As atraveler in China, you will understand why this nation of gourmets loves food - they have concocted dishes to please. The emperor's dishes which became legacies to the whole country. Such dishes might portray legnds or mythical symbols in the cut and arrangement of the ingredients. But it was to feed the poor that rice became the country's staple or that bean curd was developed as the cheapest way of providing protein ti abillion bellies.
Rice is so basic to the diet that theword for rice,fan,doubles for the word for food.
It is remarkable that a food produst that requires so much labor and attention is the mainstay of the country. Indeed, it is considered bad manners to leave a gain in the bowl. Classical aesthetics dictate the form and order of many eating custom customs. The concepts of the yin and the yang imbue the choice of food, combinations and the timing and order of each dish. Yin and yang refer to am interplay between the dark, cool, soft and feminine form of energy with the rough, hot and masculine source of energy in the universe.