Old people in rural areas often say that "poor tea and light rice". What exactly does "poor tea and light rice" mean?

When I was a child, the material living conditions were not as good as now. I fantasized about going to a restaurant for a "buffet" several times, and I felt that I could eat whatever I wanted, which was "extravagant". When I grow up, I have the ability to eat out at any time, but I miss the "simple meal" when I was a child.

Especially in my memory, my late grandmother cooked "rice porridge" in a big pot in the countryside.

Here, before I learned the true meaning of "poor tea and light rice", that is, the exquisite or cultivated connotation of our ancestors' diet for thousands of years, Yan Xiaoer always simply thought that "poor tea and light rice" that rural elderly often said was "vegetarian" and "economical".

In fact, the concept of "simple food" among the old rural population can be traced back to the Song Dynasty at the earliest. The concept of "simple tea and simple rice" was put forward in the preface to the poems of Sihu in the Song Dynasty, which also showed that the Song people attached importance to "eating".

However, the original intention of "simple tea and light rice" mentioned by Song people is much higher than the so-called "light diet" we now understand.

Our so-called "poor tea and light rice" is a helpless move when the material is scarce, while the "poor tea and light rice" of Song people is a refined attitude towards life when "life is happy".

1, Song people's "rough tea and light rice" and exquisite life tips: open-minded There is an interesting story about "rough tea and light rice". According to records, Sun Juyun, a doctor in the Song Dynasty, had a good medical skill. He gave medicine to literati for free and never asked others for feedback. When asked why, he smiled and said:

Rough tea and light rice are full, and the broken ones are covered with cold and warmth. Rest when the third and second levels are full, and rest when you are not greedy or jealous.

From this, we can easily see that Sun Juyun, a doctor, is very open-minded. His open-mindedness is not because he has money, but because of his attitude towards life: he doesn't want fancy clothes and delicious food, just plain tea and bread, and he can put on rags; Life doesn't ask for dignitaries, it's plain, it's steady, and it's not greedy or jealous.

In fact, the allusions to imperial doctors in the Song Dynasty show the characteristics of the Song people's diet: unlike the modern heavy taste, the Song people's diet advocates "lightness".

This "blandness" is not "tasteless" in the objective sense, but the criticism of Song people on "pursuing the appetite behind delicacies".

In other words, the "rough" and "light" of Song people showed their attitude towards life.

As we know, because of the foreshadowing of the Tang Dynasty, the material life of the Song people was relatively rich, and people's research on spiritual accomplishment ushered in a climax in the Song Dynasty. "Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties" has been greatly developed during this period, and a large number of open-minded scholars have emerged, such as Zhou Dunyi, who wrote "Love the lotus alone, never touch the demon", another representative figure of Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties.

I don't like the gorgeous kitsch that everyone loves, but I like the lotus that grows out of the mud and blooms in the clear ripples, spotless, clear but not demon? This is not "arbitrariness" caused by lazy thinking, but a kind of "high demand" and a kind of "self-demand" in mental cultivation.

Here, under the self-demand of "simplicity" and "simplicity", people's food, clothing, housing and transportation are gradually affected.

Here, Song people don't like delicacies, but like simple food.

Similarly, "simple tea and simple rice" is not the so-called "simple" in the literal sense, but "simple". This simplicity is an attitude towards life and an "open-minded" mind. And this kind of "open-mindedness" is the "trick" for Song people to live a leisurely life under the "rough tea and light rice".

2. The real "simple meal" is not only simple, but also quite "exquisite". Learned Song people have very high demands on themselves in personal spiritual cultivation. Of course, they can be truly "open-minded", so there is no so-called "self-demand", which is a "natural expression". This is a great realm, a "realm" that modern people need very much, and it is also the practice of Yan Xiaoer all his life.

In other words, to achieve the "simple tea and simple meals" of the Song people is not only the so-called simplicity and vulgarity under laziness, but also the concrete embodiment of "avenue to simplicity" under exquisite life.

Specifically, the life of Song people attaches great importance to the word "insipid", and this "insipid" is their "concentration" on food and things. Focusing on "simplicity" and "simplicity" often leads to unexpected "harmonious beauty"

Song people don't like luxury in eating. They like to use simple porcelain bowls, ordinary casserole, one dish, one dish, one bowl, one meal, chew slowly, and give themselves enough time to enjoy life slowly and simply.

At the same time, there are objective reasons why Song people attach importance to spiritual cultivation. For example, even though the Song Dynasty was rich, the productivity in ancient times was still very poor, and not everyone could afford three meals a day.

Wealthy people in the Song Dynasty may have light liquid food such as porridge for breakfast, while dinner and lunch are relatively rich.

For most lower-class people, dinner and breakfast may be light liquid food. This is more about saving money.

Here, for Song people, light food made of miscellaneous grains, such as porridge with less salty taste, is more common. In addition, because of the limitation of technology, ancient salt is also more expensive.

Therefore, Yan Xiaoer guessed that the Song people's attitude of advocating "simplicity" and the realistic reasons such as insufficient food and expensive salt at that time contributed to the "poor food" in diet, which was sublimated by thoughtful literati in the Song Dynasty into an "open-minded" attitude towards life.

3. The real "poverty" is not just a vegetarian. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the real "poor food", whether it is the eating habits of the Song people or the vegetarianism mentioned by the rural elderly, can not be simply understood as a vegetarian in the literal sense, but a "way of life".

Song people sublimated it into a kind of "less desire" and open-minded mind cultivation. And those who have a happy spiritual world will never wither at the same price. The "small desires" in "simple tea and simple rice" in Song Dynasty is a luxury of "big fish and big meat". In this regard, Yan Xiaoer believes that simple meals in Song Dynasty also emphasize reasonable intake of various diets when objective conditions permit.

By the same token, the same is true of the "poor food" among the old rural population. Avoid excessive extravagance and waste. After all, a reasonable diet can last a long time.

In other words, simple food is not deliberately excessive restraint, or only vegetarian, but according to their own actual situation, to avoid the general extravagance and waste of "big fish and big meat." If it is more advanced, it can rise to the level of "spiritual cultivation".

This article is the original and exclusive release of Yan Xiaoer's philosophical essays. If there are any infringements such as handling and plagiarism, once found, the responsibility will be investigated.