聚餐為樂(lè) 以?xún)€為榮
珍惜糧食，是中國(guó)古已有之的文化傳統(tǒng)。中國(guó)古代為農(nóng)耕文明，以農(nóng)業(yè)立國(guó)，因此人們把糧食奉若神明。古人説“民以食為天”，土地神“社”和谷神“稷”就是先民最早祭祀的神，國(guó)家也由此稱(chēng)為“社稷”。
It is an ancient Chinese tradition to cherish grain. In ancient China, farming spurred the development of civilization so people regarded grain as a God. The ancient people firmly believed that "food is the most important thing for the people". The earth God "She" and the grain God "Ji" were the earliest deities worshipped by our ancestors and the patron deity of the soil and harvests was called "Sheji".
關(guān)於節(jié)約糧食，既有學(xué)者的諄諄教導(dǎo)：“一粥一飯，當(dāng)思來(lái)處不易；半絲半縷，恒念物力維艱。”也有日常生活中的小細(xì)節(jié)——在很多人家，如果米桶裏的米快吃完了，那就要少留一點(diǎn)兒，直到再裝入新的糧食，從不讓桶空著；家禽家畜那些看似無(wú)用的部位也都想辦法做出花樣，成為餐桌美食。
Chinese believe in food conservation. Scholars have strongly advocated that “every single grain is fruit of hard work” and nothing should be wasted. Strong daily practices are associated with “respecting” the grain. Families that run out of rice never leave their container completely empty. There is always a little rice left in it. Parts of the poultry and livestock that are unsuitable to be the main dishes are always deliciously cooked.
另一方面，在中國(guó)文化中，“聚”是一個(gè)很講究的字。“聚”的方式多種多樣，但通常要加上一個(gè)“餐”字，逢年過(guò)節(jié)、慶生過(guò)壽、喬遷新居、紅白喜事……聚餐是中國(guó)人溝通情感的重要方式。
Food is also instrumental in bringing people together. In Chinese culture, “Ju” (get together) is a very particular word. There are many ways to get together, but the word “Can” is usually added to it in case of festivals, birthday celebrations, moving to new houses, weddings and funeral. Ju Can (get together and have dinner) is an important way for Chinese families to bond.
同樣是“吃”，平素節(jié)儉的人們?cè)诰鄄蜁r(shí)卻常常發(fā)生嚴(yán)重的浪費(fèi)現(xiàn)象。有報(bào)告顯示，我國(guó)每年浪費(fèi)的糧食接近糧食總産量的6%，其中餐飲業(yè)大型聚會(huì)浪費(fèi)率高達(dá)38%。聚餐浪費(fèi)行為背後，折射出一些人的“面子文化”：有的覺(jué)得點(diǎn)菜必須滿(mǎn)滿(mǎn)一桌才“夠排場(chǎng)”，有的認(rèn)為“光碟”會(huì)被瞧不起，還有的感覺(jué)打包食物“跌面兒”……宴請(qǐng)“吃什麼”成了身份的象徵，“點(diǎn)多少”有了攀比的意味，助長(zhǎng)了浪費(fèi)現(xiàn)象。
But these ordinarily frugal people often end up wasting food during Ju Can. Some reports show that the annual waste of grain in China is close to 6% of the total grain output, of which, the waste rate of a large party in catering industry is as high as 38%. The food waste is driven by people’s flamboyant nature — they think the pots must be filled to the brim and taking away packed food from a party is “disgraceful”. The dishes at a dinner party have become a symbol of a person’s wealth and having too many dishes at the menu have become fashionable, thus promoting waste.
古人云：“儉，德之共也；侈，惡之大也”。小到一個(gè)人、一個(gè)家庭，大到一個(gè)國(guó)家、整個(gè)人類(lèi)，要想生存，要想發(fā)展，都離不開(kāi)“勤儉節(jié)約”這四個(gè)字。勤儉節(jié)約是中華民族的優(yōu)良傳統(tǒng)，勤儉不是小氣，而是一種文明，應(yīng)該被廣泛傳承。從個(gè)人到國(guó)家，如果勤儉文明之風(fēng)盛行於世，將是國(guó)之本、家之幸、民之福。
The ancient people said: “Thrift is a virtue; extravagance is evil”. Whether you are single, have a family or even as a country and the entire mankind, diligence and frugality are qualities one needs to cultivate. Being frugal does not mean being stingy, it simply means one is wise enough not to waste food. If the culture of diligence and thriftiness is more widely prevalent in all countries, it would provide for a stronger foundation for national security and family happiness.
