恁兜攏按怎拜？從餐桌到神桌的藝術連結Where We Eat, Where We Pray: From Dining Table to Altar

恁兜攏按怎拜？從餐桌到神桌的藝術連結
主展文：

 

從日常飲食到祭祀儀式的轉化　　

餐桌在華人及東亞社會中，家人透過日常餐桌共食建立親密感，例如家傳的祝壽菜或團圓飯，已融入家庭的文化記憶，承載著情感與社會價值。在臺南，家的核心不僅是屋簷，更是「餐桌」與「神桌」交會的儀式場域。連接這兩端的，常會是家庭中那位最溫暖、最有力量的靈魂—媽媽或阿嬤。從晨間的備料到節慶的敬拜，她們的雙手將一代代傳承「媽媽味」，轉化為對家人的愛；當這些家傳美食被擺上神桌，那份愛意便向上提升，成為向神明祈求的祝福載體。她們是連結日常與神聖的情感中介者，用自己的方式，以食物為語言，傳遞著家庭的記憶、生命的祈願與神祇的恩典。

 

「食福」：食物不僅僅是生存所需，更是情感、祈願與文化認同的載體

祭祀儀式強化了家族與社群的認同，也藉由食物的準備與傳承過程，將文化經驗世代相傳。當祭祀結束後，神桌上的供品會回到人們的餐桌，成為家人共享的佳餚，這在臺南被稱為「食福（ tsia̍h-hok ）」：人神共食，共享福分。許多我們所熟知的臺南小吃，其源頭都與廟宇祭典有著千絲萬縷的聯繫。例如，廟口常見的菜頭粿、米糕、肉粽、或是節慶必備的發糕、紅龜粿，它們最初都是為了祭祀而生，這過程也體現了臺南人「吃」的哲學：食不厭精，膾不厭細。臺南人用最美好的食物來敬獻神明，每道供品都是供奉者用心製作，這也間接造就了臺南美食的精緻與多樣。

 

摻在一起：「美食之都」與「眾神之都」

臺南府城，以其豐富的歷史文化聞名，更被譽為「美食之都」與「眾神之都」。在這座城市裡，日常飲食與民間信仰，凡人與神明，緊密地交織在一起，形成一種獨特的文化景觀。展題「恁兜攏按怎拜？從餐桌到神桌的藝術連結」，揭示了策劃本展的意圖，希望透過藝術性的觀點與思維，將在地文化景觀梳理、歸納或建構出屬於在地的生活美學語彙。

 

新的詮釋可能：「辦桌拼盤」作為展示策略

本展關注的主題聚焦於臺灣民間信仰，尤其以道教為主，源自該信仰的神明大部分為自人格飛升為神格。這種人格飛升的特點，使得道教的神明更具親和力和世俗化，當地信徒帶入神祇人格喜好展現於神桌上的供品，形成饒富寓意的景觀。
本次展示策略吸取了臺灣「辦桌拼盤」特色，同時展出藝術、工藝、設計、動漫與遊戲（ACG）、原創商品，以及臺南宮廟博物館的文物，一方面試圖模糊藝術、傳統工藝、設計、商業文創的邊界，另一方面也凸顯臺灣多元並陳的面貌，向國內外觀眾展現臺灣文化在本次策展脈絡下蘊含著新的詮釋可能。

 

Where We Eat, Where We Pray: From Dining Table to Altar
Exhibition Introduction:

From Everyday Dishes to Ritual Offerings
The dining table plays a central role in Chinese and East Asian communities, where family members strengthen their bonds through shared meals such as birthday feasts and reunion dinners. Over time, the dining table has been embedded in family cultural memory, carrying emotional significance and social value. In Tainan, the essence of home lies not only in the house itself, but also in the ceremonial space shaped by the interplay of the dining table and the altar. The family member who connects these two vital objects is often the one with the gentlest yet most sustaining presence–the mother or grandmother. From early-morning preparations to festive acts of worship, their hands pass down the “taste of mother” across generations, turning food into an expression of their love to family. When these heirloom dishes are placed on the household altar, that love is lifted upward, becoming a carrier of blessings offered to the deities. They serve as emotional mediators between the everyday and the sacred, speaking through food to convey family memory, prayers for life, and the grace of the divine.

 

tsiáh-hok: Food Beyond Survival—Carrier of Emotion, Prayer, and Cultural Identity
Worship ceremonies strengthen family and community identity, while the preparation and transmission of food offerings pass cultural experience from one generation to the next. After the ceremony concludes, the offerings placed on the altar are returned to the dining table, becoming a shared meal among family members. In Tainan, this practice is known as tsiáh-hok—literally “eating blessings”—in which humans and deities share the same food, signifying shared blessings. The origins of many well-known street foods in Tainan are closely tied to temple festivals. Dishes such as turnip cakes, rice cakes, and rice dumplings—commonly found at food stalls outside temples—as well as festival essentials like huat-kué and âng-ku-kué, were originally prepared for worship. This process of transformation reflects a local philosophy of eating in Tainan: good food is never too refined, and minced dishes are never too finely cut. In presenting the finest food offerings to the deities, worshippers prepare each dish with care. Over time, this practice has given rise to the delicacy and variety for which Tainan cuisine is known.

 

At the Intersection of the City of Cuisine and the City of Deities
Taian, known for its rich history and culture, is often celebrated as both “the City of Cuisine” and “the City of Deities.” Here, everyday dishes, folk religion, humans, and deities are closely intertwined, forming a distinctive cultural landscape. The exhibition title Where We Eat, Where We Pray: From Dining Table to Altar reflects the curatorial intention of the exhibition: through artistic perspectives and reflection, it seeks to map and document local cultural landscapes, giving form to the city’s everyday aesthetics.

 

New Interpretive Possibilities: “Taiwanese Banquet Platters” as a Curatorial Strategy
This exhibition focuses on Taiwanese folk religion, with particular attention to Daoism. Many Daoist deities originate from historical figures who were elevated from human identity to divine status. This human origin renders Daoist deities more approachable and secular in character. Devotees often reflect these deities’ perceived personalities and preferences through the offerings placed on altars, producing landscapes imbued with layered symbolism.

Inspired by the presentation of platters in Taiwanese banquet culture (pān-toh), the exhibition brings together artworks, crafts, design pieces, ACG (animation, comics, and games) works, original creations, and cultural artifacts drawn from the Temple Museums across Tainan. On the one hand, the exhibition attempts to blur the boundaries between art, traditional craftsmanship, design, and commercial cultural and creative practices. On the other, it highlights the diverse cultural landscapes of Taiwan, offering international audience new ways of interpreting Taiwanese culture through the curatorial framework of this exhibition.