團圓飯，一年又一年

文／王雪芃

團圓飯，一年又一年

Lunar New Year's Reunion Dinner——Year by Year

文／王雪芃

○ —家人圍坐在一起，吃團圓飯，喝團圓酒。The whole family get together and enjoy the reunion dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve.

過年講究的是一種“年味兒”，也許越來越快的生活節奏沖淡了鞭炮聲，但年夜飯的餐桌永遠是“年味兒”的最強陣地。不論“春晚”是否好看，鞭炮聲是否響亮，年夜飯總是最有滋味兒的念想。在一年中最重要的節日里，不論有多忙碌，不論相隔多遠，緊握的車票總會帶回最親的人，在除夕之夜圍坐在一起，吃一頓最豐盛的年夜飯。

據《荊楚歲時記》的記載，至少在南北朝時就已有吃年夜飯的習俗。農耕時代，農戶人家全年省吃儉用喂豬養膘，只為了“三十兒”的年夜飯足夠豐盛，寓意來年都“不斷肉吃”。

如今，豐富的食材任人挑選，更多年輕人為圖熱鬧方便選擇去飯店“消費一頓好的”，而孩子們則已見慣了各種美食，圍著飯桌玩比吃的有吸引力。看看桌前興高采烈的孫輩，家里的老人樂得開懷也無限感慨：“你們啊趕上好時候啦，以前過年哪有這么幸福咯。”

在上世紀70年代，物資匱乏使得人們只得“囤白菜分帶魚”過年。過年作為解饞的大好時機，想吃一頓好點兒的年夜飯要半夜起床排好幾個隊，憑票購買食材。人口多的家庭要想辦法去集市上將白面兌換成數量多的粗糧，最好的就是弄一個豬頭，連皮一起煮成肉凍。對那時的孩子們來說，想吃年夜飯既要有力氣還得機靈，除了幫大人扛白菜，還要在亂哄哄的買菜隊伍中靈活地擠到前面，爭取分得肥一點的肉。在忙活的空當還要有足夠的智慧與耐心，在好吃的上桌之前，盯著凍梨、話梅、果脯的“饞貓兒”們會想盡各種辦法趁父母不備偷偷“弄點出來解解饞”。

○ 緊握的車票總會帶回最親的人，在除夕這一天與家人團聚。The ticket will bring the closet relative back home to reunion.

1980年，隨著生活條件的改善，集貿市場逐漸恢復，雞肉豬肉擴大了供應量，從“難見葷腥”中解放出來的人們終于可以“放開了吃”。因此那個年代從初一到十五的飯桌上天天有肉，孩子們最幸福的就是年夜飯吃到一只大雞腿。值得一提的是，1983年“春節晚會”登上了歷史舞臺，從此“看著春晚吃年夜飯”成了一種習俗，《難忘今宵》的歌聲伴隨著人們度過了一個又一個春節。

但不論哪個年代，除夕當天的年夜飯都講究全家人參與，帶著滿滿的幸福感投入到“年夜飯總動員”中，一整天都里外忙碌。“年夜飯我們家每年都是自己做，全家人一起忙活，會做酥鍋、春卷、豆腐箱、水餃等各種傳統淄博菜，總覺得自己做的才有年味。在家里一邊看春晚，一邊吃年夜飯，這感覺才是過年”，曾有人隨機采訪淄博市民對年夜飯的看法，絕大部分人仍然堅持著“年夜飯要團圓”的傳統。

推開家門，媽媽奶奶系著圍裙，灶臺上燉著“硬菜”，一聞便知是最正宗的家鄉味。脫下冒著寒氣的大衣，捋起袖子攙和到洗菜淘米中，仿佛在騰騰的熱氣里，才終于卸下了一年的辛苦，真正回到了自在踏實的家。在一片甜蜜的嘈雜忙碌中，電視節目里的主持人聲聲道賀，喜氣洋洋地問“年夜飯的餃子下鍋了嗎？”滿桌豐盛的家鄉菜，加之“餃子就酒，越喝越有”風俗，年夜飯的幸福味道讓人大快朵頤。

當日子越過越快，過年的習俗也被沖刷著淡忘了許多，但人們對“吃”的講究從未被撼動分毫。美味的飯食和對家人的思念在過年這個當口發生著更加奇妙的化學反應，在吃吃鬧鬧中，一年一度的大餐讓家人之間的關系更為緊密。

山東人重禮重情，年夜飯在這兩方面都有著重要的寓意。有人吃的是來年的好兆頭，有人奔的是圍坐在一起的闔家團圓，皮薄大餡兒的餃子已包不住這頓飯里蘊含的情誼。滿桌的魚肉海味代表著中國人對過去一年的感懷，對來年事事順遂的祈盼。放下生活的煩勞與艱辛，專心致志地與家人投入過年的狀態，在口腹和心理上都讓人“鼓腹含哺”，才是年夜飯真正的意義所在。

(本文圖片由山東圖片庫提供）

○ 不論哪個年代，過年最開心的總是孩子們。Children are the most cheerful group during the Spring Festival.

Celebrating Chinese New Year lays stress on a kind of "f lavor". Perhaps the increasingly fast pace of life dilutes the sound of firecrackers, but the New Year's Eve dinner has always taken up the strongest position for embodying the flavor of Chinese New Year. Whether the "Spring Festival Gala" is wonderful or not, whether the sound of firecrackers is loud enough or not, New Year's Eve dinner is always the most enjoyably thing existing at the bottom of people's hearts. In this most important festival of a year, no mat ter how busy they are, no matter how far away they are, the most pro-people will come back home with their tickets in their hands, sitting together with the family on the New Year's Eve day and enjoying the most sumptuous dinner.

In Rongcheng, New Year's Eve dinner is particular about the sumptuousness of food and drink. Whether the family is rich or poor, its table for the New Year's Eve dinner must be full of plates and bowls. It seems that people are anxious to exhaustively ref lect the whole year's income at the dinner table. They share the sumptuous dinner with the family, at the same time, praying for a good omen for the coming year. When life is getting faster and faster, people don't pay much attention to some New Year's custom, but people's stress on “eating” has never been reduced.

Shandong People emphasis on rites and friendship, and New Year's Eve dinner has impor tant meanings in both these two aspects. Some are for the good fortune of the coming year, while others are for the reunion of the whole family. Dumpling with thin wrapper and much filing is not big enough to cover the friendship of this meal. Laying aside the troubles and hardships of life and being dedicated to the New Year with the family make people “full” both in the diet and in psychology, which is the real significance of the New Year's Eve dinner.