A Terrible Lunch and Night (Part 2)

It is common knowledge.

The light of civilization in the East is Huaxia, and the West also has a light of civilization, which is Italy.

The reason why Italy is called the light of Western civilization is, firstly, the existence of the Roman Empire, and secondly, it is the birthplace of the Renaissance.

One of the reflections of the latter is reflected in Italy's influence on European food culture.

A very typical example is the fork.

The fork first appeared in Italy and was introduced to France by Catherine de' Medici in the 16th century. The popularization of forks in England did not happen until the 18th century. Before that, there were mainly two types of tableware:

A spoon for soup and a knife for cutting ingredients.

Besides that, the English used their hands to eat.

That's right, hands—this situation can be seen in many early English paintings, such as "The Peasant Wedding" housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.

This habit even persisted in some regions in later generations. For example, a certain failed writer called "Newbie Angler" once personally witnessed an Englishman put instant noodles directly into a bowl, microwave it, and then eat it directly with his hands.

How should I put it? It's not that I'm criticizing, but the English really aren't very particular about food.

Of course, there is also a theory that knives and forks were passed from Huaxia to Europe.

However, this theory lacks strong evidence, so it's best to just be aware of it.

Let's return to the dining table.

Perhaps some students have a misconception about the fishiness of eels, thinking that only freshwater fish need to be de-fished, and eels do not.

There are actually two errors in this statement:

First, eels in England are also freshwater fish; they live in the River Thames—in 2019, the River Thames caused a large number of eels to "riot" due to high levels of benzene, caffeine, and cocaine in the water.

Second, the fishiness of English eels is no less than that of carp, a freshwater fish. If you're interested, you can search for or try eel jelly, which is a king of British dark cuisine no less than Stargazy Pie.

In conclusion.

Untreated eel soup would undoubtedly be difficult for a modern person like Xu Yun to swallow, but in the common families of 17th-century England, it was considered one of the top delicacies.

"Hoo hah—"

With a mouthful of hot fish soup, William's face showed a hint of enjoyment.

Then he put down the bowl, picked up the bread with his left hand, and directly picked up a head of cauliflower from the plate with his right hand. He first dipped the bread in the grayish-green soup, then stuffed the bread into his mouth, letting the juice drip onto the table.

There were no maids or servants, no red wine or candles. It was so primitive that it was only slightly better than eating raw meat and drinking blood (because they were too poor to add salt to the cooking). This was Xu Yun's first meal in the 17th century.

He couldn't drink the eel soup, but he had to give the host some face at the table. So Xu Yun hesitated for a few seconds and finally picked up the bread in front of him, simply spreading some butter on it.

The bread made by Mrs. William was somewhat similar to the local "qiang mian mantou" (steamed buns made with coarse flour). It was thick and hard, with a granular texture inside. It was very dry to eat but extremely filling.

Xu Yun had stayed in Wendeng, Shandong Province for a period of time and had eaten coarse flour steamed buns and cornmeal steamed buns for several months. Therefore, he was quite used to eating this kind of bread.

Unlike the local tradition of "no talking while eating, no talking while sleeping," the English John Bull particularly liked to chat at the table, with the only requirement being not to have food in his mouth.

Therefore, after drinking two mouthfuls of fish soup, William took the initiative to speak:

"Mr. Fat Fish, how long are you planning to stay in Woolsthorpe?"

Xu Yun thought for a moment and said according to the task requirements:

"About one to two months. The plague is rampant now, and the passage between Britain and the Netherlands is blocked. I'm afraid it will take some time before I can send a letter to my grandfather, Sir Zhang San."

Upon hearing the word "plague," William's face also showed a hint of worry:

"The plague... I hope those adults can find a solution soon. Although it is God's will, if this continues, something really bad will happen."

Looking at William crossing himself, Xu Yun shook his head slightly.

Whether it was the plague or cholera, it took modern times one to two hundred years to discover the sources of infection for these diseases.

For example, the culprit of the plague, Yersinia pestis, was only officially isolated by Alexandre Yersin in 1894.

And in the 17th century, although Europeans realized that isolation could slow the spread of the plague, they had no knowledge of its fundamental pathology—after all, cells were discovered by Hooke.

Therefore, most people's understanding of the plague was:

Divine punishment.

Some astrologers also attributed bubonic plague to a malicious conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, which was quite popular.

There were similar things in China, such as the notorious Five Pecks of Rice School, which rose to prominence by exploiting the panic caused by the plague among the people.

By the way, speaking of the Five Pecks of Rice School, here's an interesting piece of trivia:

Tao Yuanming has a famous saying: "I cannot bow for five pecks of rice and serve petty people in the countryside with all my heart." Many people believe that Duke Tao refused to bow for a low salary, and even Baidu Baike records it this way.

However, this explanation has a huge flaw—the monthly salary of a county magistrate in the Ming Dynasty was seven shi and five dou, and it was considered meager. Was the salary of a county magistrate in the Jin Dynasty only five dou?

This is clearly impossible.

In reality, the "five pecks of rice" here refers to the Five Pecks of Rice School, an early sect of Taoism. Officials had to maintain good relations with this sect.

When Duke Tao served as the Libationer of Jiangzhou, he had a conflict with his immediate superior, Wang Ningzhi, who believed in the Five Pecks of Rice School. Later, the inspector who came to inspect was also a member of the Five Pecks of Rice School, so he would rather resign than bow.

Although from the perspective of interpretation, both express Duke Tao's integrity, the sentence itself satirizes two completely different things.

Alright, back to the main topic.

Upon hearing that Xu Yun planned to stay in Woolsthorpe for two months, William Aescul had no particular reaction, but Mrs. William raised an eyebrow:

If he was going to stay here for two months, wouldn't that mean he'd be coming over to mooch meals with Little Ox every day?

If Xu Yun were named Xu Yun (芸), it would be easier to say; a girl's appetite wouldn't be that large, about the same as Lisa's, give or take.

But now, Xu Yun was a boy in the prime of his youth. As the saying goes, a growing boy can eat his father broke. This would be a big challenge for the William household's food reserves.

Currently, William was burdened with a pile of debt, with only a small amount of emergency money left under his pillow. Although the household still had some wheat, flour, and potatoes, in total, it would only be enough for the family to scrape by until next January.

Assuming Xu Yun's appetite was equivalent to the combined appetites of the Ailula Sisters and Lisa, the household's rations would likely only last until early December. If, by then, the plague still hadn't been brought under control...

Thinking of this, Mrs. William's expression instantly changed slightly.

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