!
In this day and age, there are so many dishes, but it's really hard to find the feeling of that time. Looking back on those days now, I really feel very good. Those days of dinner with friends, the time of talking and laughing, have become the most precious memories in our hearts.
Tired of eating delicacies from the mountains and seas, why do people start to miss homely meals?
In this era of rapid change, the improvement of the quality of life seems to be directly proportional to the price of goods. The few steel hammers in your pocket, which used to be enough to buy a bowl of soy milk fritters at a street stall, are now enough to make you go to a restaurant in the bustling city. Once, it was a rare treat;Nowadays, it has become commonplace.
But the strange thing is that when people frequently go to various restaurants and enjoy five-star service and food, the long-lost satisfaction and happiness are gone. What steals our taste buds?
The restaurant offers everything from abalone and sea cucumber to Manchu and Han banquets. But even so, eating too much will still feel monotonous and boring.
Even those who are hailed"Michelin star"The chefs can't escape our discerning taste buds. Just like eating big fish and meat every day, I will always miss the lightness and naturalness of the porridge and side dishes.
It's not just a matter of getting tired of eating. What's more, in order to satisfy people's pursuit of texture and taste, restaurants outside often add a lot of spices and fats, making the dishes too greasy.
At first, this taste is irresistible, but over time, too much oil and seasoning not only causes a burden on our stomach, but also the body will produce a self-protection mechanism and send out"Enough, don't"signals.
This reminds me of the bowl of hot noodles made by my mother when I was a child, although there is no gorgeous presentation and expensive ingredients, but the simple and pure taste is irreplaceable by any delicacies of the mountains and seas.
The blissful taste that can't be returned: the taste of today's lost from a restaurant in the 70s
Back in the 70s, restaurants at that time were like treasures in the context of scarcity. At that time, the dishes in the restaurant were not as oily as they are now, and most of them were home-style and showed the charm of the ingredients themselves with limited seasonings.
At that time, the standard of living was generally not high, and most of the people who could occasionally visit restaurants were well-off families. For them, the restaurant's cuisine is not only a taste pleasure, but also a status symbol. The feeling of eating in a restaurant was a unique mark of that era.
And now, with the standard of living rising, we seem to be at the other extreme. The richness of food and the diversity of tastes have reached an unprecedented height.
But the strange thing is that the satisfaction and happiness after eating the perfect food are getting thinner and thinner. Why?Perhaps it's because in this day and age, we have so many choices that we don't have the initial expectation and cherishing of any food.
The peculiarity of the seventies also lies in the fact that there is an invisible barrier between money and food. The money on hand cannot be exchanged directly for the desired food, and various tickets are also needed as "passes". This restriction has given rise to a special emotion – the desire and cherishment of food.
At that time, the children were most looking forward to the New Year. Not only because you can wear new clothes, but also because you can taste rare delicacies during the Chinese New Year. That sense of anticipation and satisfaction of the year is probably difficult for today's children to experience.
Happiness is all around us
In the 70s, you could always see smiling citizens in simple clothes on the streets of the city. They may not be rich people with a lot of money and they don't have designer clothes around them, but if you talk to them, you will find that they have a different kind of satisfaction.
At that time, two yuan was not just a number on paper. Imagine a good time to walk into a restaurant, order a few home-cooked meals, and have a conversation with friends. You don't need to make a reservation, you don't need to care about the eyes of the outside world, as long as you bring those two yuan and full of anticipation, you can meet the food. Isn't that a kind of happiness?
It is often said that "contentment is always happy", but how many can really do it?The people of the 70s, they may not have the busyness and anxiety of modern urbanites, but they have simple and real happiness. When night falls, the streets and alleys are filled with laughter, which is their love and satisfaction with life.
Today, we live in an era of material abundance, but we often feel that happiness is getting farther and farther away from us. We are constantly striving for higher material comforts, more honors and achievements, but the inner satisfaction is always hard to find.
Perhaps, we should stop and look back on those simple and real days to feel that pure happiness. True happiness is not about how much material wealth you have, but about whether you can have a contented heart.