According to the latest statistics and forecasts of relevant authorities, in 2005, China's catering consumption reached more than 880 billion yuan, with a per capita catering consumption of 677 yuan; In 2006, the catering industry will continue to maintain the momentum of rapid growth, which is expected to exceed one trillion yuan.

But behind the good news, there are also many people who worry that a few people are proud of extravagance and even profligacy, and abnormal consumption is accelerating the proliferation of material desires. Some people regard luxury beyond dietary needs as a symbol of wealth and status, which not only runs counter to building a conservation-oriented society, but also corrupts social atmosphere and breeds corruption.

Not for the best, but for the most expensive luxury goods, regardless of honor or disgrace.

At noon on April 1 Sunday 12, a seafood restaurant near Beijing's North Fourth Ring Road was crowded with people. The hostess told the reporter: "The individual guests in the hall are full, only private rooms are available!" Although Beijing expressly stipulates that there should be no minimum consumption in the catering industry, it seems that the minimum consumption of private rooms here is 3000 yuan, and no one has ever raised an objection. While speaking, the waitress handed over the menu. The reporter flipped through it, and the consumption of 3,000 yuan really can't order anything, because the price of vegetables here is much more expensive than that of ordinary restaurants, and a dish costs more than 30 yuan.

As for those so-called signature dishes, the prices are staggering. The best shark fin: dried abalone with nine wings, 638 yuan/person; Yao Zhu dried sea tiger wings, each 480 yuan; Braised abalone in signature nest: four South African abalone, 688 yuan each; Six South African abalone, 588 yuan each; One South African fresh abalone, 6 18 yuan each. ...

At a seafood restaurant on Fushi Road in Beijing, before 6 pm, the parking space at the door was full and the private rooms in the store were full. 1000 square meter hall is resplendent, with rockery swimming pool and luxurious decoration.

Of course, corresponding to the luxurious style is its expensive menu: 6,800 yuan for six Japanese abalone, 4,800 yuan for eight Japanese abalone, 2,800 yuan for ten Japanese abalone, and 17 Japanese abalone 1.380 yuan; Glue: original glue 1.880 yuan, at least 8- 10 pieces per plate.

Does anyone really eat such expensive abalone shark fins? The young waitress said, "Everyone is here to eat high-end food, otherwise who would come to this place?" ! "Of course, it is not enough to have delicious food, but also to have good wine to accompany meals and create an atmosphere. The wine list here is enough to arouse your appetite and show your "distinguished" status: 6800 yuan for Maotai in 50 years, 3800 yuan for Maotai in 30 years, and 65438+ 1980 yuan in 2005; Foreign wine is even more dazzling. Scotch whisky and French brandy are available. The price per bottle in Louis XIII is as high as 1 1888 yuan!

A stone's throw away from the road, there is also a famous seafood restaurant, which is called one of the "three knives" in Beijing by the common people. As the name implies, it is to "kill" people without mercy. The price of vegetables is naturally unambiguous: 8800 yuan for two-headed net abalone and 0.068 yuan for Taiji official swallow. The hotel has 36 private rooms, which can accommodate 600 ~ 800 people, and has 120 parking spaces.

Since ancient times, people have always thought that abalone is a nourishing food that is very beneficial to the body. It is said that abalone can nourish yin and moisten lung, tonify deficiency and clear heat, nourish liver and improve eyesight, so it is called "eyesight fish". However, today's nutritionists believe that many high-priced foods, including abalone, do not exceed the conventional nutritional value.

Professor Ma Guansheng from the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety of China Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that there is little difference in protein between abalone and eggs, and other nutrients such as calcium, iron, zinc, selenium and vitamins have no unique advantages. In terms of providing nutrition, abalone is not much different from other ordinary seafood. So these precious things are not "precious" in nutrition.

Nevertheless, bird's nest, the most expensive "saliva" and abalone, the most delicious food, is still the food that many diners dream of, and it is also an important bargaining chip and "strength" for some people to socialize. No wonder abalone is worth a hundred times. Some dried abalone can even become a symbol of gold in Hong Kong, which is called "a bite of abalone, a bite of gold". As for whether shark's fin, bird's nest and abalone are really valuable and whether they are rich in nutritional value, they can be completely ignored.

Of course, apart from social entertainment, restaurants are still wider than the rich. The waiter in a seafood restaurant still feels wronged. Once, she kindly advised a guest that the food was almost ready. I didn't expect to be scolded loudly by me: "I spend money happily, what do you care?" Tears welled up in the eyes of the girl who came to work in Beijing from the northwest. In front of her eyes, she could see nothing except the super-thick gold chain around the thick neck of the guest and the fat hands with emeralds waving constantly.

A boss surnamed Huang is outspoken, and the guests want face. Why not find a fancy place? Pay attention not only to treat guests, but also to enjoy yourself. Never mind the dishes, even the whiteness of the tablecloth will trigger his violent reaction. What we want is luxurious food, luxury and style. Just as people often ridicule the luxury of these people: "not seeking the best, but seeking the most expensive."

There is no most expensive, only more expensive. Luxury is a disgrace.

Someone once exclaimed that luxury goods were prevalent, and information from all sides showed that a high-priced luxury goods came back: an "high-priced apple" of 150 yuan and a "high-priced tea" of 65438+ 1 100 million yuan.

During the Spring Festival, a high-end restaurant in the south launched a high-priced New Year's Eve dinner with a "special price" of 88,000 yuan; In southwest China, the price of New Year's Eve dinner is also rising all the way, and the sky-high banquet price of a hotel has been pushed to188,000 yuan. In the sky-high banquet, a piece of "Changbai Mountain Centennial Old Man Stewed Chicken" was worth 6.5438+0.6 million yuan.

What broke the news most was Hangzhou, where a restaurant actually launched an ultra-luxury New Year's Eve dinner of198,000 yuan! It is said that this meal has delicious treasures such as Japanese best net abalone and Luzon yellow glue shark fin king, each of which costs 20 thousand yuan. Even the tea leaves are Pu 'er stored for more than 50 years. ...

In order to satisfy the delicious food, spending 198000 RMB to eat a high-priced New Year's Eve dinner is equivalent to eating a mid-range car, a staff member's salary for 20 years, and 1000 the tuition fee for students in poor areas for one year.

In the era of extreme material shortage, people can only improve their lives on holidays, so they always save the best food for family reunion on New Year's Eve. People pay more attention to atmosphere and affection in order to have a happy reunion. These New Year's Eve dinners mentioned earlier seem to have changed their taste. Family ties are alienated, and invisible feelings are surrounded by visible luxury.

Relevant media conducted surveys in Beijing, Kyrgyzstan, Shandong and Hebei, and concluded that the high-priced New Year's Eve dinner was related to corruption. According to industry sources, high-priced New Year's Eve dinners are mostly for corporate consumption, group consumption and disguised gifts. Among them, a large state-owned enterprise in a city in Northeast China ordered a 10 table dinner package at a price of 16800 yuan.

A senior technician of a famous restaurant in Beijing said: "Most banquets really belong to large enterprises and groups. A table of dishes is at least several thousand yuan, tens of thousands of yuan, and a table of more than 100,000 yuan is also very common, even hundreds of thousands. "

Mr Ma, who used to run the catering industry, told reporters: "China's food culture has a long history. However, whether today or in history, the deeper meaning of abalone transcends food and culture and is associated with luxury ... "

Some time ago, a friend from the south told reporters with deep feelings that it used to be said that Cantonese people have more money and southerners have more money. I didn't expect more people in Beijing to have money.

In Beijing, you can taste any delicious food, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign. You can not only dine in the "emperor's dragon chair", enjoy the palace-style luxury and appreciate the elegant royal style; You can also step into the Romanesque building "Dining Room for Ten Thousand People" with 168 deluxe rooms, and enjoy the sunshine terrace with an area of 30,000 square meters, which is called "the best in Asia". You can also hold banquets and parties without being disturbed by anyone in the conference hall where the admission fee is as high as 6.5438 million yuan and personal privacy is absolutely guaranteed.

In fact, the people have long complained about the increasingly extravagant corruption in recent years: "a cigarette, two oils; A meal, a cow. " Today, a meal has risen to ten Niu Yi hundred cows. Eating and drinking not only misleads abnormal consumption, but also encourages the extravagance of the whole society.

In 2003, a sky-high Manchu-Chinese banquet was held in the northwest. At that time, this "Tianlong Imperial Banquet" actually ate 366,000! According to the transaction price of Shanghai gold market at that time, a table of dishes was probably equivalent to eating four kilograms of gold. In this gourmet meal, there is a dish called Longxu Fengjuan, which is made of hundreds of carp whiskers!

In 2005, a restaurant in a certain place launched the Gan Long Imperial Banquet. The feast, which costs up to 250,000 yuan, will last for 9 hours and be divided into two periods: 9 am to afternoon 1 lunch, rest for 4 hours, and then have dinner from 5 pm to afternoon 10. Its luxury can be seen from this.

..... This amazing feast can only be explained by the sudden loss of something. This is not only far from the meaning of food itself, but also not conducive to the construction of today's conservation-oriented society. As for the "milk feast" and "making waves" that have appeared in recent years, it is another new hobby for a few people to indulge in the life of drunkenness and pursue extravagance. In this regard, Chen Wenjin, vice president of Putian College who has lived and worked abroad for a long time, is saddened. He said that our country is not rich, and there are tens of millions of poor people. However, a few people spend money like water and live a luxurious and decadent life.

"From frugality to luxury, from luxury to frugality" is an old saying that has been passed down to this day. However, this abnormal consumption extravagance has brought adverse effects to the whole society. Zhang Liming, editor-in-chief of Peking University Publishing House, thinks that the unhealthy trend of comparison and the bad habit of competing for money have also appeared in the quiet campus. Pupils compare the advantages and disadvantages of learning appliance brands, the level of toys and the amount of pocket money. In middle school, students use more than food and clothing, and more than mobile phones, computers, private cars, home buildings and parents' official wallets. When I arrive at the university, the comparison is more upgraded, and very few college students prefer to speak with "strength".

Many people of insight are deeply worried about the prevalence of abnormal consumption and extravagance and waste, and think that students who are not financially independent have joined the ranks of "showing off their wealth and competing for it" early. The wind of "keeping up with the joneses" on campus is really dwarfed by this luxury and bad habit in the present society. The behavior of students is just a microcosm of adults showing off their wealth. During the interview, many people suggested that in order to completely reverse this unhealthy social atmosphere, it is imperative to trace back to the source, establish a correct socialist concept of honor and disgrace, advocate a scientific and healthy lifestyle, purify the social environment, and put an end to all kinds of extravagant winds.