The end of the year is approaching soon, and many people are starting to prepare for the New Year.
This reminds me of the 80s and 90s, when every family was happily preparing for the New Year.
At that time, at the end of the year, everyone went to the market to buy things.
Looking back now, the flavor of that era is really unforgettable.
At that time, many of the New Year's goods are now gone.
Meat
In the 80s, people's living conditions were very difficult, and it was difficult to eat meat at ordinary times, and it was estimated that they could only eat it once during the Chinese New Year.
Therefore, for people at that time, buying meat during the New Year was an indispensable thing.
During the Chinese New Year, meat becomes the main feature of the table, and families with better financial conditions are able to buy half a pig or a whole sheep, while ordinary families will buy as much pork as possible.
Not only that, sausages, sausages, and bacon have also become must-have New Year's goods, they are not only delicious, but also can be stored for a long time.
In the cooking process, lard plays an important role.
The lard is cut into small pieces and then heated in a pan to make oil, and the oil residue can be turned into a delicious dish after simple processing.
Some people add salt and sugar to the residue to make it more palatable, while others use it for pancakes to give them a rich lard flavor.
However, with the development of society and the continuous improvement of people's living standards, material life has become more and more abundant.
Foods that used to symbolize happiness and reunion have now become common items in people's daily lives.
When eating, it is estimated that meat is indispensable on everyone's table, not to mention during the Chinese New Year, meat is no longer a rare thing.
Grind tofu
In my hometown, grinding tofu is a very important thing at the end of every year.
This is not only a manifestation of a Xi eating habit, but also a wish for a better life in the coming year.
Because of its rich nutrition and beautiful meaning, tofu has become an indispensable delicacy during the Spring Festival.
The first step in making tofu is to prepare the raw materials, using home-grown soybeans that are carefully selected to ensure that each bean is plump and flawless.
The selected soybeans need to be soaked in water overnight, in order to allow the beans to fully absorb water and expand, so that they can be easily ground.
The next step is the process of pushing the stone mill to grind the soybeans, which requires the tacit cooperation of two people, one person is responsible for adding soybeans to the grinding eye, and the other person is responsible for pushing the stone mill.
They must master the rhythm and ensure that the grinding force is even, so that they can grind the delicate and uniform soy milk.
Although the work was very hard, it was undoubtedly a blessing to be able to eat home-made tofu in that era of material scarcity.
After the soy milk is ground, the next step is to boil the soy milk and filter out the residue.
The first step is to add hot water to dilute the soy milk according to a certain ratio, and then filter the diluted soybean milk with a tic-tac-toe frame and bamboo basket to remove the okara and other impurities.
This is followed by the addition of coagulants to turn the soy milk into tofu flowers, a step that requires very precise weighing of the raw gypsum and firing it into brine.
It can be said that throughout the process of making tofu, patience and care are required at every step.
It's not just about respecting the ingredients, it's also about passing on traditions.
Nowadays, although mechanized production methods have become widespread, the fun and meaning of making tofu by hand are still worth recalling.
Malt milk essence
When it comes to malt milk essence, it is estimated that many people have something to say.
It was an iconic item of the era.
Malt milk essence, as the name suggests, is an instant milk-containing beverage made of condensed milk, wheat bran, cocoa powder and milk powder, with cream, egg powder, vitamins, sugar and glucose added.
It is not only mellow in taste, but also rich in nutrients, so it is known as a nutritional product, and even became the first choice for people to give gifts.
However, as time went on, malt milk essence faded into obscurity.
In modern supermarkets, it is already difficult to find traces of it, and many young people have never even heard of this term.
Although malt milk is no longer a mainstream drink, its memories of that era are still precious.
For many, malt milk is more than just a drink, it's an emotional sustenance, a nostalgia for the good old days.
Shrimp chips
Speaking of shrimp chips, many people probably think that after eating shrimp chips, they will lick their fingers.
Do some people still think that shrimp chips are really made from seafood?
In fact, these are all misunderstandings.
In those days, seafood was not on everyone's table, and when it did, it was usually a luxury that the wealthy could afford.
Therefore, shrimp chips are actually a kind of starch processed food, which has a variety of forms, rich colors and hard textures, but after frying, it will expand and become crispy and delicious.
The shrimp chips in my memory, before they are fried, are small slices that are transparent and hard.
When they are fused into the hot oil, they expand in an instant and become a fluffy and crunchy delicacy.
At that time, people used to sprinkle white sugar on top of it, which made the shrimp chips more appealing.
Although at that time, shrimp chips were regarded as a relatively high-end food.
But nowadays, with the improvement of living standards, people's perception of this traditional snack has changed.
In the current market, shrimp chips are no longer a high-end food in people's eyes, but are considered to be not high-grade enough.
But despite this, shrimp chips still carry many people's childhood memories.
In that era of relative scarcity of materials, shrimp chips added a lot of fun to people's daily life with their unique taste and rich color.
Persimmons
柿饼子，挂白霜，甜甜蜜蜜好事成双。
Every New Year's Festival, people always buy persimmons, not only to taste its unique flavor, but also to pray for good luck.
If you pick the persimmon and eat it directly, the taste is very bad, and sometimes it is even very astringent.
But among the many persimmon products, persimmons stand out with their unique charm.
The originally huge persimmons have been carefully processed and turned into small and delicate persimmons.
This persimmon is in the shape of a disc, smooth as jade on one side and grooved on the other, shaped like a handle, and the surface is covered with a layer of hoarfrost, like a faint icing, especially in winter, and the snow is contrasted, forming a beautiful picture.
In the past, when material scarcity was relatively scarce, persimmons became a rare delicacy.
At that time, the variety of snacks was limited, and persimmons naturally became a favorite of children.
Nowadays, persimmons are no longer rare and can be found everywhere.
However, when I think back to the rural times, I have the impression that I only had the opportunity to see it at the party at the end of the year and the beginning of the year.
The elders of the family always treasure the persimmons as treasures, and they do not take them out to entertain guests until the Spring Festival.
And those of us gluttonous kids will always sneak into the bag containing persimmons when our parents are not at home and enjoy the delicious food.
popcorn
Nowadays, when people watch movies, they buy a bucket of popcorn to eat.
In the seventies and eighties, popcorn was not very common, and it was often only at the end of the year that people could enjoy this rare delicacy.
I don't know if you've seen it, but at the end of each year, there will be a master dragging the machine that often pops cornflowers, and then find a place in the village to place it, ready to start popping cornflowers.
At that time, it was common to hear a "pop" at home, followed by the smell of freshly baked corn.
You know, in the 80s, when supplies were relatively scarce, popcorn became one of people's precious snacks.
Whenever popcorn artists come to the village, they bring not only a loud bang, but also the anticipation of sweet and delicious popcorn for days.
When the artist opens the lid of the pot, there is a loud "bang", the gas in the pot expands rapidly, and the pressure decreases rapidly, causing the high-pressure water vapor in the corn kernels to expand sharply, thus bursting the corn kernels instantly, which also forms the popcorn we are familiar with.
It can be said that this process not only changes the structure and properties of the corn, but also gives the popcorn its unique taste and flavor.
And now, despite the rising price of popcorn, it still can't stop people from loving it, especially when watching a movie or TV show, holding a bucket of hot popcorn in your hand, which is undoubtedly a pleasure.
When we think back to the popcorn of those years, it seems that the shocking loud bang rings in our ears again, it is the moment when the "cannon" furnace transforms corn kernels into popcorn.
At that time, popcorn won people's love with its rich aroma and plump particles, but as time passed, this traditional method of making it gradually faded into obscurity.
Although old-fashioned popcorn machines once played an important role in our lives, as the times changed, this traditional snack gradually became obsolete due to unhygienic and potential lead contamination issues.
Nowadays, when we walk into the cinema to enjoy the fun of the movie, the popcorn in our hands is thanks to the innovation of modern puffing technology.
It can be said that popcorn flower machine, as a traditional food making tool, not only witnesses the changes of the times, but also carries the memories of a generation.
Although it is not often said that there are many old-fashioned hand-cranked popcorn machines nowadays, we can still easily make them at home by buying semi-finished popcorn.
All you need to do is pour the popcorn into the pot, stir-fry it and cover it, and you can hear the familiar and wonderful popcorn crackling sound, which evokes the fond memories of childhood in our hearts.
Therefore, in daily life, food is not only a taste in our mouths, but also an emotion and memory.
Every meal has a story to tell, and every cuisine represents a culture and history.
Food not only satisfies our taste buds, but also gives us a deeper understanding of various cultures.
Therefore, whether you love food or just an ordinary diner, you should cherish every opportunity to taste, make food a part of your life, and make your life more colorful because of food.