An important feature of Chinese food culture is the allegorical and artistic conception of the name of the dish, that is, according to the characteristics of the dish, such as the configuration of ingredients, the characteristics of the firing, the plate type, the taste, the way of eating, the nature of the banquet or the venue, etc., an auspicious name that can express and contain the aesthetic and value emotional orientation of the Chinese culture. "Sixi meatballs" is one of the classic traditional dishes. "Four Happiness Meatballs" is named because there are four meatballs with good color and flavor, which means four happy events of life, happiness, longevity and happiness. It is often used as the finale dish of Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, wedding banquet, birthday banquet and other banquets to take its auspicious and perfect life. In terms of appearance, the "Four Happiness Meatballs" consist of four meatballs of more than 60 grams and other accessories.
Before making the steaming bowl, the author did not conduct in-depth research and observation of this dish at the banquet. In recent years, the author's company has begun to make steaming bowls, and it is indispensable to make "Sixi meatballs", so it has continuously observed and studied the steaming bowl dishes. The author believes that the steaming bowl must be traditional, quality, and suitable for modern people's dining habits and hygiene habits. The practice and title of "Four Joy Pills" should be changed for four reasons:
First of all, in the "Four Happiness Balls", the weight of a single ball is larger, and there are 4 large balls on the table of this dish, while 8-10 people are generally a table at the banquet (eight people at a table at the rural banquet), and one ball per person is not enough; Moreover, the meatballs are so large that one person can't eat them, or they are full as soon as they eat, and they can't eat other dishes; Third, the author noticed that a ball is generally eaten by two or three people, and after two people are sandwiched, others rarely come to clip it, probably because they feel that this person is not separated by chopsticks, which is a bit unhygienic, so leftover, and the waste is greater; Fourth, if the meatballs are made big, the soup will not fit in, and if the meatballs are divided into two or three before serving, it will be rotten and invisible, and it will not look good on the table.
The author believes that it would be more scientific to change the "four happy balls" to "ten happy balls". The meaning is given by people, and we can give the metaphor of "Fulu, Shou, Xicai, Gentleness, Kindness, Frugality, and Concession" to "Ten Happiness Pills". "Fu Lu Shou Xi Cai" is the perfect content of the pursuit of happiness in life, but this is only the content of the material level, which inevitably lacks the connotation, and the addition of "gentleness, courtesy, and frugality" is the value pursuit of the metaphysical spiritual level, and the realm is higher.
(The author is Nie Zhikuan, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Xi'an Hotel and Catering Industry Association and Honorary President of Shaanxi Chef Association).