answer: (1) pursuit of quality products. "Refinement" is the inherent quality of banquet culture. Confucius said that "food is not tired of essence and delicacy", which reflects our ancestors' awareness of fine dining. Of course, this may only be confined to some aristocratic classes, but as a cultural spirit, this sense of fine products has penetrated and implemented more and more widely and deeply in the whole process of modern banquet activities. The choice of raw materials, the cooking of taste, the collocation of dishes, the creation of banquet environment and the selection of tableware all embody the word "essence".
(2) Beautiful. Beauty is the aesthetic feature of banquet culture, which runs through every link in the process of banquet activities. The perfect unity of the form and content of banquet catering activities brings people aesthetic pleasure and spiritual enjoyment. For the pursuit of banquet beauty, the first thing is delicious. Dr. Sun Yat-sen said that "if the taste is not refined, the cooking skill is not good", and regarded the aesthetics of taste as the first essence of cooking. Beauty is also reflected in the beauty of color, shape, utensils, environment and personnel.
(3) Emotional communication. "Emotion" is the social and psychological function of banquet culture. Eating and drinking is the medium of interpersonal emotional communication. Chatting while eating and drinking can exchange information and communicate emotions. Friends can express their feelings of farewell and welcome at the dinner table when they leave and are sent to welcome; Emotional turmoil and interpersonal misunderstanding can also be calmed down by dining tables, which is an excellent psychological massage. The reason why Chinese banquet food has the function of "lyricism" is because of the philosophical thought of "drinking virtue, eating harmoniously and enjoying all nations together" and the resulting diet with national characteristics.
(4) etiquette. "Rite" is the ethical embodiment of banquet culture. China's traditional culture pays attention to ceremony, and it is polite to be born, sick and dead, to be sent to welcome, and to worship the gods and ancestors. Ceremony is a kind of order and norm, but also a kind of spiritual culture and an internal ethics. The spirit of ceremony runs through the whole process of food activities, thus forming the logical starting point of China's food civilization. The reception of guests, the direction of seating, the arrangement of chopsticks and spoons, the order of serving and the arrangement of dishes all reflect the ceremony.
China banquet culture is profound and has a long history. Essence, beauty, affection and courtesy respectively summarize the unique cultural implications of social functions such as catering quality, aesthetic experience, emotional communication and interpersonal relationship contained in banquet activities from different angles, and also reflect the close relationship between banquet culture and Chinese excellent traditional culture. Essence and beauty focus on the image and quality of the banquet, while affection and ceremony focus on the mentality, customs and social functions of the diet. They are interdependent and mutually causal. Only its essence can have complete beauty; Only its beauty can inspire love, and only love can have a ceremony that conforms to the fashion of the times. The four are closely linked and perfectly unified, forming the highest realm of Chinese banquet culture.