The cuisine of Qing-dynasty Beijing was based on Shandong cooking, and when Wu Weiye of Taicang County in Jiangsu went there to take up an official post, he complained bitterly that he could not eat the fine foods of his homeland south of the Yangtze. He said, "Only a good soup can help me force down a few mouthfuls of rice."
清朝後北京菜以魯菜為基礎，江蘇太倉縣人吳偉業到北京作官，吃不到江南美味，就以自己嗜食的蛤蜊為題，大發牢騷，「強飯無良法，全憑適口湯」，說自己只有鮮美的蛤蜊湯下飯，才有好食慾。