Food Talk in the Red Chamber cover

Food Talk in the Red Chamber

Rating 3.3
Word count
51K words
Chapters
140
ISBN
9787513246040

Tags

Summary

This book selects 26 representative and relatively common medicinal dishes from the many foods in Dream of the Red Chamber, grouped into categories such as dishes, soups, congee, pastries, and drinks. It combines story background and the health benefits of medicinal dishes to appreciate their role in the plot development and characters' lives in the novel, reflecting the value and distinctive features of traditional Chinese dietary therapy in daily life.

Tracing ancient texts, it describes in detail the nature and flavor, channel tropism, and benefits of the ingredients in these medicinal dishes, the reasonableness of their combinations, and the conditions and groups they suit. Staying as close as possible to ordinary readers' lives, it presents both modern and ancient methods of preparation and points out one by one the matters needing attention and the contraindications, so that readers can enjoy the foods in the book safely in daily life. Each chapter is divided into several sections: "Dream Begins"—quotes from the original text of the novel; "Within the Dream"—the connection between the medicinal dish and the plot in the novel and its cultural background; "Dream Banquet"—the nature, flavor, and channel tropism of the dish, its benefits, indications, and suitable groups; "Craftsmanship"—detailed introduction to preparation methods, some including both ancient and modern methods; "Dream Continues"—other extended information about the medicinal dishes. Contraindications for consumption, precautions in preparation, and other notes are presented in the form of tips to ensure readers' safety when eating.

Editor's review

Treating the food in Dream of the Red Chamber as a subject of its own can easily slip into novelty hunting or mere recipe collecting. What is valuable about this book is its restraint in selection: from the many dishes it picks 26 representative medicinal dishes, classified as dishes, soups, congee, pastries, and drinks, each developed through the sections "Dream Begins—Within the Dream—Dream Banquet—Craftsmanship—Dream Continues." It first quotes the original text, then explains the plot and cultural background, then turns to the ingredients' nature, flavor, and channel tropism, their benefits, and suitable groups, and finally gives both modern and ancient preparation methods along with contraindication tips. In this way the medicinal dishes are neither stripped of the novel's context nor left as mere theory: readers can see their role in the plot and characters' lives and can judge whether they are suited to making them. The explanations of nature, flavor, channel tropism, and applicable conditions are fairly detailed, and contraindications are pointed out as tips, with safety addressed. It suits readers curious about the food culture in Dream of the Red Chamber who also want to learn about traditional Chinese dietary therapy; it is best read by first following the stories and then trying the recipes, and should not be copied as a treatment plan.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers of Dream of the Red Chamber interested in the food descriptions and details of the characters' lives
  • General readers interested in traditional Chinese dietary therapy who want to understand the nature, flavor, and benefits of medicinal dishes
  • People who like to prepare health-promoting meals and need specific recipes and contraindication tips
  • Enthusiasts of food culture who hope to understand dietary therapy traditions through literary works

Not a good fit for

  • Readers seeking treatment plans for illness or hoping to replace regular medical care
  • Readers who only want textual appreciation of Dream of the Red Chamber and are not interested in food preparation
  • Readers completely averse to traditional Chinese medicine concepts such as the nature, flavor, and channel tropism of ingredients

Reading tips

  1. Read "Dream Begins" and "Within the Dream" first for the plot background, then "Dream Banquet" to understand the benefits, and finally try the recipes according to "Craftsmanship."
  2. Before preparing anything, check the contraindications and precautions in "Dream Continues" and judge whether it suits you based on your own constitution.
  3. You can read in stages by category—dishes, soups and congee, pastries—trying one or two each time; there is no need to finish it all at once.
  4. While reading, compare with the original chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber to appreciate the role of medicinal dishes in advancing the plot and shaping characters.

About the publisher

China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on publishing books in traditional Chinese medicine, covering Chinese medical classics, clinical medicine, acupuncture and tuina, materia medica and formulae, and medical history and literature; its catalogue includes 3,277 titles. Representative books include Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue, Shang Han Lun, Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu, Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, Yi Zong Jin Jian, and Guo Aichun's Annotated Huangdi Neijing Suwen (Second Edition). These works involve writings by historical physicians such as Qian Yi, Zhang Zhongjing, Wang Shuhe, and Zhang Xichun, as well as documentary studies compiled by contemporary authors including Zhao Xin, Zhen Xueyan, Zhang Yongtai, and Wang Xiangang. In terms of publishing characteristics, the press emphasizes collation and annotation of original Chinese medical classics and the systematic presentation of famous physicians' works, balancing the transmission of ancient editions with reference for clinical application. Public information is limited, and no other publishing fields are covered here.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 编委会
  3. 前言
  4. 壹 红楼菜肴多滋补
  5. 茄鲞
  6. 红楼|梦起
  7. 红楼|梦中
  8. 红楼|梦宴
  9. 红楼|匠心
  10. 牛乳蒸羊羔
  11. 红楼|梦起
  12. 红楼|梦中
  13. 红楼|梦宴
  14. 红楼|匠心
  15. 油盐炒枸杞芽儿
  16. 红楼|梦起
  17. 红楼|梦中
  18. 红楼|梦宴
  19. 红楼|匠心
  20. 酒酿清蒸鸭子
  21. 红楼|梦起
  22. 红楼|梦中
  23. 红楼|梦宴
  24. 红楼|匠心
  25. 胭脂鹅脯
  26. 红楼|梦起
  27. 红楼|梦中
  28. 红楼|梦宴
  29. 红楼|匠心
  30. 贰 红楼巧点养脾胃
  31. 枣泥山药糕
  32. 红楼|梦起
  33. 红楼|梦中
  34. 红楼|梦宴
  35. 红楼|匠心
  36. 桂花糖栗粉糕
  37. 红楼|梦起
  38. 红楼|梦中
  39. 红楼|梦宴
  40. 红楼|匠心
  41. 藕粉桂糖糕
  42. 红楼|梦起
  43. 红楼|梦中
  44. 红楼|梦宴
  45. 红楼|匠心
  46. 松穰鹅油卷
  47. 红楼|梦起
  48. 红楼|梦中
  49. 红楼|梦宴
  50. 红楼|匠心
  51. 叁 红楼汤饮安心神
  52. 酸笋鸡皮汤
  53. 红楼|梦起
  54. 红楼|梦中
  55. 红楼|梦宴
  56. 红楼|匠心
  57. 小荷叶儿小莲蓬儿汤
  58. 红楼|梦起
  59. 红楼|梦中
  60. 红楼|梦宴
  61. 红楼|匠心
  62. 建莲红枣汤
  63. 红楼|梦起
  64. 红楼|梦中
  65. 红楼|梦宴
  66. 红楼|匠心
  67. 燕窝汤
  68. 红楼|梦起
  69. 红楼|梦中
  70. 红楼|梦宴
  71. 红楼|匠心
  72. 疗妒汤
  73. 红楼|梦起
  74. 红楼|梦中
  75. 红楼|梦宴
  76. 红楼|匠心
  77. 桂圆汤和的梨汤
  78. 红楼|梦起
  79. 红楼|梦中
  80. 红楼|梦宴
  81. 红楼|匠心
  82. 肆 红楼粥食养气力
  83. 碧粳粥
  84. 红楼|梦起
  85. 红楼|梦中
  86. 红楼|梦宴
  87. 红楼|匠心
  88. 奶子糖粳米粥 红枣粳米粥
  89. 红楼|梦起
  90. 红楼|梦中
  91. 红楼|梦宴
  92. 红楼|匠心
  93. 鸭子肉粥
  94. 红楼|梦起
  95. 红楼|梦中
  96. 红楼|梦宴
  97. 红楼|匠心
  98. 红稻米粥
  99. 红楼|梦起
  100. 红楼|梦中
  101. 红楼|梦宴
  102. 红楼|匠心
  103. 伍 红楼饮品应佳人
  104. 酸梅汤
  105. 红楼|梦起
  106. 红楼|梦中
  107. 红楼|梦宴
  108. 红楼|匠心
  109. 玫瑰清露 玫瑰卤子
  110. 红楼|梦起
  111. 红楼|梦中
  112. 红楼|梦宴
  113. 木樨清露
  114. 红楼|梦起
  115. 红楼|梦中
  116. 红楼|梦宴
  117. 红楼|匠心
  118. 合欢花酒
  119. 红楼|梦起
  120. 红楼|梦中
  121. 红楼|梦宴
  122. 红楼|匠心
  123. 屠苏酒
  124. 红楼|梦起
  125. 红楼|梦中
  126. 红楼|梦宴
  127. 红楼|匠心
  128. 杏仁茶
  129. 红楼|梦起
  130. 红楼|梦中
  131. 红楼|梦宴
  132. 红楼|匠心
  133. 茯苓霜
  134. 红楼|梦起
  135. 红楼|梦中
  136. 红楼|梦宴
  137. 红楼|匠心
  138. 四时食序
  139. 主要参考文献
  140. 后记

FAQ

Can ordinary families make the medicinal dishes in the book?
The "Craftsmanship" section introduces both ancient and modern preparation methods and stays as close as possible to ordinary readers' lives. Most dishes can be tried at home using the modern methods, but for recipes involving medicinal herbs, first confirm the source and amounts of ingredients, and pay attention to the precautions and contraindications marked in the book's tips.
Can I understand the benefits section without knowing traditional Chinese medicine?
You can understand it in broad outline. The book explains in detail the nature, flavor, channel tropism, benefits, applicable conditions, and suitable groups of the ingredients, in language aimed at general readers. If concepts such as nature, flavor, and channel tropism are unfamiliar, first note the concluding tips, then become familiar with them gradually through reading; there is no need to study the terminology from the outset.
Can these medicinal dishes be used as everyday dietary remedies?
The book provides benefit explanations and contraindication tips that can serve as a reference for understanding dietary therapy, but they cannot replace a doctor's diagnosis and prescription. Constitutions and conditions vary greatly, so suitability differs widely; especially when medicinal herbs are involved, judge carefully according to your own situation before eating and consult a professional when necessary.
Why only 26 medicinal dishes? Isn't that too few?
From the many foods in Dream of the Red Chamber, the book selects representative and relatively common medicinal dishes, arranged by category. Its aim is to explain clearly, through typical cases, the relationship between medicinal dishes and plot, culture, and benefits, rather than to list them exhaustively. Once readers grasp the method of analysis, they can extend their reading to other food descriptions in the original work.

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About the author

王珊珊 Author

Wang Shanshan, about whom limited public information is available, has written and compiled works spanning management practice, health popularization, medical humanities, and industrial technology, with five titles held in the collection. Representative works include HR Recruitment Skills: A Complete Practical Guide, which addresses recruitment and staffing for small and medium-sized enterprises, and Honglou Food Talk, Medical Illustrations of Honglou, and Medical Illustrations of Journey to the West, which approach classical literature from dietary and medical perspectives, sorting out and interpreting the medicinal and food-related details in traditional texts. Electrical Skills and Practical Training is a hands-on industrial technology reader. Her works are commonly classified under management, health, industrial technology, and medicine, reflecting a writing orientation that combines practical operations with interdisciplinary interpretations of classic texts—offering practical content for the workplace and skills training as well as popular attempts to connect literary reading with health knowledge.