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Chapter 445 A Meal on the Train

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    Like later generations, meals were also sold on trains during the Republic of China, but instead of lunch boxes or noodles, they were Western food!

    Yes, Western food.

    Don¡¯t be surprised. In that era, trains were not for ordinary people to take. Most of them were foreigners, so all the trains were prepared were Western food.  Later, as more people were able to ride on the bus, foreigners were separated from ordinary Chinese, so there was a distinction between first-class seats and stuffy cars.

    On railways funded and built by foreigners, Western food is standard, and of course it is limited to first-class carriages.  As for the canned carriages, we simply don¡¯t sell them¡ªyou can¡¯t afford to eat them if you sell them. Chinese people are more accustomed to bringing their own dry food and some water.  Occasionally there are people selling food, mostly melon seeds, peanuts and other snack foods, as well as local specialty foods sold along the platform at each stop.

    Zhang Hanqing was sitting in an ordinary seat, so why was there Western food?  That was what the train conductor had specially arranged for when he heard that the world-famous young marshal was in his car.

    This is the first time Zhang Hanqing noticed this fact.  When he came to Beijing to be a prostitute a few years ago, the waiter brought him Western food. He thought it was specially provided on the train to suit his tastes - his predecessor had received a modern education, ate Western food and drank foreign wine.  Later, every time I came to Tianjin or Beijing, I had a special train and a special carriage. For safety reasons, the food was prepared in advance, so I didn¡¯t think about it.

    So his surprise is inevitable.

    He stopped the attentive train attendant: "I don't like Western food, so I'd better switch to Chinese food."

    I really don¡¯t understand what¡¯s so delicious about Western food?  The bloody beef and dry bread are all tasted with cheese, which is a typical example of drinking blood.  It is both expensive and unpalatable, and some Chinese people still flock to it.  Chinese food is famous all over the world, and it is suitable for Chinese people's stomachs. Isn't this a worship of foreigners?  Anyway, since he came back from time immemorial, he has never touched the so-called Western food, no matter how much it is praised by others.

    The waiter was in trouble: "Young Marshal, all our trains have Western food"

    ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? This makes no sense!  Zhang Hanqing became irritated: "Western food is eaten by foreigners, and we Chinese are not used to it. The vast majority of people traveling on the Beijing-Shenyang line are Chinese, so why don't we prepare Chinese food?"

    The waiter couldn¡¯t answer, so he could only say: ¡°Young Marshal, ever since I started working here, we have always served Western food¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s better not to embarrass him any more. He doesn¡¯t have the final say in this matter.  Zhang Hanqing waved his hand calmly and said: "Take the Western food away and ask your train conductor to come over!"

    The waiter seemed to have received amnesty. At this time, the train conductor waiting outside had already heard the news and trotted in.  He wanted to flatter him, but accidentally slapped him on the foot, which made him very regretful.  Who knew that this young marshal was different from other dignitaries?

    He was careful and saluted the young marshal, and then said boldly: "I don't know why Xiao Ma offended the young marshal. I will apologize to the young marshal on his behalf."

    Zhang Hanqing asked him to sit down very kindly, and the conductor twisted his waist and sat diagonally on the chair opposite Zhang Hanqing.  The people next to him squeezed in, but he didn't move that much in the end.

    "It's not about the waiter just now. I want to know why they don't sell Chinese food on Jingfeng Line?" Although it has been more than a year since Fengtian Province was renamed Liaoning Province, people sometimes still use to call Liaoning Fengtian, and some traditional names cannot  Timely updates, for example, very few people renamed the Beijing-Fengcheng Line as the Beijing-Shenyang Line, and Shenyang City, including old Shenyang, is still called Fengtian City, etc.

    So that¡¯s what happened!  The conductor breathed a sigh of relief.  He said with some embarrassment: "Young Marshal, you don't know something. It's not just the Jingfeng line that serves big dishes on trains. As far as I know, on my country's railway lines, trains basically only serve big dishes."

    ¡°The big dish¡± is Western food.  In 1924, Zhou Zuoren took a train from Beijing to Jinan. He wrote: "The food on the train is big food."

    Looking at the railway dining cars of the Republic of China, most of them are Western food, such as salmon, sardines, steaks, pork chops, curry chicken rice, tomato shredded chicken rice, etc.; the drinks are also Western-style, such as whiskey, brandy, beer, soda water, lemon juice, etc.  In Zhang Henshui's novel "Huping Opens to Traffic", the protagonist Hu Ping Yun encounters a beautiful woman walking alone on the train. He is very attentive to her and invites her to eat in the dining car.  When I got the menu, I didn't know a word of it, which was a huge disgrace.

    Zhang Hanqing was surprised, "Oh, why?"

    The train conductor said: "Chinese food has so many different flavors that guests traveling from north to south often find it difficult to choose. It is relatively convenient and hygienic to prepare a large meal." He missed one thing, that is, the carriage where Zhang Hanqing was in was not qualified to eat Western food.  , because he was in the third class train.

    For third-class train passengers, Western and Chinese food have little relevance to them.  Because of the railway regulations of the Republic of China, third-class passengers are not allowed to enter the dining car, and the food in the dining car is very expensive. Even if they can go, most of them will not be able to eat.rise.  Most of the train food for third-class passengers is to bring their own dry food or buy it from vendors at various stations along the way.

    Hawkers are a unique sight on the railway lines of the Republic of China.  The famous writer Ke Ling wrote that whenever the train stops, "the vendors seize this short opportunity, hold up the wooden tray, raise their throats, repeatedly shout aphorisms to praise the food, and diligently sell to the passengers, so that they can feel lonely.  During the journey, I want to taste a bit of the flavor of a foreign country and listen to the cries of a foreign country." In the writer's writing, hawkers have become an indispensable cultural landscape during the long journey.

    There were no fences on the early railway station platforms, and vendors could freely enter the platform to sell food.  Zhou Zuoren recalled taking a train in 1906: ¡°I bought a lot of things from the train window and ate them randomly, such as a copper for a pear, a fifteen copper for a roast chicken, etc. Later, I bought rabbit meat at some station. Some classmates said that this was actually  It was cat meat, so everyone felt disgusted and could no longer eat it, so they threw it out of the window." It can be seen that although it is convenient to buy food from vendors, food safety and hygiene are difficult to ensure.

    But you can¡¯t give up eating because of choking, right?  Zhang Hanqing shook his head. He pointed at the people from Guandong who were eating pickles in the carriage and said, "Western food is too expensive and the poor cannot enjoy it." He then waved his knife and fork and said, "Moreover, most of the eating utensils are European and not from our country."  As ordinary people are accustomed to, it will be better to have Chinese food on trains in the future."

    China¡¯s food is world-famous. There are eight major cuisines that the public is familiar with, not to mention family secrets, local snacks, and folk customs.  Just eating is a part of understanding Chinese culture, how colorful it is?  The movie "A Bite of China" has become popular all over the world. How could it be the turn for Western food to become famous here?

    The conductor smacked his tongue and thought to himself: "I, the conductor, have no power to decide such a big matter. Isn't this making things difficult for me?" However, the Beijing-Fengcheng Line is now essentially in Fengjun's hands. As the conductor, he  Naturally, I dare not refute, so I can only agree first and then talk.

    Zhang Hanqing seemed to see what he was thinking, smiled slightly and said: "Of course, this matter is beyond your authority." He told Zhu Guangmu who was beside him: "Write it down and discuss it with Director Chang after I get back to you, and ask him to communicate with the Ministry of Communications."  Get angry and work out a solution."

    Director Chang is Chang Yinhuai, director of the Northeast Transportation Committee. He came forward to negotiate with the Ministry of Transportation, which means representing the Fengclique.  With the current influence of the Feng system, this matter is simply not a problem.  (Remember the website address: www.hlnovel.com
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