Chapter 38

How could Luo Youde and others be gathered around him and be influenced by him, this catalyst? Hong Tao thought it was both simple and difficult, it all boiled down to two words: benefits! With enough benefits, in a society like the Southern Song Dynasty, which valued commerce, it would inevitably attract a large number of people to become his partners or followers. But how to control these people was a big challenge. Once people had money and became wealthy, they would lose their initial motivation. The only way to keep them motivated was to provide them with more benefits. Once you couldn't provide them, they would abandon you.

Hong Tao wasn't sure if he could continue to provide them with more and more benefits, but for now, he still could. As for what to do in the future, well, he'd just have to deal with it! He wasn't a thinker, a reformer, or a politician; he couldn't think that far ahead. He could only take one step at a time. He wasn't sure where he would ultimately end up, but he was certain that taking a step was better than not taking one at all.

After leaving the kitchen, Hong Tao was a different person, not just on the surface, but in his heart. Now he had a preliminary understanding of the Song Dynasty. What he originally thought would be difficult was no longer so, and what he thought would be easy wasn't as easy as he imagined. He needed to adjust his plans accordingly, to keep up with the times. The environment had changed, and he needed to adapt.

Luo Youde, after observing Hong Tao in the kitchen, had basically confirmed his identity as a foreigner. The relationship between the two became even more harmonious. In Luo Youde's eyes, Hong Tao was a southerner from the South, a rare and interesting one. In Hong Tao's eyes, Luo Youde was no longer as threatening; he was just an ordinary Southern Song sea merchant. Although he had the backing of the Luo family of Qiongzhou, from his words and actions, he didn't seem to be a ruthless person.

"Once we get ashore, I will personally make shark skin noodles for Brother Hong. The flavor of that dish wasn't quite right!" After leaving the kitchen, Luo Youde didn't take Hong Tao back to the platform on the stern deck but entered another side of the stern deck, which was his kitchen and dining room, roughly half and half. Luo Youde was very pleased that Hong Tao had shown him how to fry fish fillets, something he had never seen before. He repeatedly apologized to Hong Tao, saying that the kitchen on the ship was of low quality and that he would definitely cook a meal for Hong Tao once they were ashore.

"Didn't they say that a gentleman stays away from the kitchen?" Hong Tao basically had doubts about every word and action of Luo Youde. Fortunately, Luo Youde didn't mind Hong Tao's questions. He, like Hong Tao, would ask when he didn't understand, and the host and guest had a pleasant conversation.

"Ah, Brother Hong, you are mistaken. Staying away from the kitchen doesn't mean that a gentleman doesn't cook, but that a gentleman should not personally slaughter living beings. Many people in our Song Dynasty believe in Buddhism, and the emperor also believes in Buddhism. Heaven has the virtue of preserving life, so we should kill as little as possible." Luo Youde corrected another of Hong Tao's misconceptions. Before coming to the Song Dynasty, Hong Tao didn't realize how poor his historical knowledge was, it was simply terrible. His limited historical knowledge was mostly wrong. The dinner that followed made Hong Tao feel like he was attending a lively history class. This was how people in the Song Dynasty ate!

By Hong Tao's standards, the food in the Song Dynasty was already sufficient to meet his needs. Whether in variety or taste, it wasn't much different from the future, and there were no dishes that were hard to swallow. In fact, the food was more refined and hygienic than most restaurants in the future.

First, the dining room was huge! The dining table only occupied less than a quarter of the area, the rest was empty. At first, Hong Tao thought it was to accommodate more tables, one table for a few people, and three or four tables for more people. But he was wrong, and he was wrong by a lot. The empty spaces were for the band, dancers, and games. Yes, in the Song Dynasty, when people invited guests, it wasn't just about eating; they also had to listen to music, watch dances, and play drinking games! So the dining room had to be large.

Not only was the dining room elaborate, but the seating arrangements were also meticulous. At a round table, only four people could sit, but the position facing the door was usually left empty. Why? Because this was the main seat. If the host's elders were still alive, this seat could not be occupied as a sign of respect. The seat to the right of the main seat was the true host's position, and the seat to the left was for the main guest. The seat with the back to the door was the lowest-ranking seat, called the "vice host." This seat was used for serving dishes, so it was often disturbed, and it was also the closest to the door, so anyone with something to attend to would sit there.

Chinese architecture generally faces south, with the main door also facing south. Therefore, the main seat was usually on the east side, which is the origin of the term "dongjia" (host). Whoever sat there was the host, and of course, the one who paid the bill! The guest seat was on the west side, and the term "xixi" (honored guest) also evolved from the dining table, meaning a respected guest.

This system could be scaled up, for example, when the emperor hosted a banquet in the palace, he would sit facing the door because he was the most honored. Even if his father was still alive, he was not as honored as the emperor, so he had to sit in the main seat. Other ministers would sit on both sides, with the east side being the main and the west side being the secondary. This meant that the ministers on the east side had a higher status, while those on the west side had a lower status. During drinking, the east side would raise their cups first, and the west side would follow. If the east side didn't raise their cups, the west side had to wait.

The dining room was elaborate, the rules were meticulous, and the tableware was also very refined, the most refined Hong Tao had ever seen. Even the imitation Qing Dynasty banquets in the future couldn't match the style of an ordinary Southern Song sea merchant. First, the serving vessels, such as plates and bowls, were the best in gold, followed by silver, then lacquer, and the least desirable was porcelain! Considering the historical significance of Song porcelain, why was it so unpopular?

Because there was too much porcelain. No matter how excellent the Song porcelain was, it couldn't be used in high-level banquets in the Song Dynasty. Only ordinary people used porcelain, and it was also for export. The refined people, scholars, and the wealthy in the Song Dynasty would never use it. Any restaurant or tavern of a certain standard would at least use wooden lacquerware, or people of status wouldn't patronize it. Besides gold, silver, and lacquer, there was another special material, such as glass and crystal. These were the best. Good glass cups and bowls were treasures. According to Luo Youde, the Song Dynasty could also produce glassware, but the quality was poor, too cloudy. The clearer and more colorless the glass, the more valuable it was.

PS: Please give me some recommendations and favorites. They don't cost anything, but they are a great encouragement to the author.

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends