Food and Drink
Things to eat and drink during the days of DGSD.
Fruit
Peaches, Wild - Generally small, sour, and very fuzzy, unlike the cultivated forms, which are large and succulently sweet with a minimum of fuzz. Some were found and eaten by Duan Yu on the bank of the Lancang River after leaving the Boundless Cavern (Chapter 2).
Unnamed fruit, green and red in colour - found and eaten by Duan Yu on the bank of the Lake of Swords where it grew in profusion; very sour in taste (Chapter 2).
Meals
Banquet at the 'Building of the Cloud-Patterned Brocade' - held by Mrs Wang in Duan Yu's honour, to get him to share his knowledge about camellias. Included delicacies such as bear's paw (xiong2 zhang3 熊掌) and shark's fin (yu2 chi4 鱼翅). As a prince, Duan Yu found these dishes 'ordinary' and did not taste as good as the light and refreshing meals that were served by A'Bi and A'Zhu (Chapter 12).
Dinner at the 'Dwelling of the Many-Stringed Zither' - prepared by A'Bi and A'Zhu for Duan Yu, Jiumozhi, Cui Baiquan and Guo Yanzhi. The dishes served were (Chapter 11):
- Fresh vegetables and fruit as appetisers.
- Four different types of (unnamed) vegetarian food for Jiumozhi.
- Zizania latifolia with Shrimp (Jiao1 Bai2 Xia1 Ren4 茭白虾仁) - 2nd edition only. See Culture and Lifestyle -> Flowers and Plants -> Zizania latifolia for more information.
- Gingko with Shrimp (Bai2 Guo3 Xia1 Ren4 白果虾仁) - this dish replaced 'Zizania latifolia with Shrimp' in the 3rd edition.
- Soup of Lotus Leaves and Winter Bamboo Shoots (He2 Ye4 Dong1 Sun3 Tang1 荷叶冬笋汤) - Duan Yu identified this dish as prepared by A'Bi because of its refreshing taste and greenish hue.
- Ham with Cherries (Ying1 Tao2 Huo3 Tui3 樱桃火腿) - Duan Yu identified this dish as prepared by A'Zhu because of its wonderful aroma and reddish hue.
- Chicken Cubes in Longjing Tea Leaves (Long2 Jing3 Cha2 Ye4 Ji1 Ding1 龙井茶叶鸡丁) - see Tea -> Longjing for more information.
- Duck Pickled with Plum Blossoms (Mei2 Hua1 Zao1 Ya1 梅花糟鸭) - Duan Yu identified this dish as prepared by A'Zhu because of its wonderful aroma and reddish hue.
- Jadeite Fish-Balls (Fei3 Cui4 Yu2 Yuan2 翡翠鱼圆) - the fish paste was seasoned with flower petals and fresh fruit before being made into balls; looked beautiful and tasted refreshingly fragrant. Duan Yu identified this dish as prepared by A'Bi because of its taste and greenish hue.
Pastries and Other Light Refreshments
Known as Dianxin (dian3 xin1 点心) in Mandarin, or 'Dim Sum' in Cantonese, this is a food category that covers a wide variety of pastries and cakes that are steamed, baked or fried. These items can be either sweet or savoury in taste.
Duan Zhengchun offered Cui Baiquan and Guo Yanzhi some (unnamed) pastries and other light refreshments while they (Cui and Guo) waited for their matter to be discussed (Chapter 9).
A'Bi served Duan Yu, Jiumozhi, Cui Baiquan and Guo Yanzhi four types of beautifully-made pastries when they first arrived at the Little House of Zither Melodies (Chapter 11):
- Rose-Flavoured Mung Bean Cake (Mei2 Gui4 Lü4 Dou4 Gao1 玫瑰绿豆糕) - In the 2nd edition, a Rose-Flavoured Pinenut Candy (Mei2 Gui4 Song4 Zi3 Tang2 玫瑰松子糖) was served instead.
- Soft Poria Cake (Fu2 Ling2 Ruan3 Gao1 茯苓软糕).
- Sweet Jadeite Biscuits (Fei3 Cui4 Tian2 Bing3 翡翠甜饼).
- Lotus Paste & Ham Dumplings (Ou3 Fen3 Huo3 Tui3 Jiao3 藕粉火腿饺).
Snacks
Candied fruit (mi4 jian4 guo2 zi3 蜜饯果子) - a generic snack that Duan Yu offered to bring for the teenage maidservant of the woman who lent him the horse Black Rose, as a token of appreciation (Chapter 3).
Melon-seeds (gua1 zi3 瓜子) - dried and roasted seeds from a variety of melons that are eaten as snacks. Most common ones are black (from the green melon), red and white (from the pumpkin); may come in a variety of flavours, such as osmanthus, rose and pine. The melon-seeds that Zhong Ling ate while seated on the crossbeam were roasted together with the gall-bladders of snakes, apparently to promote better eyesight in those who consumed it (Chapter 1).
Tea
Biluochun (Bi4 Luo2 Chun1 碧螺春) - literally, 'The Spring of the Azure Conch'. A type of green tea that was produced in the hills around Lake Tai; its dried leaves looked like tiny fuzzy balls that were bright green in colour. Tasted fragrant and refreshing after brewing. Served by A'Bi at the Little House of Zither Melodies; Duan Yu enjoyed it, but Jiumozhi, Cui Baiquan and Guo Yanzhi found it too strange to drink (Chapter 11).
'Fragrance that Frightens One to Death', The (Xia4 Sha4 Ren2 Xiang1 吓煞人香) - the local name for the Biluochun tea during the Northern Song Dynasty, before the more refined name was given (Chapter 11). See Biluochun.
Longjing (long2 jing3 龙井) - literally, 'Dragon's Well'; a type of green tea. A'Bi and A'Zhu served their guests with a dish called 'Chicken Cubes in Longjing Tea Leaves' for dinner (Chapter 11).
Other Food and Drink
Field rations (gan1 liang2 干粮) - a generic phrase for prepared food that is taken on a journey; often seen in wuxia stories. Zhu Danchen gave Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing some field rations during their trip back to Dali (Chapter 6).
Mantou (man2 tou2 馒头) - a type of steamed bread that is often sold as white-coloured fist-sized lumps. Usually plain or unflavoured, but may occasionally be slightly sweetened. Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing were served 'mantou' and red-braised meat at the stone hut of the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities (Chapter 7).
Red-braised meat (hong2 shao1 rou4 红烧肉) - a common dish where small pieces of belly pork are simmered in dark soya sauce and a little sugar. Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing were served 'mantou' and red-braised meat at the stone hut of the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities (Chapter 7).
