The description of crabs in "A Dream of Red Mansions" is sparing no words. In the first chapter, Zhen Shiyin hosted a Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet in Jia Yucun, and the article only mentioned it with the sentence "It goes without saying that the wine and food were delicious." But in the 1987 version of "A Dream of Red Mansions", the camera showed the details of this Mid-Autumn Festival crab feast in an alluring and elegant way. Full moon, pavilion, fat crabs, autumn fragrance. What a joy. The photos of hairy crabs are so mouth-watering, and the "newspaper" effect is comparable to watching "Bite of the Tongue". Look at this exquisite axe, knife, hook and pliers, how elegant it is to eat crabs. What is even more unforgettable is the thirty-eighth chapter of "Lin Xiaoxiang's poem about chrysanthemums, Xue Hengwu's satire and crab chant", in which the sisters held chelas at the lotus root pavilion to appreciate the osmanthus, talked and laughed and recited poems. It was a beautiful scenery at a good time. Happy. Cao Xueqin's emphasis on eating autumn crabs can be seen from Baoyu's sentence: "Holding the pincers prefers the coolness of cinnamon, and pouring vinegar on ginger makes you crazy." Add more ginger vinegar to the steamed crabs that have just been brought out of the cage, eat them while they are hot, and drink a few cups of shochu soaked in albizia flowers to relieve the coldness.

Although crab is an inspired delicacy that arouses a happy atmosphere among everyone, the process of eating crab is a self-service enjoyment that can only be enjoyed by oneself. In the words of Aunt Xue in "Dream of Red Mansions", "Eat it by yourself, it's sweet and delicious, and you don't have to ask for help." Yuan Mei, an old gourmet, also feels the same way: "Crabs should be eaten alone and are not easy to mix with other things. It is best to cook them with salt soup and eat them yourself." It’s better to peel them and eat them yourself.” When it comes to how to eat crabs, Yuan Mei likes to boil them, while Li Yu, a great literary figure in the Qing Dynasty, likes to steam them whole. Li Yu's most disgusting way to eat crabs is to cut crabs in half and fry them in oil and salt; he also doesn't like to remove the crab meat and make it into soup, because these methods will "ravage the beauty of the crab in many ways." The correct answer in Li Yu's mind is: "Just keep the old body intact, steam and cook it, store it on an ice tray, put it on a few tables, and let the guests help themselves. Cut one into pieces and eat the other, cut off one chela and eat another, then the Qi will be released. The flavor is not lost at all."

The thirty-eighth chapter of Dream Book of Red Mansions: "Lin Xiaoxiang won the title of Chrysanthemum Poetry, Xue Hengwu Satire and Crab Ode" are very detailed. After a large group of ladies and ladies sit down. Sister Feng ordered: "Don't bring too many crabs. Keep them in the steamer. Bring ten and eat before taking them out." She washed her hands again and stood in front of Jia Mu to peel the crab meat. It was the first time I asked Aunt Xue, and Aunt Xue said: I eat the sweets myself, no one needs to give in. Sister Feng gave it to Jia Mu. The next time he went to Baoyu, he said again: "Bring the wine until it is piping hot."

The crabs mentioned here are steamed and eaten. Wash the crabs after buying them, tie the two pincers and eight legs of the crabs with strings into a ball, and steam them for 15 to 20 minutes. Because steaming can retain the umami flavor and nutrients of the crab to the maximum extent. Moreover, the crabs should be eaten while they are hot, one for each person. Take them out of the steamer after eating, and do not put them all on the table at once. Sister Feng said again: "Bring the wine that is scalding hot." It means that you need to drink alcohol to eat crabs, because crabs are cold in nature, and eating too much will easily damage the spleen and stomach. It is common to drink rice wine when eating crabs. Rice wine has the effect of promoting blood circulation and warming the stomach, which can offset the cold nature of crabs. Because the alcohol content of rice wine is low, the rice wine needs to be boiled hotter. When eating crabs, you need to dip them in the seasoning. Use an appropriate proportion of vinegar, minced ginger, soy sauce, and sugar to cook it in a microwave or in a pot. Add an appropriate amount of MSG and serve.

The season for eating crabs is late autumn and early winter every year. Female crabs are eaten in September of the lunar calendar, and male crabs are eaten in October (some say October to November). Baoyu became very interested in poetry after eating crabs, and wrote a poem about crabs: Holding the pincers prefers the coolness of osmanthus, and pouring vinegar on the ginger makes him crazy. A gluttonous king and grandson should have wine, but a tyrannical son has no intestines. Cold accumulated in the navel, greedy and forgetful. The fragrance of wake-up wash remains on your fingers. It was originally a blessing to the world. Po Xian had a busy life.

There are four things that cannot be eaten in crabs: crab gills, crab hearts, crab stomachs, and crab intestines. In addition, do not eat persimmons, pears, cold drinks, peanuts, mutton, strong tea, or dog meat after eating crabs.