Do modern ordinary people eat more lavishly than ancient emperors?

Let me put it this way, if you suddenly traveled back to the Qin Dynasty and walked into an inn, the waiter would come up to you and say, "Welcome, would you like to have a meal inside or stay the night?"

You just opened your mouth and ordered a bowl of tomato and egg noodles.

The little assistant looked apologetic and said, "Sir, noodles only became available after the Song Dynasty."

Tomatoes are originally from the Americas and were only introduced during the late Qing Dynasty. Right now, the store only has eggs; how about just ordering an egg?

You were taken aback and changed your words, saying, "Surely you have steamed buns? I'll have a large portion."

The little one shook his head and said, this is not available, it will only appear after Zhuge Liang of Shu Han campaigns against Meng Huo, I sincerely apologize.

You're a bit confused, there can't be just plain rice, right?

The little assistant smiled wryly, saying that the rice here is from Guanzhong, originally from the subtropics, and can only be found past the Yangtze River.

At this point, you might have a brain freeze and suddenly recall the classic line from costume dramas when a hero enters a shop, so you blurt out, "Waiter, give me two pounds of cooked beef, and bring a pot of Daughter's Red."

Before finishing the sentence, the waiter quickly covered your mouth, lowering his voice, "Guest, please be careful with your words. Private slaughtering of draft cattle is a serious crime, and if someone hears it, it's over. It's absolutely not something you can say."

You heard that you were going to be exiled, and you were shocked. You quickly waved your hand and said, forget it, forget it, let's have a cup of tea first.

The shop assistant looks at you with a puzzled expression, saying that tea wouldn't appear until the Han Dynasty, and that the small shop doesn't have it right now.

You've completely given up the idea of eating, but then you think, on such a hot day, having some fruit is fine, so you say, let's have half a watermelon, and an apple to go with it should be fine.

The assistant paused for a moment and calmly replied, "Watermelons originated in Africa and were not cultivated until the Song Dynasty. Apples were only introduced from Europe in the 19th century."

Dear guest, you might want to refrain from ordering fruits, such as grapes, mangoes, pomegranates, strawberries, and pineapples; you can't eat any of them right now.

You finally have nothing to say and retorted, so what can you actually eat here?

The little second immediately replied that the small窝窝饼 made with beneficial rice can be dipped in meat sauce and can also be blanched with some cabbage.

You wonder why boiled cabbage sounds like spicy hot pot?

The assistant quickly responded, it might be wrong to say this, but there are no chili peppers available right now.

If you don't give up, you can use garlic instead of chili peppers.

The little assistant glances at you helplessly, really sorry.

Garlic was brought back after Zhang Qian of the Western Han Dynasty was sent to the Western Regions.

The shop now only has Sichuan pepper seeds, which are not spicy.

At this moment, you can no longer hold back and impatiently say, "Can't you just stir-fry me some greens? Why do you have to blanch the cabbage in boiling water?"

The shopkeeper hurriedly explained, "Sir, you may not know, but iron pots were not made until the late Song Dynasty, so it's impossible to stir-fry dishes. Furthermore, to stir-fry, we need vegetable oil, which only became available in the late Ming Dynasty after rapeseed was widely cultivated."

If you're not convinced, then using peanut oil should be fine, right?

The shopkeeper has given you another lesson, peanuts are a crop from the Americas and it wasn't until Columbus discovered the New World that they became widespread.

Until the end of the Qianlong era, peanuts were still quite rare.

You completely break down, cursing and complaining, then just boil some cabbage and add more cilantro for me.

The shopkeeper smiled and replied, "Coriander originates from the Mediterranean, which was after Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions."

Before I finished speaking, you directly cursed, go to hell, I really wish I could smash you with a cucumber.

The shopkeeper looks at you with surprise, cucumber? Cucumbers originated in India and were brought back by Zhang Qian during his mission to the Western Regions.

Your mind goes blank in an instant, and the only thought left in your heart is that Zhang Qian was actually the first person in ancient China to engage in overseas purchasing.

And what’s even harsher is that at this moment you realize that even the concept of an inn hadn’t appeared during the Qin Dynasty.

During the Qin Dynasty, there were only government-operated post stations, mainly serving public officials.

So, the next time you're torn between having hot pot or barbecue, why not think of that version of you who broke down in a restaurant during the Qin Dynasty.