What do Guangdong people like to cook the most? That is to make soup. If you look at the whole country, almost one-fifth of the medicinal materials are bought by Guangdong people for making soup. So in the vegetable markets in Guangdong, you can buy Chinese herbal medicine, which is not available in other places.
For example, I went to the market to buy vegetables a few days ago, and I saw that his five-fingered peach roots were big, old, and full of fragrance, but there were not many, just a few kilograms, so I bought them all and asked the vendor if he had any more. He said he also collected them, but now he has no more, and said he would call me next time, and then I would go back and share some of them, otherwise there would be very little left.
Who makes the soup? It must be the woman at home. The child is not hungry and has a poor appetite. She makes some Euryale ferox, Codonopsis pilosula, malt, etc., and tries to eat them a few times. If the child’s appetite is restored after eating, then there is no need to see a doctor.
For example, if you have back pain, you can use some Eucommia ulmoides, Rehmannia glutinosa, black beans and Morinda officinalis to make soup. If you have toothache, you can use Radix Rehmanniae glutinosae and Rehmannia glutinosa. Anyway, you can make some Chinese herbal medicine soup first. If it doesn’t work after taking it, go see a doctor or even go to the hospital. If it works after taking it, then you can save money on going to the hospital. This is because Guangdong people don’t believe in hospitals, they believe in Chinese herbal medicine, haha…
If you look at the big hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai, they are crowded every day. But how many people from Guangdong go to these big cities for medical treatment? Because they think that big hospitals are all the same, with the same equipment. Since the famous ones nearby can’t treat well, then it’s the same no matter where you go. So what do they do? See a Chinese doctor.
When the Chinese medicine doctor heard this, he thought, since you have been to a big hospital, you can just take some Chinese medicine to adjust it. As a result, many people have been able to prolong their lives despite illness. Otherwise, how can you prolong your life despite illness? Do big hospitals have this saying? If you are sick, you must treat it. When there is no more treatment, they will let you go home and wait. As a result, after going home, you take some Chinese herbal medicine and live for many more years.
So why do Cantonese people behave like this? Because they take life and death relatively lightly and think that everyone has to take that path, so why should they be so nervous? So it’s normal to get sick. First, get some Chinese herbal medicine, make some soup, drink it, and finish the meal before talking about it. So the common people say: Eat whatever you want, eat whatever you want! What are you doing? They work just to have something to eat, so they focus on two things in life: making money and spending money.
You don’t spend what you earn. If you leave one day and you can’t take the money with you and you don’t get anything to eat, wouldn’t it be unfair? So they have to spend what they earn. They can wear vests that cost a few dollars and slippers that cost a few dollars, but it still doesn’t stop them from drinking a bowl of soup that costs dozens of dollars. It seems that eating is more practical than anything else.
Guangdong people are superstitious about Chinese herbal medicine, which has led to many Chinese medicine practitioners coming to Guangdong to open clinics. For example, Chinese medicine hospitals (the formal ones) are the most famous in Guangdong. This has attracted people from all over the country, including Hong Kong, Macau, and the United States, to come to Guangdong to see Chinese medicine practitioners. This is also not available in other places.
For example, in my family, although I am a Chinese medicine practitioner, my family members are not. However, since I was a child, no matter if they are neighbors or relatives, they like to see a Chinese medicine practitioner when they are sick. They call this “adjustment”, which means taking some Chinese medicine to adjust. Usually, they will use some Codonopsis, Euryale, Coix seeds, etc. to make soup, as well as lotus root soup, chestnut soup, chicken soup, old duck soup, pork tripe soup, etc.
Because we often cook soup at home, some people often make jokes when they visit us, saying that when you Cantonese people cook soup, isn’t it actually cooking Chinese medicine? Drinking soup is like drinking medicine! Haha… I say you don’t understand, soup tastes better than medicine, and it doesn’t taste bad. This is the difference between soup and medicine. Do you think these medicinal ingredients are randomly added? How can they taste good if they are randomly added?
This soup also requires skills. How to match it so that it is not too cold and does not cause internal heat, and the whole family can drink it, what do you think? If you don’t believe it, try making a bowl of soup. You may not be able to drink it yourself. Then he filled another bowl and said: I don’t want to eat, drink another bowl of soup, soup is still delicious, haha
