Firewood is the first of 7 essentials for living in a traditional Chinese home. Keeping warm is deemed important: insomnia is a sign of a hot ‘yang’ head with a cold, ‘yin’ condition in the rest of the body. To keep warm wrap salt crystals in muslin cloth, heat gently & apply to any aching part of the body. Or warm yourself by soaking feet in cold water, then gradually add warmer water till sweat appears on tip of your nose. Modern long-haul travel confuses the body, so I fall sick every time I go between tropical Singapore & chilly London. Traditional Chinese Medicine tells us to dress appropriately (if you don’t dress warmly in winter you grow extra fat to compensate!) The ancient Chinese used healthy underfloor or under-bed heating, better than our dry radiator or electric heat. Heating with the use of mugwort goes direct to the body’s core, prevents having cold hands and feet even in summer. At Chaya Teahouse we often use mugwort incense to cleanse the room & create a gentle warmth. Fuel choices are important in cooking too. In ancient China the wealthy brewed tea in water over a fire of pine cones, and duck is roasted over wood from fruit trees, and rabbit over peanut shells. Poaching, stewing, steaming are better than stir-frying, especially as meat’s already ‘yang’ or full of heat by nature. Traditional fuel materials like firewood and utensils like claypots are best, creating a gentle heat, not too ‘yang’.
