What to eat on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year

The fourth day of the first month is the "sheep day" of the creation myth of Nuwa. Dong Xun, a Jin native, wrote in "Asking about manners and customs": "The first day of the first month is a chicken, the second day is a dog, the third day is a pig, the fourth day is a sheep, the fifth day is a cow, the sixth day is a horse and the seventh day is a man. Zhengdan painted a chicken on the door and posted it on the account on the seventh day. " Being a sheep in the old imperial calendar, it is often said that "three sheep (yang) open Thailand" is a symbol of good luck, and it is also a day to welcome the kitchen god back to the people.

folding baskets

On this day, the whole family eats folding baskets together. The so-called folding basket is a hodgepodge of leftovers from the first to third grades.

On this evening, the store will give a banquet and give out red envelopes. There used to be an old saying in Beijing: "Heaven is not afraid, the earth is not afraid, and I am afraid that the shopkeeper will speak Mandarin on the fourth night." There is wine and vegetables at the banquet, and the custom after drinking is to eat steamed buns. The shopkeeper then raised his glass to congratulate everyone and said "hard work", which is called "Mandarin". After the mandarin is finished, the steamed stuffed bun is served, and the shopkeeper personally puts the steamed stuffed bun in the bowl, and whoever puts the steamed stuffed bun in it is hinted that he has been fired. Those who have been fired automatically pack their bags and leave after dinner, so this informal meal is commonly called "eating steamed stuffed bun".

"Zhelv" is a special term in old Beijing and Hebei. The Beijing Dialect Dictionary explains: "Let's eat the banquet, and the rest of the dishes, regardless of the type, are all poured together ... also called' folded vegetables'." In the past, people were not rich, and the leftovers on the first day were reluctant to pour, and the leftovers were "folded" together the next day. The leftovers had a special taste and some people liked them. Until the end of 197s, there was a custom in the suburbs of Beijing: the dishes left over from weddings, funerals and weddings were mixed together and sent by the main family to all households in the village.

Before 195s, there were small restaurants in Beijing that exclusively sold "folding baskets". On the first day, they bought leftovers from big restaurants at low prices, and the next day they were exclusively sold to poor working people such as Jiaoli.

Based on this, rich people certainly don't eat "folds". Not really. I have read "Anecdotes of Confucius' Inner House" written by Kong Demao, the 77th granddaughter of Confucius, and mentioned that her father, Kong Lingyi, the 76th generation of Duke Yansheng, loved "folding baskets" (called "dregs dishes" by the locals). According to the old man's memory, Kong Lingyi, her father, loved delicacies and "dregs". Why? It's sour and delicious. Every time a large family in Qufu city has a festive feast, Kong Lingyi will send someone to ask for "dregs" with pots.

In recent years, I found that some restaurants in Beijing have similar forms of "folding baskets". For example, a restaurant has a miscellaneous rice dish with minced meat and various dishes, which is fried and stewed with soy sauce, and it tastes good. There is also a fast food restaurant in Taiwan Province, which is called "Bowl Rice". It is also mixed with vegetables and eggs, and it is also quite delicious with braised diced meat and gravy, but it is not sour overnight.

Beijing Lunar New Year's Day menu

Morning: black rice porridge, leek buns, eggs, kiwi fruit

Middle: fried liver tip, waist slices with Beijing-style sesame sauce, shredded carrot in sweet and sour sauce, cucumber in ginger sauce, laver and egg soup, rice

Evening: Zhajiang Noodles, Zhajiang Noodles side dishes, milk.