Presumably, everyone has heard a saying: a soldier who does not want to be a general is not a good soldier. But have you ever heard that a cook who doesn't want to be prime minister is not a good cook?
Friends who like history must have heard it, because this sentence has a source. It is about a cook named Yi Yin, who successfully became the prime minister of a country with his superb cooking skills.
Unlike the legendary history of other emperors and generals, Yi Yin and "eating" have an indissoluble relationship.
Yi Yin's real name is 挈, and he was born as a widow. Legend has it that when his mother was pregnant with him, she dreamed that the gods said that the village where they lived was about to flood, and asked her to leave the place quickly and not to tell anyone else.
But his mother was very kind, and the next day she quickly told the villagers to evacuate together. Just after the villagers had settled down, Yi Yin's mother wanted to take a look at the village, and in an instant the flood flooded the entire village.
Probably angering the gods, Yi Yin's mother, who was looking at the village, also instantly became an empty mulberry tree. When the flood receded, a slave passed by and picked up Yi Yin, because the social slaves at that time belonged to the private property of the king.
Therefore, the slaves could only hand over Yi Yin to the king of the Kingdom of Youxin. The king glanced at the unsightly child and threw him to a slave cook to raise.
It is also magical to say that Yi Yin seems to be gifted in cooking, from childhood to follow the chef's adoptive father, under the influence of the ears, the cooking skills are increasingly rapid, and the dishes are very delicious.
In addition, he is also very thoughtful in dealing with the world, and he has a national social heritage in mind, and his reputation has been outstanding over time. At this time, when it reached the ears of the Emperor of Youxin, he summoned Yi Yin, looked at it, and felt that he was a material that could be made, so he promoted him to the supervisor of managing meals.
During his tenure, Shang Tang had frequent contacts with the Youxin clan, and Yi Yin admired Shang Tang's personality, believing that he was a virtuous and accomplished person, so he wanted to go to Shang Tang, hoping that Shang Tang could overthrow the absurd and tyrannical Xia Jie.
But has been suffering from no chance, close to Shang Tang. When Zuo waited and waited, he heard that Shang Tang was going to marry Youxin. Yi Yin saw the opportunity coming, and took the initiative to request the king of Youxin to accompany the Shang as a dowry slave, and finally he came to the Shang kingdom as he wished.
Although he succeeded in shangguo, it was not easy to easily approach Shang Tang, and it was even more difficult to convey his political ambitions to Shang Tang. However, Yi Yin was not discouraged, he thought that since what he was best at was cooking, he should start with cooking.
Therefore, he worked hard every day to study the dishes, trying to make everyone like their own dishes, so that day after day, he finally got the opportunity to serve soup to Shang Tang.
Every time a dish is served to Shang Tang, the situation in the world is analyzed through the dishes made. Over time, Shang Tang discovered that Yi Yin's method of cooking was very unique.
A good dish: from the selection of products, mastering the heat, the right seasoning... Interlocking, very similar to his own way of managing the country, he felt that Yi Yin must be a talented person, so he removed Yi Yin from his slave status and appointed him as the right minister.
In addition, Shang Guo Zuo Xiang Zhongyu also saw that Yi Yin was a sage, and the hero saw the same thing, thus becoming Shang Tang's right hand.
In cooking, he realized the theory of "using ding spice soup and reconciling the five tastes" to govern the world, which was interpreted by later generations as "ruling a big country if cooking small fresh", and it is still the constant rule of Chinese cooking.
After becoming prime minister, Yi Yin was not only the founding father who assisted Tang in seizing the world, but later served five generations of monarchs of Chengtang, Waibing, Zhongren, Taijia, and Woding, and assisted the government for more than fifty years, making great contributions to the prosperity of the Shang Dynasty.
Therefore, Yi Yin was listed as the head of the "Old Old Minister" in the oracle bone buzhi and was solemnly sacrificed, not only with the soup, but also alone.
In addition, this slave cook is also the ancestor of soup medicine, the founder of soup medicine. In addition to being a kitchen god, there are multiple identities such as emperors, spies, and slaves, and many historical materials have been recorded.
There is a saying that those who become big things do not ask about their origins, and it is most appropriate to describe Yi Yin.
As the saying goes, three hundred and sixty lines, no matter what you do, "focused" and do the ultimate, will definitely succeed, from the kitchen to the first person to become the prime minister Yi Yin is the best model.