National Tide 1980

February 1, 1984 is the last day of the Year of the Pig.

After this day, it will be the Spring Festival of the Jiazi year of the lunar calendar, and the cycle of the twelve zodiac animals will begin again.

On New Year's Eve, heavy snow fell in the north of the Republic, and the New Year atmosphere suddenly became intense.

There is no doubt that our compatriots all have a strong Spring Festival complex.

But in Ning Weimin’s memory, the Spring Festival thirty years later became increasingly boring.

Especially for a small boss like him, it's actually worse than failing.

Why do you say that?

Because thirty years later, the Spring Festival has only a formality and has lost its spiritual connotation.

The New Year's gift alone is enough for him to drink a pot, not to mention the economic losses caused by the closure of business.

The Spring Festival is actually a kind of folk culture.

Since it is culture, it needs a carrier for inheritance.

Don't look at the old people in the past who cling to the traditions that look ridiculous to the younger generations.

But in fact, it is precisely these lengthy traditions that continue the national culture and imprint the Spring Festival, the most sacred and heartwarming festival, in the hearts of every Chinese.

Without those particularities and rules, even the firecrackers to welcome the Spring Festival are not allowed to be set off.

The Spring Festival will be boring, leaving only a sumptuous banquet, which is no different from the usual dinners with guests.

The Spring Festival will gradually fade from our hearts, and we will feel confused - is this still the New Year?

It is precisely because of this that on New Year's Eve, at six o'clock in the morning, Ning Weimin, who had only fallen asleep at twelve o'clock last night, was lifted up by his master Kang Shude and assigned him a lot of errands. .

He didn't complain about lack of sleep, and went about his business honestly, doing everything according to the old man's instructions.

First, place the "five offerings" in front of the portraits of your parents.

Then it's time to clean the house thoroughly, sweeping every corner, and then dump out the dirt.

All dirty clothes saved must also be washed and not left for the coming year.

The water tank should also be cleaned, and of course, store as much water as possible.

The most important thing is the amount of coal for the fire. You are usually reluctant to replenish it, but there is no need to be stingy during the Chinese New Year.

The brighter the fire, the better, and the room must be warm.

Anyway, I have to try my best to do all the work that can be done before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and try not to do these menial tasks during the Chinese New Year.

When Ning Weimin finished these chores, Kang Shude also finished writing this year's Spring Festival couplets and the word "福" in thin gold style.

After the two of them posted it together, it was time to wash their hands, prepare the ingredients together, and go about making the dumplings.

Ever since he had eaten this refreshing and greasy dumpling with vegetarian filling, Ning Weimin felt that this kind of dumpling without any meaty smell was the perfect match for the New Year's Eve dinner.

Otherwise, after filling up the stomach with a table of good wine and delicious food, eating dumplings full of oil and water will be boring.

This thing is good, not to mention the meaning of "a peaceful and peaceful year". The filling is made of shiitake mushrooms, yellow flowers, fungus, vermicelli, winter bamboo shoots, gluten, dried white tofu, glutinous rice cake boxes, and sesame salt. Another treat for the tongue.

To be honest, Ning Weimin had the idea of ​​plagiarizing dumplings like this to "Tan Palace".

But then I thought about it, I couldn't prepare for the fact that I would be separated from "Tan Palace" in the future, so I had to leave some "private dishes" for myself.

But it's a pity that you can't put the dumplings in the pot after they are wrapped. If you want to eat them, you have to wait until evening.

Because in addition to seasonal issues, "Zhang Dashao" and Sun Wufu will also come over tonight to get together and have a lively New Year's Eve dinner.

They are all alone, so this can be regarded as a group hug to keep warm.

Naturally, there is no reason for Ning Weimin to enjoy it first and have a boring meal alone.

So the question arises. Looking at the old clock, it’s almost half past eleven, what should I have for lunch?

There is no chance of eating out. Ning Weimin is a very humane leader. He gives employees one more day off than other units. He closed the "Tan Palace" yesterday and earned a lot of good reputation.

As for other restaurants and restaurants, to be honest, he really looks down on the quality of those places now.

And think about "Zhang Dashao's" craftsmanship and the amount of chicken, duck and fish at home.

To be honest, he really didn't want to consume too much "combat power" at noon, so he just wanted to eat vegetarian food.

For this reason, after thinking about it, a brilliant idea came to me.

"Old man, let's just let the two of us live in ruins."

Taotaozi is a unique noodle dish in Beijing.

It means to grate the zucchini into shreds, add eggs and noodles and mix into a paste, then mix with the auxiliary ingredients, heat the pan, pour a little oil, pour in the batter and spread it flat (round), and brown both sides.

But because zucchini is used, this thing can only be eaten in summer.

Moreover, this thing is not respectable, and it has to be poured with garlic juice, which is the preference of the lower class people.

They are not sold in restaurants or snack bars outside, so they can only be made at home.

To put it bluntly, Ning Weimin thought of this bite because he had eaten too much good food.

But the old man didn’t want to fulfill his wish today.

This unseasonable eating made the old man who was strict about rules feel disgusted. The key point was that the old man also felt a little aggrieved.

"You really dare to think! What a waste? Where can I find it for you? Come on, you can figure it out for yourself. I have been serving you for a year, and today is the last day. Please spare me. . Tsk, we don’t know how to talk about our seniority? It’s the other way around, right? When the day comes that I can’t move, can I count on you?”

With just these few sentences, Ning Wei's people were in a terrible state of disgrace.

"Okay, then I'll figure it out myself, but... what should you do? How about I serve you today? I'll give you a bowl of noodles, and some rice rolls and dried tofu..."

"Hey, that's right. But it doesn't need to be so troublesome. In fact, your heart is stronger than anything else. In this case, I will leave the kitchen to you, and I will eat whatever you do."

This old man is easy to serve!

When Ning Weimin came to the kitchen, he felt like he was the master of the house, and he felt indescribable excitement and excitement.

After all, this is a rare opportunity for him to cook now, and it is such an important day.

If we take into account that his current status and position are already different,

Then he has to show off his skills well to show that he can handle both the hall and the kitchen!

How can a restaurant's top leader convince the public?

I’ve never heard that Dongfang Bubai can’t sew clothes...

Ah, bah! Frustrated!

Just like that, talking to himself and playing with himself, while looking around and touching.

It didn't take long for Ning Weimin to find suitable materials.

A few radishes, a few eggs, flour in the dough bag, a big head of single-clove garlic, a green onion, all together.

He peeled the radish, grated it into shreds, beat in the eggs, and mixed half a basin of batter. Seeing that the batter was a bit bland, he added two more eggs.

Not long after, the batter mixed with flour, shredded radish and eggs was stirred by him into a yellow color, exuding a strong egg fragrance.

Turn on the gas stove again, and the gas flames that can only be enjoyed by a few wealthy families now rise brightly.

With caution and energy, Ning Weimin popped out the browned radish pieces one after another in the pan.

Finally, mash the garlic juice in a garlic mortar and pour soy sauce and vinegar, perfect!

Just the mushy radish that had just come out of the pot, he carried it to Kang Shude with confidence, and the fragrance filled the room.

As expected, the old man praised it as soon as he saw it.

"Well, you really do seem to be a hard worker. Your job as restaurant manager is not for nothing. I have already smelled the fragrance coming from the kitchen in the house..."

After picking up the chopsticks and tasting it, I gave it a thumbs up.

"Okay, it's delicious, tasty, and not a show-off. This shredded radish pancake is quite delicious."

Ning Weimin was a beauty, but his mistake was that he should not have gotten carried away and exposed his extravagant nature.

He actually corrected me righteously.

"Old man, this is not shredded radish pancake, it's dumpling. I made it with radish instead of zucchini."

Then he tried hard to please.

"How do you like it? It tastes great. Have you ever experienced eating shit in winter? It was your apprentice who came up with such an idea. You see, the branches outside are bare, the snow is falling, and our windows are frozen The ice flowers are coming, and the weather is so cold. You are so lucky to be able to eat the summer food! In the past, even the emperor in the Forbidden City was not so lucky!"

If he shows off like this, isn't he asking for trouble?

Who is the master? Yes or no?

I saw the old man say "hehe" with displeasure, "Okay, you actually started talking to me?"

In the blink of an eye, Ning Weimin was asked.

"Then I have to ask you, what is "paoszi"? What should the word "paos" be?"

After being stunned for a long time, Ning Weimin said less confidently, "Isn't that just a random nonsense next to the word "rice"?"

These words almost made the old man laugh out loud.

"You really just opened your mouth! If it were so simple, would I still ask you?"

Ning Weimin is also a bachelor.

"Okay, old man, please stop trying to bully people. It's not that I don't understand your deep intentions, but I know you too well. Now that I know I've let you seize the topic, why should I resist? In front of you, Tathagata Buddha, I am just a monkey. The more clever I am, the more embarrassing I will be in the end. It is better to take the initiative and lie down honestly. You will save energy and I can learn more. As long as you don't press me down. At the foot of Wuzhi Mountain, I will think of you."

Now the old man is really happy.

"You boy, it's a pity that you didn't go to Tianqiao and left your mouth on the ground. Okay, because you are so self-aware and filial today, you cooked me a meal. I will tell you something more. Let you understand."

"Speaking of this dumpling, the word you mentioned is indeed well-known to people in the capital. But it's wrong. Because you can only use zucchini and not other vegetables for dumpling. Think about it, you said this' What does the word "pao" mean? If it doesn't mean batter is beaten on a griddle and collapsed into cakes, what does that have to do with zucchini? It should be written as "cuo" for gourd!"

"When it comes to describing cooking skills, it is obviously more correct to use 'Stand'. In the past, I also heard someone say that it should be the word '烀' for 'fire' and 'hu', but that is not correct. Because that word refers to It's roasted in the stove, and the correct word is "烃白豆". So what's really going on? Mr. Song told me that this kind of food originally used 'hu (hu) seeds' as raw material."

"Gourd refers to gourd. Its scientific name is 'Bianpu', its common name is 'Gourd seed', and it is also called 'night blooming'. It is native to Africa, which is now known as Africa. This thing is not cold-resistant and is commonly cultivated in southern my country. It has white flowers and tender fruit like a loofah, long cylindrical shape, green and white like a gourd.”

"The use of gourds in cooking by northerners can be traced back to the establishment of the capital in Beijing in the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was named King of Yan before becoming emperor. The folk story of 'The King of Yan swept the north' is about him. We are in Changping , Changling among the Thirteen Tombs, is his tomb. Zhu Di moved the capital from Jinling to the capital, and the country was named Yongle. During the process of moving the capital, Zhu Di forced the common peasants in some areas south of the Yangtze River to move north with him. At the same time, a considerable number of people Some family members of officers and soldiers also entered the capital area with the army and settled there."

"But living habits will not change. In summer, people like to eat home-grown gourds, stir-fry or make soup, which are all delicious. But gourds like warm and humid nature and do not grow in the north. Some immigrants brought vegetables from their hometowns. If there were gourd melon seeds, I tried planting them in my hometown, and they actually produced melons, but they were not as big as those in the south. At that time, food was in short supply, so people still followed the southern way of eating, grating the tender gourds into shreds, adding some coarse grains and salt. Stir it into a thick paste with water and spread it on a spoon to make vegetable cakes to satisfy your hunger. This is a staple and non-staple food in one, saving the cost of cooking."

"The griddle is different from the iron pancake pan in the north. It is also made of pig iron, smaller in size, not flat on the inside, with a slightly protruding belly in the middle, a cast iron cover, and shallow edges around it. It is slightly thicker than the pancake griddle. Later, northerners also followed this method to make dumplings. However, gourds are not produced in the north, so they had to use zucchini instead. The taste is almost the same, and it is still known as dumplings. In fact, the original name should be "huzi spread cakes", and later it should also be called " Hu Taozi'."

"Gourds have a green smell, which northerners are not used to. There are bitter elements in gourds, which are inedible and are easily poisoned. In mild cases, people may have diarrhea after eating them. I think this may be the reason why we northerners switch to zucchini. One of them, right?"

Ning Weimin loved hearing old stories like this, which made him feel connected by blood to this ancient city.

Although he is a child without parents, he is in this city with a long history. The more he knows about the old things here, the more he understands how he should live.

This might be called a sense of belonging.

Just like today, after cooking a meal, you can hear about tomorrow's events. It's worth it.

But just when he was happily trying to praise Kang Shude, the old man quietly stopped using his chopsticks, as if he had remembered something.

She turned around suddenly and asked him.

"Hey, for Wei Min's sake, you went to the kitchen and just made a plate of shredded radish pancakes, right?"

"Well, yes. Just this one plate. What's wrong with you? Isn't it enough? It doesn't matter. What else do you want to eat? Just ask. I'll cut you some cold vegetables? Songhua? Or sauced pork?"

"No, no, I mean, you've peeled this radish, but what about the radish skin?"

"Carrot...radish skin? Throw it away..."

"Oh, you loser..."

Ning Weimin's eyes widened and he asked in disbelief.

"It's Chinese New Year. Isn't there anything to eat at home? You don't even care about radish skins, do you?"

The old man was so angry that he dropped his chopsticks on the table with a "pop" sound.

"If you were my biological son and I said this to you, I would have to starve you..."