In ancient times, banquets were called seats, which were named after the seats. The so-called "banquet" is a reed -pu woven fabric laid on the ground, while the "mat" is a finer straw woven fabric or leather laid on the "banquet". The circumference of the feast is 10 feet and 6 feet. According to the Book of Rites, the emperor's seat is five-fold, the vassal seat is three-fold, and the doctor is heavy. Exquisite seats are decorated with silk.

Seating order

During the Qin and Han dynasties, people sat on the floor in daily activities such as reading, entertaining guests and drinking. Their sitting posture is not sitting cross-legged, but squatting, that is, the knees are on the ground, the soles of the feet are up, the upper body is straight, and the posture is like kneeling, but the hips are sitting on the heels, so it is also called kneeling.

In ancient times, there were usually four people at a banquet, one in each direction. Banquets in the "Hall" are more formal, and the seats are generally facing south, so the guest of honor is in the north, while the guest of honor, the deputy guest and the main escort are in the east, south and west respectively, and the seat in the west is the last seat. Banquets in the "room" are private, and most of them face the east, so the guest of honor is in the west, the guest of honor, the deputy guest and the host are in the north, south and east, and the east seat is the last seat.

Pre-eating ceremony

Take photos and rinse your mouth before eating. Taking pictures is to fasten your belt, adjust your skirt and dress neatly; Washing is washing hands and gargling. Grasping food with your hands is an ancient habit, and your hands should be clean. This is not only a requirement for health, but also a necessary condition for self-cultivation. To this day, we still insist on washing our hands before meals, which is in the same strain as the ancient ceremony.

Baishi

The food at the banquet should follow the etiquette. Officials and nobles enjoy the privilege, rich in food, neatly arranged, and eat with a tripod (cooker, three feet and two ears). For example, the princes used eight baskets of Jiuding (guǐ, utensils, round mouth and ears), and the Qing and Shang doctors used seven pots and six baskets. There are also "eight beans are doctors (high seat board) and six beans are doctors" and so on.

The ancients, like modern people, were all right-handed, so they put all the things that are convenient to eat, such as meat, vegetables, soup, wine, acyl (xο, vinegar), sauce and so on. On the right hand side, there are dishes (xiáo, meat with bones), meat, stir-fry, onions, rice and other troublesome foods. The ancients ate on a case-by-case basis, one for each person, which was different from that of later generations who ate at the same table. Therefore, "building the party first" means that the food should be placed neatly.

Take food

Before eating, symbolically recommend ancestors to make sacrifices, which are called sacrifices, or sacrifices and weekly sacrifices. Diet order: eat before drinking, eat vegetables before eating meat, and eat fruit after meals.

Of course, it depends on the gestures or actions of the host after sitting, and you can't eat it rashly. This is still the etiquette that should be followed today. Banquets of emperors, princes and nobles, and music. The common music at that time was ringing bells. In addition, the meat cooks provide food in a split position, forming a spectacular eating scene. In the process of eating, it is also indispensable for the host and guest to choose auspicious words to toast. This is actually the same as the speech and toast at today's banquet, and it is also a toast to friendship and health. In the past, the host used wine to honor guests, which was called "offering" and offering a cup (lǐ, sweet wine). The guests didn't drink it all, they just tasted it. Persuading wine is called "rewarding" guests with wine to repay their hosts, and it is called "Zu". Drinking without expecting anything in return is called "jiào". In ancient times, there was a custom of punishing alcohol, which was called "floating".

tableware

By the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the custom of grasping food was less and less, and tableware and wine utensils had been fully popularized. Nowadays, bowls, plates, lamps, cups, pots, spoons, knives, forks and chopsticks in tableware have become common things in people's homes. The reason why "rice and millet should not be chopsticks" is probably because chopsticks were mainly used to pick vegetables during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and were not as widely used as chopsticks in later generations. In addition, in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, food containers were mostly made of pottery and wood by ordinary people, while the aristocratic class was made of copper, lacquer, jade and gold.

taboo

The ancients paid attention to food etiquette, among which there were many taboos. For example, don't fight for food (don't grab the food in the toilet too much), don't put the food in the toilet (don't take it out and put it back in the toilet), don't eat it (don't lick your mouth and make an unpleasant sound), don't turn the fish back (don't spit out the fish and meat you have eaten in your mouth), don't lift the food (don't let it get cold) and eat it.

Although some dietary taboos of our ancestors have been replaced by new practices more than 2000 years ago, we still follow their basic aspects today.