In the cultural atmosphere of Jiafu, Jia's mother is undoubtedly the most aristocratic one, and she always "pursues happiness". As a result, there are often small feasts for one or two days and big feasts for three or five days in Jiafu, and this extravagant and extravagant lifestyle is often shocking. At the banquet, between the silver plates and jade bowls, the aroma hits people. At various grand banquets, readers have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the golden dishes of the Qing Dynasty aristocracy, including pigeon eggs for one or two pieces of silver, eggplant with a dozen chickens, mooncakes with melon kernels and pine cakes, and silver silk noodles on top, which not only look extravagant, but also exude royal luxury.
However, in describing the enjoyment of these foods, many readers may notice that Jia Mu has a habit of often sharing half of the food she eats with others, an act that is mentioned several times in the article.
For example, in the forty-first episode, Jia's mother held two banquets in the Grand View Garden, and shortly after the meal, the girl came again to invite her to taste the dim sum. When she opened the food box to check, Jia Mu didn't seem too interested, felt that the food was too greasy, and mentioned it in the article:
In order for Aunt Xue to taste, she only chose a piece of pastry; Jia Mu picked out a test paper, tasted only a small bite, and then handed the remaining half to her maid.
Coming to the cui nunnery again, Miaoyu brewed a cup of Lao Jun Mei for Jia's mother, and after Jia's mother drank half a cup, she handed it to Grandma Liu, and Grandma Liu drank it all;
In the seventy-fifth episode, Jia's mother had a meal one day after giving birth, and after tasting the half bowl of red rice porridge that You Shi had prepared for her, she gave instructions:
Give this bowl of porridge to Feng Ge'er to enjoy," and then said, "This bowl of bamboo shoots and this plate of wind-pickled civet cats are for Feng'er Baoyu and Lan Xiaozi to eat respectively." ”
At the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone happened to hear the flute sound under the osmanthus tree in the Tubi Villa, and praised it again and again, but Jia Mu was not very satisfied with this, and mentioned in the article:
Jia Mu said: "This is not very good, you should choose the slower the speed of the score, the better." The person who scored the flute took the mooncake and the hot wine, and was grateful. After saying this, he handed the person who scored the flute a glass of mulled wine and prepared a mooncake filled with melon kernels, oil and pine nuts for himself, and then tasted it slowly and played a set with care.
In modern society, despite the fact that a person's social status may be high, sharing uneaten food with others is often seen as rude, making it difficult for others to understand and accept. Jia's actions were not out of ignorance or accident. However, considering that Jia Mu is a very sophisticated and knowledgeable person, why would she repeatedly behave like this? It turned out that this was not a simple food giveaway, but an ancient ritual.
What is even more confusing is that the people who choose this food do not find it unhygienic, but are happy to accept it. Perhaps it is because under the identity and status of Jia's mother, the food she gives is not only food, but also an expression of care and warmth. What is the reason behind this? The food given by Jia's mother is wonderful. On closer analysis, there are actually several main reasons:
The first thing to mention is that the dining habits of Jia Province are indeed like this.
As a family with the theme of Zhong Ming Ding Food, Jiafu has a unique set of dining etiquette, which is fully reflected in the occasion of Daiyu's third entry into the mansion. When people in Jiafu eat, they generally eat the main dish first, and then drink a few glasses of wine. In the tradition of Jiafu, Jiamu is regarded as the most honorable person, followed by the young woman in the boudoir. Therefore, when Jia's mother dined, Sanchun of Jiafu could have dinner together, but Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang, who were daughters-in-law, could not attend and could only stand aside. Of course, at some important banquets, because of the two granddaughters-in-law, Li Kun and Wang Xifeng, Mrs. Wang can also be seated in advance.
Therefore, in the daily dining activities, only after Jia's mother has used it, the next daughter-in-law is eligible to enjoy it. For example, in the seventy-fifth episode, You Shi and Mrs. Wang provided meals for Jia's mother. During this period, Jia Mu instructed the servants to prepare a few dishes for Daiyu and the others, and then said to You Shi with a smile: "I have already eaten, you can come and taste it."
Jia's mother carefully inquired about You's physical condition, and at the same time picked up the dishes and brought them to You's bowl, her words were full of care. You Shi only officially sat down after Jia's mother had eaten, chatting and eating outside. Seeing that You Shi was uncomfortable, Mandarin Duck and Amber took the initiative to pour wine and tea for her, comforting her softly. Faced with the various dishes on the table, You Shi's heart was full of anxiety and worry, and she felt that it was really uncomfortable to sit alone at a large table.
Therefore, Jia Mu deliberately asked Mandarin Duck Amber to seize this opportunity to taste it as a way to accompany You's family. You Shi sighed with emotion in her heart, although she was a little unaccustomed to eating at a large row of tables, but in front of Jia's mother, she was willing to accept everything. Observing You Shi's behavior, it is undoubtedly a special honor to be able to taste the feast that Jia Mu once tasted. You Shi felt ashamed when he saw Jia's mother eating leisurely, and hurriedly picked up his chopsticks and humbly tasted the delicacies on the table.
In the fortieth episode, Jia's mother held a banquet to entertain Grandma Liu, and after the meal, Li Kun and Wang Xifeng instructed to tidy up the table before sitting down to eat. Mandarin Duck and Amber saw that You Shi was uneasy, and they all served her vegetables to make her happy. Obviously, eating after Jia's mother's meal is the daily life of all daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law, so most people will be accustomed to accepting the food that Jia's mother has eaten.
Moreover, the food given by Jia's mother did not involve hygiene issues.
If we look closely, we will find that when Jia's mother is eating, there are daughters-in-law, granddaughters-in-law, Yahuan and others serving all around, some people are holding meals, some are sitting quietly, and some are handing gifts.
One of the special things about this is that before eating, Baoyu will take out her favorite meals and distribute them to everyone. The duty of this cloth is to sort and put in front of Jia Mu's food, using public chopsticks, so that at such a large table, Jia Mu only needs to pick one bite of food. In this way, it saved time and made it convenient for her, so Jia Mu called these people to her side to eat.
The rest of the food is naturally reserved for those who come back. In this way, Jia's mother was convenient and hygienic to eat, which undoubtedly played a role in promoting the food fashion at that time. Regarding the mooncakes eaten by Jia's mother, although modern people will cut them into small pieces to eat when eating mooncakes, those who think that Jia's mother grabbed a big lord to eat them said that they could not accept it, just like Wang Dun eating the toilet, and seemed a little ignorant.
Once again, Mother Jia generously gave food, which was undoubtedly an honor.
After careful investigation, the people who gave Jia's mother food were all people that Jia's mother particularly liked. Wang Xifeng, Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu are the three people who are particularly favored by Jia's mother, and Jia Lan, as the only great-grandson of Jia's mother, has also been specially favored by Jia's mother, and Grandma Liu is regarded as a distinguished guest by Jia's mother.
It can be seen that the emperor's favor for Jiafu is extraordinary. In ancient societies, whether it was the royal palace or the aristocracy, it was a common practice to give food, which contained deep family affection and rewards, and was a supreme favor. Therefore, the ministers who received the emperor's favor were very surprised and honored, but in Jia's mansion, there were very few people who could get food from Jia's mother.
It can't be ignored that some of the food provided by Jia's mother is indeed something she has been exposed to. For example, the half bowl of rouge red rice porridge, it can be seen from the conversation between Mandarin Duck and Jia's mother that only Jia's mother is qualified to eat rouge red rice, so in You Shi's case, she can only eat white rice. Wang Xifeng picked up the half bowl of rouge rice porridge, smiled and handed it to Jia's mother, as if conveying tenderness in it.
However, for Wang Xifeng, this half bowl of porridge seems closer, and Jia's mother also knows that Wang Xifeng will not dislike her, which is a tacit understanding that only arises after the two have been together for a long time. Jia Mu put down the wine glass, looked at Wang Xifeng with a gentle smile in her eyes. From the fifty-fourth episode, we can see that after Jia's mother drank most of the wine, Wang Xifeng picked up Jia's mother's wine glass and drank it all, saying that this was "to please the ancestors' birthday", and then handed the wine glass to Yahuan and replaced it with a new one, which seemed close and not rude.
Sister Feng picked up the half bowl of rouge red rice porridge and smiled slightly, and gratitude welled up in her heart. Therefore, the half bowl of porridge given by Jia's mother also contains the implication of wishing Sister Feng to recover her health as soon as possible, how could Sister Feng not know this? Wang Xifeng looked at Jia's mother's warm smile and felt very relieved. Not only will you gladly agree, but you will also feel warm inside.