What you give is not what I want, even eating meat is painful. The sins suffered by the qing dynasty ministers for eating meat are unimaginable to our descendants.
In ancient China, there has always been the ritual of sharing "zuo meat". From the Spring and Autumn Period or even earlier, there were emperors or monarchs who rewarded their ministers with "zuo meat". The so-called "meat" is the meat that is sacrificed to the ancestors. After the offering, the meat cannot be wasted, it must be withdrawn and eaten by the noble people. Only before the Qing Dynasty, most of them let the ministers take "zuo meat" home to cook themselves. For example, the Book of Han. The "Biography of Dongfang Shuo" once recorded that Dongfang Shuo "drew his sword alone and cut the flesh... That is, to carry the meat to go". As for whether the meat is boiled or steamed after arriving home, it is up to the minister to decide. Moreover, according to the provisions of the Zhou Li, the types of meat are also diverse, sometimes cattle, sometimes sheep, sometimes pigs.
But by the time of the Qing Dynasty, this etiquette had changed its taste.
When the emperors of the Qing Dynasty sacrificed every year, the "zuo meat" used was basically pork. Moreover, after this "meat" was removed, it was to be eaten by the emperor, concubines and ministers on the spot after cooking.
It would have been nothing. As long as the minister of the imperial dining room does a good job and makes the meat crispy and fragrant, it is also a pleasure to eat. However, the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty was more important than the form, and the meat was difficult to swallow. The Qing Dynasty began outside the Guanwai, in order to show that they "do not forget the original", there is only one way to cook "Zuo Meat": white boiling! Moreover, this cooking is made without any condiments. Not only the peppercorns, the cinnamon leaves, but also the minimum salt. Since most of the meat is made of pork front elbow, this white boiled meat also has an alias, called "Halbazi".
Nowadays, halba seeds can be eaten in many places, most of them are grilled, and the seasonings are very heavy. When you eat it, it is naturally full of aroma. But purely boiled in white water, it is fishy and greasy, and usually not cooked, it is really difficult to swallow. So every time you eat, whether it is for the emperor or the minister, it is a test.
We can imagine this: a whole big elbow, the weight is not small. Coupled with the fact that there is no taste, it will be so painful to eat. Is it okay not to eat? No way. If you don't eat, it means that you have "forgotten your roots", and you will be reprimanded at the light, and you will lose your official position and resign from office. If you really can't stand eating, can't you vomit? No, vomiting means "disrespectfulness", which is also a major sin. This etiquette was particularly severe in the early years of the Qing Dynasty. During this period, no one dared to walk out of the palace door with meat, let alone throw it away.
In order to deal with this mouthful of meat, the ministers thought of many ways. The most common is to hide a piece of salt-stained rice paper in the sleeve. When eating meat, it is wrapped in rice paper and eaten, which can not only relieve the greasiness, but also add a little flavor. In this way, the meat is slightly more delicious. However, this practice is equivalent to "cheating", and once discovered, what awaits is still cruel punishment.
Of course, there are also people who enjoy the process. Ji Xiaolan, a great talent of the Qing Dynasty, not only likes to eat meat, but also especially likes to eat this kind of white boiled meat with no taste. At that time, many bold ministers secretly let Ji Xiaolan do the work. But Ji Xiaolan himself, how much can he eat? Therefore, most of the meat still depends on the ministers to digest themselves.
In fact, as the emperor himself, he also knew that this kind of meat was not delicious. Usually, the mountain treasures and seafood they eat are all made by the famous chefs of the imperial dining room, and the taste is either rich or delicious, and each wins. Who can swallow this kind of white "meat". So when they eat, there are condiments on the table. Usually there is salt, there is sauce, and even leek flowers. From this aspect, it is not difficult to see that the emperor of the Qing Dynasty really did not "share the difficulties" with the ministers. Fortunately, in the middle and late Qianlong period, the emperor began to "considerate" the ministers and allowed them to pack. It is difficult for many generations of ministers to eat the "meat" ceremony, so as to have some human touch. Of course, at this time, the ministers have opened their bags, or they will not throw them away when they go out, and at least the respect must be there.
Some people say that the demise of the Qing Dynasty's "Zuo Meat" system made them forget their roots, which led to the loss of power and humiliation of the country in the last years of the Qing Dynasty. In fact, I don't think I need to understand it this way. The "Zuo Meat" system precisely reflects the rigidity and shuanggui of the Qing Emperor. The Qianlong Emperor reformed it, which still reflected a little human touch. Unfortunately, their dullness has not improved. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty learned a little bit of the skin of Chinese culture, grabbed some crap and did not let go, but also did not know how to be close to the people, and it was inevitable that he would end up with a broken mountain and river.