First, the ancient mode of production and schedule of work and rest determined the eating habits of two meals a day. Zhu Zeng, a master of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty, mentioned in his Notes: "When you are in the morning, you are in the evening."
The first meal of the day, also called "fried rice", is usually eaten around 9 am; Dining is the second meal every day, usually around 4 pm, also called "feeding", that is, dinner.
In ancient times, people's main means of obtaining food were fishing, hunting and picking. Even if agriculture is developed, they work at sunrise and rest at sunset. Obviously, this common way of working, eating two meals is more in line with the life schedule.
At the same time, there was a lack of entertainment at night in ancient times, and some cities also implemented a strict curfew system. Over time, two meals a day has become a living habit, which is practiced by both ordinary people and nobles.
Even today, in many parts of China, some people still keep the habit of eating two meals a day.
Second, under the condition of backward productivity, two meals a day is more economical. The food problem has always been the lifeblood of agricultural civilization. In ancient times, there were no pesticides, fertilizers and excellent seeds, and there was a lack of large-scale agricultural machinery and water conservancy facilities. There was no major breakthrough in grain production.
Moreover, natural disasters and man-made disasters were quite frequent in ancient times, which led to a large reduction in the working population. Many villages have been uninhabited and overcrowded for thousands of years, and the food problem has not been solved for thousands of years.
In a sense, the output of grain determines the strength and population of a country. Whoever can solve the food problem better will dominate the world.
This shows the preciousness of food. The so-called economic base determines the superstructure, two meals a day can save food to a great extent, sleep after eating, and save physical strength.
To a large extent, two meals a day is just to save money. We can eat three meals a day today, mainly because the food supply is sufficient and we are no longer worried about food shortage.
Third, when will there be three meals a day? In fact, three or even four meals a day have always existed among nobles. Besides two meals, they also have refreshments, snacks, fruits, dried meat and so on. As a supplement to the main meal.
In fact, the method of eating three meals a day has been formed, but due to customs, two meals at 9: 00 am and 4: 00 pm are still called dinner.
Nobles don't have to worry about food, food supply is sufficient, and there are conditions for three meals a day. Obviously, three meals a day is the most suitable way to eat human physiological characteristics. When the interval between two meals is five to six hours and the food has just been digested, people will feel hungry and urge people to eat.
Three meals a day, the interval is too long, and I am quite hungry at night. Four meals a day is a little full, and three meals are just right. Therefore, three meals a day have long been formed among the nobles. Just a different name.
Of course, some people pay attention to "not eating after noon", not because they can't afford three meals, but mainly for their health.
Conclusion: In fact, you can not worry about eating, but you can be full, and it won't take long. Looking around the world, people in many parts of the world are still short of food today, and malnutrition and hunger will still occur in some long-term war-torn areas.
From this perspective, it is not too much to give Yuan Longping a high honor.