The life of ancient people seemed simple, but in fact there were strict rules and hierarchies. Food is an indispensable part of life, and it is natural that it is also very important. You may think that eating is just a way to fill your stomach, but the ancients saw it as a ritual, a way to show social status and dignity. And this kind of culture may seem a little extravagant now, but it shows the food civilization and etiquette of the ancients.
The unearthed ancient bamboo slips record the eating habits and regulations of the ancients, and these bamboo slips reveal to us how people ate in ancient times. According to the bamboo slips, the ancient people ate differently than today, and their eating habits and etiquette were prescribed by law.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the emperor had four meals a day, namely Pingdan food, day food, morning food and evening food. Pingdan food is eaten at the dawn of the day. That's the equivalent of breakfast right now. And this "just dawn" does not actually mean the time of sunrise, but when the sky is not yet clear, that is, in the early morning, people start to eat their first meal. The daytime eclipse is lunch, while the evening and evening eclipse are the modern afternoon tea and dinner.
The timing and frequency of these meals are not arbitrary, but strictly in accordance with the law. The nobility was the same, they enjoyed three meals a day, and the quantity and quality of the food were relatively good.
But the treatment of the common people was not as superior as that of the emperor and nobles. According to the law, people eat only two meals a day, breakfast and lunch. The amount of breakfast and lunch is far less than that of the emperor and nobles, millet is not corn, but millet before corn is hulled, the standard of each meal is only three liters, and the husk of millet is about 480 grams, less than one catty.
These legal provisions reflected the hierarchical system of society at the time, with different diets for people of different statuses, and this treatment even affected prisoners.
In ancient times, the diet of prisoners was also regulated by law. According to the law, prisoners who are responsible for building walls or who have the same amount of labor as building walls can eat half a bucket for breakfast and a third of a bucket for dinner because of the greatest intensity of work, which means that the standard of breakfast is a little more than that of the common people, and dinner is about the same.
The prisoners, who were responsible for the work of earthmen, miscellaneous labor, and standing guard, because of the less intensive work, had the same amount of food as the female prisoners, and the amount of food was one-third of the bucket for breakfast and dinner. The prisoner who was sentenced to "starvation" was sentenced to starvation, and he would definitely not be fed, so he could only eat one meal a day, and the standard was one-third of a dou, and it was very uncomfortable to ensure that he would not starve to death. These laws strictly regulated the diet of prisoners, reflecting the spirit of the rule of law and the concept of hierarchy in ancient society.
In ancient times, eating was not just about filling the stomach, but also a ritual and etiquette. There are even records of dining etiquette and rules in the bamboo slips. The ancients advocated polite dining, clean hands before meals, not to bow your head and just eat, and not to use chopsticks and soup spoons to pull back and forth in the plate.
When eating, you should also pay attention to the different ways of eating different foods, such as sticky rice to grasp with your hands, not chopsticks. Wet meat can be bitten off with teeth, but dry meat needs to be torn by hand. Keeping the environment clean and tidy is also an important part, getting up after the meal to help put away the dishes, and as the host, you should also advise the guests to sit down. These rules of etiquette reflect the great importance that the ancients attached to etiquette.
However, as the times have changed, this hierarchy and strict dietary rules have gradually faded, leaving only historical records and records on bamboo slips. In modern society, people's eating habits and etiquette have changed dramatically. There are no clear hierarchical differences, and everyone has an equal right to eat. However, we should also remember the wisdom and etiquette of the ancients, and while enjoying food, we should maintain the habit of civilized dining, respect food, and respect others. Speaking of which, do any of you know when is the best time for us to eat three meals a day?
In fact, there is no fixed standard for the meal time of modern people's three meals a day, and it is more determined according to personal living habits and work arrangements. However, based on the recommendations of nutritionists and the laws of the biological clock, we can suggest some of the best times to eat.
Let's start with breakfast. Morning is the time of the day when the body needs the most energy, so breakfast is the most important meal. The best time to breakfast is within the first hour of waking up in the morning, so that the body's metabolism can be activated, replenishing the energy burned overnight, and providing sufficient motivation for the day of work and study.
Then came lunch. The best time for lunch is usually after a few hours of work or study in the morning, around 12 noon and 1 pm. At this time, the body needs energy to cope with work or study in the afternoon, and also to avoid fatigue and lack of concentration in the afternoon due to late lunch.
Finally, dinner. The best time for dinner should be in the afternoon, after work or study, that is, in the evening, around 6 pm and 8 pm. Dinner should not be too late, because eating too late may affect the normal functioning of the digestive system, which can easily lead to obesity and poor sleep quality.