humble fare; simple meal
Archaic term for a plain, unpretentious meal, often with a nuance of poverty or asceticism. Not used in modern everyday speech.
Hermits of old made humble fare their daily sustenance.
Archaic kanji spelling for a humble or simple meal. The character 疎 suggests coarseness or sparseness.
Variant kanji spelling using 疏, which also conveys sparseness or neglect. Less common than 疎食.
Composed of 疎/疏 (coarse, sparse) and 食 (meal, food). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of a humble or simple meal.