魯味兒年夜飯

文／欒小惠

魯味兒年夜飯

Shandong-Style Family Reunion Dinner

文／欒小惠

如果要論中國人一年到頭最溫暖、最柔情的儀式是什么，那一定非“年夜飯”莫屬。

每個人都有關于年夜飯的記憶，這些記憶往往伴隨著大年三十晚上那桌豐盛的菜肴蔓延開來，而這些菜肴，是屬于每個地域、每個家族、每一代人的記憶，也是停留在人們味蕾上的幸福味道。

在曾經物質匱乏的年代，一頓年夜飯是一家人省吃儉用攢下的食材，蘊涵著對來年滿滿的祝福和希冀；生活水平今非昔比之后，年夜飯更有了儀式感和使命性，葷腥魚肉早已不再稀罕，吃得健康才是學問。當然，年夜飯的菜品有了新做法和新門道，然而不變的，卻是一家人團團圍坐，不管是在家中還是餐館，燈火輝映中，親人臉上的笑，父母眼角的愛，孩童歡快的鬧，齊奏出最美的弦樂，成為年夜飯里最隆重的佳肴。年年賡續的這一晚，也就成了歲月寫就的故事。

對于歲末年關的飯食，山東人有著自己的傳統和信仰。寓意“蒸蒸日上”的膠東大餑餑、“年年有余”的魯菜經典糖醋鯉魚，還有蘭陵、張裕、青啤這些美酒佳釀，一同構成了山東人年夜飯里不可缺少的“彩頭”，成為每個歲末年終不變的回憶。

回憶里的年夜飯味道，在時間的漏斗中慢慢灑落。但溜走的是時光，留下的是滿滿的親情。這些，其實早已超越了菜肴本身的馥郁。那是一種溫暖，來自于父母眼角的慈祥，還有團圓過年的歡喜；那還是一種文化，流淌在中國人的血液里，是最濃的親情。

本期，我們以“魯味兒年夜飯”為題，尋覓流淌在山東大地上的年夜飯味道，盤點記憶里的年飯小食，分享天南地北山東人海外過年的故事……愿這些文字與情意，能為讀者奉上一席精彩的文化年夜飯。

Speaking of the warmest and most affectionate rite of Chinese people throughout the year, it must be the“family reunion dinner”. Everyone has a memory connected with the family reunion dinner. These memories of ten involve a tableful of hear ty dishes on the eve of the Spring Festival. These dishes are not only the memories belonging to each region, each family and each generation, but also the taste of happiness lingering on our taste buds.

In the days of material privation, a family reunion dinner would consist of the ingredients scraped together by a family living a frugal life. It would represent the blessings and wishes for the coming year. With the improvement of people's living standard, the family reunion dinner has taken on an additional ceremonial sense and a sense of mission. As meat and fish are no longer rare, healthy eating becomes common knowledge. For the meal on the eve of the Spring Festival, Shandong people have their own traditions and belief. The big steamed buns of eastern Shandong signifying “growing prosperity”, classic Shandong cuisine - fried carp with sweet and sour sauce signifying “surplus year after year”, as well as such good liquors as Lanling Liquor, Changyu Wine and Tsingtao Beer constitute the permanent memory of Shandong people at every year end.

In the current issue, we take “Shandong-Flavor Family Reunion Dinner” as the theme to look for the family reunion dinner flavors of Shandong, to count the New Year's Evesnacks in our memory, to share the stories of Shandong people celebrating the Spring Festival while abroad…I hope that these words and affectionate feelings can provide readers with a wonderful cultural feast regarding the lunar New Year's eve.