Dietary customs of Nanyang

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2. Daily food: Mash, corn grits, gnocchi, noodles, mixed noodles, fishing noodles, paste noodles, pickled cabbage noodles, sandwich buns, fried rolls, fried vegetable dumplings, pancakes, spiral baked buns, wontons, dumplings, rice and dishes cooked in a big pot.

3. Diet for guests: If a guest comes, he or she is usually served with cigarettes and tea. The food provided for a guest is almost the same as that eaten on holidays, which generally consists of four dishes, including both meat and vegetables. Wine is often offered before principal food is served. On the occasions of weddings, funerals and building a house, feasts are usually held, during which hosts will propose a toast.

4. In villages, people seldom have meals at tables in their homes. There are a few fixed places for meals in each village. They may take place under great trees in summer or in sunny places protected from the wind in spring, autumn and winter. At mealtime, people (most of them men) go to the meal location, with meals carried in hands, or with steamed buns stabbed through by chopsticks. On meal occasions, villagers talk about everything, ranging from national affairs to news in their village.