文／王雪芃

團(tuán)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(tuán)圓飯，喝團(tuán)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(jié)奏沖淡了鞭炮聲，但年夜飯的餐桌永遠(yuǎn)是“年味兒”的最強(qiáng)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(jié)日里，不論有多忙碌，不論相隔多遠(yuǎn)，緊握的車票總會(huì)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(jù)《荊楚歲時(shí)記》的記載，至少在南北朝時(shí)就已有吃年夜飯的習(xí)俗。農(nóng)耕時(shí)代，農(nóng)戶人家全年省吃儉用喂豬養(yǎng)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(fèi)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?？纯醋狼芭d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(shí)候啦，以前過年哪有這么幸福咯?！?/p>

在上世紀(jì)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(shí)機(jī)，想吃一頓好點(diǎn)兒的年夜飯要半夜起床排好幾個(gè)隊(duì)，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(shù)量多的粗糧，最好的就是弄一個(gè)豬頭，連皮一起煮成肉凍。對(duì)那時(shí)的孩子們來說，想吃年夜飯既要有力氣還得機(jī)靈，除了幫大人扛白菜，還要在亂哄哄的買菜隊(duì)伍中靈活地?cái)D到前面，爭取分得肥一點(diǎn)的肉。在忙活的空當(dāng)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(huì)想盡各種辦法趁父母不備偷偷“弄點(diǎn)出來解解饞”。

○ 緊握的車票總會(huì)帶回最親的人，在除夕這一天與家人團(tuán)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(mào)市場逐漸恢復(fù)，雞肉豬肉擴(kuò)大了供應(yīng)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(gè)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(jié)晚會(huì)”登上了歷史舞臺(tái)，從此“看著春晚吃年夜飯”成了一種習(xí)俗，《難忘今宵》的歌聲伴隨著人們度過了一個(gè)又一個(gè)春節(jié)。

但不論哪個(gè)年代，除夕當(dāng)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(dòng)員”中，一整天都里外忙碌?！澳暌癸埼覀兗颐磕甓际亲约鹤?，全家人一起忙活，會(huì)做酥鍋、春卷、豆腐箱、水餃等各種傳統(tǒng)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(jī)采訪淄博市民對(duì)年夜飯的看法，絕大部分人仍然堅(jiān)持著“年夜飯要團(tuán)圓”的傳統(tǒng)。

推開家門，媽媽奶奶系著圍裙，灶臺(tái)上燉著“硬菜”，一聞便知是最正宗的家鄉(xiāng)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(shí)的家。在一片甜蜜的嘈雜忙碌中，電視節(jié)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(xiāng)菜，加之“餃子就酒，越喝越有”風(fēng)俗，年夜飯的幸福味道讓人大快朵頤。

當(dāng)日子越過越快，過年的習(xí)俗也被沖刷著淡忘了許多，但人們對(duì)“吃”的講究從未被撼動(dòng)分毫。美味的飯食和對(duì)家人的思念在過年這個(gè)當(dāng)口發(fā)生著更加奇妙的化學(xué)反應(yīng)，在吃吃鬧鬧中，一年一度的大餐讓家人之間的關(guān)系更為緊密。

山東人重禮重情，年夜飯?jiān)谶@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(tuán)圓，皮薄大餡兒的餃子已包不住這頓飯里蘊(yùn)含的情誼。滿桌的魚肉海味代表著中國人對(duì)過去一年的感懷，對(duì)來年事事順?biāo)斓钠砼?。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(tài)，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(gè)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.