"Ode to Pork" originated when he was demoted to Huangzhou. Now in Huangpi County (now Huangpi District, Wuhan City), thirty miles north of Huangzhou, local people also eat Dongpo Pork during the New Year and festivals. Tradition. For this reason Dongpo also wrote the phrase "Ode to Pork". The original text is as follows:

"Ode to Pork"

Song Dynasty: Su Shi

When washing the pan, use less water, and the firewood will not smoke. Don't rush him until he matures. When the heat is sufficient, he will be beautiful. Huangzhou's good pork is as cheap as dirt. The rich don't want to eat, the poor don't know how to cook. They get up in the morning and take two bowls, so full that the king doesn't care.

Translation:

Wash the pot, add a little water, light firewood and weeds, suppress the fire, and simmer it with a virtual fire that does not emit flames. Wait for it to cook slowly on its own, don't rush it, when the heat is enough, it will naturally taste delicious.

There is such good pork in Huangzhou, but the price is as cheap as dirt; rich people don’t want to eat it, and poor people don’t know how to cook it. I'll make two bowls when I get up in the morning. Don't worry about it when I'm full.

Extended information:

Appreciation of the whole poem "Ode to Pork"

"Wash the pan cleanly, use less water, and the firewood will not smoke." Although "cleaning the pan" means getting ready for cooking, in fact it is a manifestation of a pious and serious attitude when doing things or cultivating the body and mind. This is how you cook meat and do everything you do. Readers can get a glimpse of Su Shi's rigor and sincerity in cultivating his body and mind from this careful "cleaning of the pan".

"With less water, the firewood can't hold up the smoke and flames." Put in not too much water, not too little, and the fire should be neither too big nor too small. Only by stewing in this way can the meat be cooked well and taste well. Su Shi told us that in specific practice, every link must be done steadily and carefully, and there must be no carelessness.

Through this meticulous preparation and actual operation, what we see is not just the cooking itself, but a conscientious spirit in treating life and cultivating oneself.

"Don't rush him until he matures. When the fire is full, he will be beautiful." When cooking pork, as long as it is cooked properly and simmered slowly, it will naturally taste mellow and beautiful. These two sentences talk about cooking meat, and when we think about life, don’t we just find that it hits the shortcomings of life in a society that is eager for quick success and instant benefits?

The mature understanding of life takes time. If you are overjoyed with your achievements and are impatient, you may get temporary "results", but in fact you will end up in failure.

“The good pork in Huangzhou is as cheap as dirt. The rich refuse to eat it, and the poor don’t know how to cook it.” The excitement of life often lies in the ordinary daily life. People don’t think there is any mystery in a common food like pork; people tend to ignore exploring the possibility of excellence in a common thing like pork stew.

Su Shi’s sigh, in addition to the pork itself, also has a pity that can be associated with it - when people face various things in life, they are either unwilling or unwilling to understand and understand deeply. Explore its potential. Readers should understand from his sighs a deeper meaning beyond the love of pork—truth, goodness and beauty are in our lives every day and every moment.

Discovering and creating beauty is our mission and happiness in life, which has great potential. Reminiscent of Su Shi's philosophical thinking in the "Reply to Bi Zhongju" mentioned above, which compares eating pork to a symbol of physical and mental cultivation, and discards the illusory (Buddhist) "dragon meat" and other mystical talk, we may be able to go deeper. Understand another flavor of the four lines of the poem "Huangzhou Good Pork".

“Wake up two bowls in the morning and you’ll be so full that you don’t care.” Because he was very satisfied with the cooking art he created, the author actually ate "two bowls". "Two bowls" not only expresses the satisfaction of the appetite, but also expresses the comfort of the soul. The author seemed to have anticipated the comments and surprises of others. He said humorously, "When I eat pork, my belly is full and my heart is full. I am like a fish drinking water, knowing whether it is warm or cold."

Praise and criticism from the outside world should be ignored. Readers who understand Buddhism will know that Buddhism emphasizes "peace of mind" and emphasizes despising external things (including the opinions of others) and attaching importance to inner peace. Therefore, it can be said that Dongpo's "Don't worry about your own family" is plain. The ending actually shows his Buddhist cultivation and contains profound insights into life.

It is worth mentioning that when reciting "Ode to Pork", Su Shi did not deliberately interpret or explain his "pork view" of life thinking, but all in a blur of pen and ink. , intentionally or unintentionally revealing his Buddhist cultivation and reference and transformation of Buddhism, this point needs additional explanation.

Su Shi's poem "Ode to Pork" may seem funny, but it actually contains serious themes in its humor. The author's ode, of course, includes the enjoyment of taste and the pride in his own cooking innovation; but when we understand Su Dongpo's difficult situation at that time, we will vaguely see an unyielding soul behind the poet's enjoyment of the delicious taste. .

A philosopher who always pursues a higher and more profound sentiment in his conduct of life, and who achieves the ideal of "unity of knowledge and action" in daily life and rational thinking. In particular, the author organically combines the art of cooking with the ideal of transcendence in life, setting a model for us - pork is pork itself, but also something else.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Ode to Pork