List of Figures . . vii
Acknowledgments . . ix

Introduction . . 1

1 Customs and Cuisine . . 11
Diets and Food Lore in Warring States and Han China . . 14
Meat and Morals . . 26
Banquets . . 34
Cenat Confucius . . 42

2 Cooking the World . . 49
The Butcher and the Cook . . 49
Cooking and Harmony . . 59
Yi Yin and Fundamental Tastes . . 65
Cosmic Dining . . 76

3 Sacrifice and Sense . . 83
Offering the Tasteless . . 84
Spirit and Spirits . . 95
Searching for Spirit . . 106

4 The Economics of Sacrifice . . 122
Sacrificial Levies . . 124
Monthly Ordinances . . 128
Maintenance Towns and Personnel . . 134
Spirit Commerce . . 143
Regulating Sacrifice . . 148
Gifts for Spirits, Goods for Mortals . . 152
The Rhetoric of Plenty . . 157

5 Sages, Spirits, and Senses . . 167
Olfaction . . 168
Seeing and Hearing . . 174
Sensory Synthesis . . 178
Sages, Screens, and Earplugs . . 191
The Clairvoyant and the Blind . . 196

Concluding Remarks . . 203

Bibliography . . 207
Index . . 227