Seeing Red

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In Bunol, Spain, people pelt each other with tomatoes during a festival called Tomatina (inset). Chinese grandmothers and mothers would probably see red in this. As a child, I remember Mother reminding the children to finish their food so that there is not a grain of rice left on the plate. Finish your rice or Lei Gong will get you! Lei Gong (雷公) is the Thunder God in Chinese mythology. Chinese children are traditionally taught that if a person waste his food, thunder will strike him. It does not have to work that way, don't you think?

Comments

Liudmila said…
Tomatoes too??? I did not know about it. I Italy those are the oranges. My hart brakes to see so great delice reduced this way.
20 April 2011 at 23:00
footiam said…
They throw oranges the way the Spanish throw oranges? Haven't heard of that.
23 April 2011 at 00:13
Anonymous said…
Such a waste of food...

My mom used to tell stories of starving African children and how we should not waste our blessings.

Dad on the other hand liked to recount tales on the farmer's hardship and how every grain of rice is the result of blood, sweat & tears.

Today, even seeing precious mandarin oranges being thrown into the rivers during Chap Goh Mei gives me goosebumps
23 April 2011 at 19:08
footiam said…
Chinese parents always ask their kids not to waste food, don't they? I would not be surprised they talk about Li Kong or Thunder God. I wonder they throw oranges in Malacca. They may do that in Penang but these oranges are often collected back, if I am not mistaken. Over my place, nobody throw oranges. People often read about throwing oranges during Chap Goh Meh but I think it is not such a widespread practice. You just can't believe everything you read!
29 April 2011 at 20:19
Thomas C B Chua said…
What about good food left over at shrines for the gods to eat? Is it a waste?
28 May 2011 at 22:10
footiam said…
It's weird how human treat their food. On one hand, people throw it at each other for fun and and then, in other parts of the world, you have people who love their Gods so much that they leave food for His consumption. Both waste food, no doubt but if people don't leave their food for their God, they will still leave it at the dinner table at restaurants and fast food outlets. If people handle their food well and spread it all around, perhaps, there won't be famine in this world. But come to think about, some Chinese mothers don't do what they preach!
7 June 2011 at 21:37
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