Because the Qing Dynasty was a Manchu country, some customs were different from those of the Han people. Manchu people do not eat three meals a day, but only eat two meals a day, called breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is usually served from 6:00 am to 8:30 am, and dinner is served from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm, an hour earlier in the summer and fall. After the two main meals, add a snack each, the time is not fixed. The emperor's daily meals are prepared by the Imperial Tea Room managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the banquet meals are jointly hosted by the Guanglu Temple Rites Department, the Jia Food Department of the Ministry of Rites, and the Imperial Tea Room. The royal diet is specified daily by the Home Secretary. The Minister of the Interior oversees the cooking of royal meals. The emperor usually had his meals in his bedroom and office. When the meal was served, the eunuch of the imperial restaurant was responsible for putting the three tables together and laying out the table sheets. The eunuchs carried red lacquer boxes and quickly served various dishes, meals and soups to the table.
Before the emperor ate, there would be a small silver medal next to each dish to test whether the dish was poisoned. After the small silver medal exam, a special eunuch came to taste the delicious food. After verifying that everything was correct, the emperor signaled the eunuchs to put their favorite dishes into bowls and start enjoying them. Every time he ate, the eunuch waiting for food would stare into the emperor's eyes. When the emperor looks at a dish, he will quickly move it to the emperor and scoop it into the cloth dish in front of the emperor with a spoon. If the emperor said it was delicious, he would scoop it up again and then remove the dish immediately, asking the emperor to be careful not to overeat. The emperor ate with gold spoons and ivory chopsticks. There are vases and paper flowers in front of the emperor's seat. On the left is the first banquet table. The Queen is sitting at the table with a set of meals, including 32 items, countless snacks, vases and paper flowers. The second banquet table was for Concubine Xian. The three banquet tables are banquets for nobles and aristocrats. The right side corresponds to the first banquet table of the nobles; the princess sits at two tables; the nobles often sit at three tables to eat. Dinner starts at 6pm. Hot rice, rice soup, milk tea, wine rice, fruit tea.
Imperial Restaurant will blindly pursue stability. Flexibility and innovation are not enough. In addition, Tianzi sometimes does not follow the rules, so try to find some supplementary methods. Because the Qing emperors were influenced by Manchu traditions. The emperor had a high degree of freedom to travel. There are many opportunities to eat outside the palace. When the emperor ate, he was accompanied by music. Li Zhou probably stipulated that when the emperor ate, he ate happily and helped him eat. Of course, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty was no longer in fashion, and the musicians played more relaxed songs. After eating, the emperor would rinse his mouth. In spring and summer, the emperor usually ate some fresh fruits to refresh himself. In autumn and winter, he often drinks hot tea to help digestion.