《水浒传》里,好汉们下馆子,从来不看菜单,张口就是筛几碗酒,再切几斤熟牛肉。林冲看守草料场时,外出沽酒,那“店家切一盘熟牛肉,烫一壶热酒,请林冲吃”。还有武二哥景阳冈打老虎之前,也是点了熟牛肉下酒。读者看了这些情节,不免以为在宋朝时,牛肉是随处可见的普通食物。事实上,牛肉在当年相当昂贵,原因很简单——官府不许杀牛。在农业社会,耕牛是最重要的生产工具,西周时就有“诸侯无故不杀牛”的规定。中国古代政府给予耕牛的特殊保护,怕是今天的印度人也望尘 “Outlaws of the Marsh”, the good guys who go to the restaurant, never read the menu, mouth is a few bowls of wine, and then cut a few pounds of cooked beef. Lin Chong care forage field, go out to sell wine, then “store cut a plate of cooked beef, hot pot of hot wine, please Lin Chong eat.” There Wuji King Yang Gang hit the tiger before, but also point the cooked beef wine. Readers read these episodes, can not help but think that in the Song Dynasty, beef is common food everywhere. In fact, beef was quite expensive during the year for the simple reason that the government refused to kill cattle. In agricultural society, cattle farming is the most important tool of production. When Western Zhou dynasty, there were provisions that “princes should not slaughter cattle for no reason.” The ancient Chinese government gave special protection to the cattle, afraid that today’s Indians look to the dust