In the imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty, there were two big meals during the Spring Festival. One is New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve? The emperor will have dinner with his family. The emperor has many concubines, but these concubines usually eat in their own palaces and seldom eat with the emperor. Only on New Year's Eve can they have dinner with the emperor.
The second big meal is the state banquet on the first day of the New Year's Day. On New Year's Day, after the emperor's sacrifice, the Empress Dowager paid her respects and went to a state banquet. These two big meals are various and delicious. But in addition to these two kinds of big meals, there is also a very important dish in the palace, that is, boiled meat for ancestor worship, because after the sacrifice ceremony, cook the meat will not throw away the used white water, because it is too wasteful, and will give it to ministers to eat on the spot.
This white water cook the meat does not contain any salt or seasoning. Cook it directly and then divide it into small pieces for everyone to eat. This kind of meat is certainly not delicious, greasy and tasteless, but none of the ministers will show it is unpalatable, and they all eat it with relish, because it is an honor for them to eat it. Only respected ministers are eligible to eat white water cook the meat, and others can't eat it if they want.