Public Accommodations. In Song times (960-1279) many teahouses were established. After people went into a teahouse and chose their seats at a tea table, a waiter immediately asked: "What kind of tea would you like, Sir?" Customers requested steeped tea; spicy, sugared ginger tea; or other teas. Beverages, such as sour plum drinks, spring water, and warm wine, were also served. On each table there was a bowl of salted pine nuts, walnuts, or melon seeds, which were free to customers because eating them resulted in a thirst that promoted the purchase of more drinks.

Delicious Food. Every teahouse served snacks and light meals. The prices of such food varied depending on the culinary talents of each cook, but generally teahouse food was outstanding, the most delicate and tasty food in Song China. A hundred different dishes, such as piping-hot bowls of...