Pear Soup with Rock Sugar

Pear Soup with Rock Sugar

　　Walking along the streets of Xi'an, you can easily come across this snack, which may seem quite ordinary at first glance. In fact, it is a very traditional and nutritious dish. The way locals in Xi'an make it is especially meticulous—not only does it look appealing, but it also tastes great. This dish becomes even more popular in winter. From afar, you can see it steaming hot, warming the heart and soul.

　　The second line of the 84th chapter title in “Dream of the Red Chamber” reads: “Taoist Wang Talks Nonsense About a Remedy for Jealousy.” It tells the story of Jia Baoyu going to Tianqi Temple to burn incense and fulfill a vow. There, he asks Taoist Wang, who sells ointments at the temple, “Do you have any plaster for curing a woman’s jealousy?”

　　 Taoist Wang replies: “I haven’t come across any plaster for jealousy, but there is a kind of herbal soup that might help.” This is called “Jealousy-Curing Soup”: take one excellent autumn pear, two qian of rock sugar, one qian of dried tangerine peel, and three bowls of water. Boil until the pear is soft, and eat one such pear every morning. Keep eating it, and you’ll get better.” Of course, this is just a made-up joke for fun. But as the saying goes, no matter how big or small the shoes are, they must follow some basic shape—nonsense still needs to have some basis. Otherwise, there are many fruits that can be used medicinally, most of which are sweet and pleasant with no side effects—why not use lotus seeds or preserved dates, but specifically these three ingredients?