mortal train conductor

Chapter 132 Changes on the Tip of the Tongue
From the green leather car to the Fuxing, my country's railway development has continued to accelerate in the past 70 years.But no matter how the model changes, the simple concept of "food is the first thing for the people" will never change. The fragrance flowing on the train and the taste buds that are constantly satisfied during the journey can always arouse everyone Fond and special memories of the food truck.From burning charcoal in a coal stove to a bright kitchen, from being full to nutritionally balanced, from recycling lunch boxes to smart ordering, from single dishes to rich and varied, the dining cars of passenger trains have undergone earth-shaking changes in the past 70 years.

Long-distance passenger trains of Chinese railways generally have dining cars arranged between sleeper cars and hard-seat cars.The dining car is divided into three parts: dining room, kitchen and storage room.

A general restaurant has 12 dining tables with a total of 48 seats; the equipment in the kitchen mainly includes refrigerators, freezers, stoves, ovens, boilers, coal boxes, sinks, cupboards, storage boxes, etc.; Store cigarettes, wine, sugar tea, rice noodle eggs, dried and fresh vegetables and other snacks such as crispy rice sold on the train.

There are six people in the dining car of the K18 train, a dining car captain, a dining car foreman, three cooks, and a waiter.

There is a movable dining table in the dining room, which can be folded. When cleaning and other situations, lift a support column under the dining table to fold the dining table to the compartment wall.

The lower part of the dining chair is a cabinet type, the seat cushion can be lifted, and there is a small cabinet underneath, which can be locked when the seat cushion is put down, which can be used for storing meals and sundries.

The top of the restaurant is illuminated by two light strips, and there are wall lamps on the wall panels on both sides. The light in the dining car is bright and soft; the top of the dining car is an aluminum profile grille air outlet, which is beautiful and easy to assemble, disassemble and clean.

There are 24 coat hooks on the wall panels on both sides. The wall panels are made of light-colored plaid soft-light plastic veneer panels, and the top panel and decorative strip panels are made of white glass steel plates.The floor is blue rubber floor leather, with warm-colored dining tables and chairs, creating a comfortable and elegant travel dining environment.

There are two sample cabinets at one end of the dining room, one product display cabinet at the second end of the dining car, and a table and a storage cabinet at the second end, which are both practical and beautiful, highlighting the simplicity and elegance of Chinese railways. atmosphere.

The kitchen floor of the dining car is provided with drainage ditches and drainage holes, and the floor is covered with movable grids.There are three exhaust fans on the top of the kitchen. The layout of the whole kitchen is compact, reasonable, spacious, bright, sturdy and durable, and has a large serving capacity.

The back kitchen of the dining car 20 years ago, because it was an open flame and open stove, the temperature emitted by the burning coal raised the temperature of the back kitchen, especially in summer, the high temperature was unbearable, like a big oven.The temperature outside is 38°C, and the temperature in the back kitchen can reach over 40°C. The environmental conditions are far from the present.

In the dining car of the green leather car era, there is no power supply equipment on the train, and the way of storing ingredients is very primitive.At that time, ice cubes were used to keep ingredients fresh, and quilts and ice cubes were wrapped in tin boxes to form the "earth refrigerator" of that era. The chefs of the dining car had to check whether the ingredients were fresh at all times. For the two-day train, ice cubes need to be replenished in time at major stations on the way to ensure the storage quality of meals.

Liu Qun often listens to the dining car masters talk about the previous dining car. At that time, the dining car was very bitter. In winter, the car was ventilated, and there was only a fire in the stove. In summer, it was like a sauna. The whole body was wet, and the clothes had never been dry. My body is covered with prickly heat, and what I want to do the most is to spread the ice cubes that have just come from the station in the "soil refrigerator". Only this job can make me cool for a short time.

With the upgrading of vehicle equipment, the dining car seems to have entered the era of electrical appliances overnight. The back kitchen that used to be smoky, cold in winter and hot in summer is "gone forever". Induction cooker, rice steamer, range hood, large refrigerator After everything is available, the back kitchen becomes well-organized, and the chef who has suffered from smoke oil can also enjoy a clean and tidy environment.

Due to the upgrading of equipment, the shelf life of various ingredients has become controllable and efficient. The staff of the dining car no longer have to work in the "oven" and "refrigerator". The working environment of the chef is getting better and better. Efficiency and quality have also improved rapidly.

The kitchen of the current K18 dining car is equipped with cooking equipment such as induction cooker, low-pressure boiler, rice steamer, refrigerator, cupboard, wall cabinet, coal box, etc., as well as a washing pool, knife holder, pot holder, board table, Fume exhaust hood, fire extinguisher and other auxiliary equipment.

An upper oven and a lower oven are arranged on the front of the induction cooker.

The rice steaming box is made of stainless steel and consists of a box body, a rice steaming barrel, a hot water tank, a shower head, a steam inlet pipe, an exhaust pipe and various valves.About 30 kg of uncooked rice can be steamed in about 25 minutes each time.There are two types of refrigerators: horizontal and vertical. The box is made of stainless steel. The compression condensing unit box is hung under the car. It is connected with the box on the car by refrigeration pipes. ℃～1200℃, for food refrigeration.

There is also an ad hoc ice-adding refrigerator as a backup device after the refrigerator breaks down.

In the 80s and [-]s, the dining car of the train had a clear imprint of the planned economy. At that time, if you wanted to eat in the dining car of the train, you could not pass the dining car directly, but you had to buy a meal ticket in advance.Usually, two or three hours before the meal time, the captain of the dining car sells meal tickets in the car, and then, the back kitchen of the dining car prepares the meals according to the passenger flow and the sales of meal tickets, and puts the meals in aluminum lunch boxes. , the dining car waiter pushes a small trolley to each compartment, and passengers exchange their meal tickets for boxed meals.At that time, due to limited equipment, only individual small pots could be used for steaming rice. Dozens of rice steaming pots were needed for a train, not to mention other appliances.

In the past, the variety of meals sold on the train was very limited, and the staple food was mostly rice.Generally, the amount of rice in a lunch box is two-thirds of the edge of the lunch box, and a little meat and vegetables are put on it, which is very similar to the current rice bowl. Shredded pork, occasionally with one or two slices of braised pork, was especially popular among travelers at that time.

With the prosperity of the country and the continuous improvement of the living standards of the tourists, the demand for food and beverages of the tourists has become diverse, from only requiring that the food is sufficient and large in quantity is good, to the current requirement that the food and rice should not be too much, but should be refined and delicious. There must be a distinctive change.

The supply of dining cars has also begun to continue to introduce new ones. Leisure snacks such as eight-treasure porridge, melon seeds, and peanuts are available for passengers to entertain in their free time.The variety of meals is no longer single. Rice bowls, fried rice, and special dishes have enriched the choice of meals for passengers. In addition, instant noodles, fruits, and snacks have also been added to the meal sales.

Today's box lunches are also changed to disposable, compartmentalized food-specific plastic lunch boxes, covered with transparent lids, which can delicately hold a serving of rice and three dishes, and some set meals also add chicken legs or marinated eggs.

In order to ensure the taste and taste of the dishes, the dining car also launched "single-pot stir-fry".

(End of this chapter)