Email reply to eating taboos.
It's been a while since I add more taboos to our Pantang list. Lately I received an email from Seoul asking me to explain some of the eating taboos I've listed on this site. However, what I know is pretty limited, I apologies if this is inadequate.
"hi there. thanks for taking an interest in us. hee...
Sad to say, I am unable to provide you with more information as they are all sayings pass on from our grandparents to our parents. No reasons are given. I personally felt that most of these taboos are used as a "scared" tactics to "frighten" the children into behaving properly.
1. Always finish your rice-> or your future partner will have spotted face or be plain ugly (why?)
Personal opinion: it's a Chinese teaching to be frugal with our resources, to never waste unnecessarily, hence parents will want to encourage their children to finish up their share of food. They will trick the child into believing that one grain of rice left to waste will turn into one blemish spot on their partner.
2. Do not place your bowl on top of the plate-> this signifies a serving to our dead parents (why?)
Personal opinion: Chinese are particularly taboo on anything that has close or similar associations to death. For some reasons unknown to me, sometimes in a funeral when food was offered, a plate was placed under the bowl either to make it more respectful or to make it more presentable. Or there could be a hidden meaning to this and the meanings were lost along the way. Hence anything that closely resembles what was practice in a funeral wake becomes a taboo.
3. Never eat the last piece of food-> or you will never find a soul mate in your life (why?)
Personal opinion again: Chinese believe it’s rude and ill manner to be greedy. Whenever we are sharing something nice on the plate with everyone else, we should always be considerate enough to ensure we didn’t finish everything up so that someone else will get a share. However, it also means the last piece of goodies will often go to waste! Now, doesn’t that contradict with the first point to be frugal? Why soul mates? Probably because the gentlemen in the group are more likely to attract girls than the greedy ones that constantly stuff themselves with food! Kekeke…
I think over a few generations, some of these taboos were taken seriously and blindly pass on to the next generation. Some of them might have come from other races in Singapore but being multicultural here means most of these origins has merge and taken up by anyone who believes them regardless of their race or religions. If we look deeper into the reasons why these taboos are created, we will find that most taboos started with a good intention to encourage the right moral values and respects for one another. Don’t take them seriously, but they sure are interesting to know. :D
"Thank you Grace for your email. Good luck with your presentation.
Swimming
I just got back from a good soak in a community swimming pool! Since the day I force myself to learn swimming at the ripe age of 25, I am proud to say that I can confidently swim around the perimeter of the pool (so long as the edge is within reach and I don’t need to swim continuously in one lap). For some unknown reason, every time after a good swim, my body becomes so much firmer and well toned! Yes! It’s somehow true! Those floppy muscles are now solid and hard (muscle cramps…) My big tights and love-handle are now smaller and sleek (Suntan, or sun-burnt depending on the weather. But hey, a darker tights looks smaller ya?)
So is there any pantang swimming ethics? Let's explore.
- NO SWIMMING in the hungry ghost month.
- NO SWIMMING in the pool if you are a lady and you are having your period. (That is purely for hygiene purposes)
- NO SWIMMING in red swimsuit or trunks unless you are very sexy and you don’t intend to drown. (Red clothing = revengeful ghost, we see that on TV all the time!)
- NO SWIMMING after a heavy meal, stomach cramps and the warnings related to exercise safety.
- NO SWIMMING if you intend to pee or poo in the pool (Hygiene again)
- NO SWIMMING unless you have the proper swimming attires. (We are not interested to see half-cheek butt especially when you just got out of the pool and your pair of shorts are riding really low. But then again, if you are really sexy and handsome, we can turn a blind eye or we can just stare and drool)
- NO SWIMMING if the life guard is not around
- NO SWIMMING in the deep end of the pool unless you can swim really well. Do what I did, cling to the edge of the pool.
- NO SWIMMING when you hear thunders or see lightings in the sky. (I once heard that Singapore has the highest fatality rate of people struck by lightning in the world. Wow, that's a lot of "天打雷劈" which means to get strike by lightings for any major wrong doings or for breaking vows)
- NO SWIMMING with your electronic gadgets.
I seriously can’t think of much pantang issues related to having a good swim. Now isn’t this just wonderful? We get to enjoy this wonder exercise without worrying about breaking any serious taboos! Oh, and don’t forget your sun block and don’t wear your goggles on your face all the time. It makes this pale ring around your eyes while the rest of your face gets a healthy tan.
Interesting tibits 1
Do you know that one of friend notice that it will rain everyday during the fasting month of Ramadan? Isn’t it amazing? So far it has indeed rained everyday, sometimes a light drizzle, sometimes one really mean storm. A great relief from the warm weather we have been experiencing for the last few months. But remember to bring an umbrella out.
Outdoor events and nice weather
I just heard that event planners have pantang too!
When they need a signature Singapore weather that is hot and humid, the perfect condition to hold an event under the scotching sun, then they should get a big onion and a satay stick, poke the stick into the onion and place it behind the stage or tents. Then pray really hard because the success of the event really depends on the weather and usually pantang remedy doesn’t really works. I wonder if the national day parade held every year uses this trick.
Eating taboos
Eating is a favorite pastime in Singapore. So, do we have any eating pantang? Why yes of course!
1. Always finish your rice.Or you future partner will have spotted face or be plain ugly.
2. Never stick your chopsticks into your bowl of rice and leave it there. In the old days, folks do that when they offer food to the spirits. You are not dead, don’t stick your chopsticks into the bowl.
3. Do not place your bowl on top of the plate.
Often, when we eat at a Chinese wedding dinner, we are served with a clean bowl and clean plate. On the 2nd dish which usually turns out to be something soupy, the bowl will be used. An auntie told me that we should never place our bowl on the empty plate when we eat. This signifies a serving to our dead parents. I don’t really understand what she means but hey, I don’t want to curse my parents with my actions, they are both alive and well. No bowl on plate! Yes Mdm!
4. Never eat the last piece of food
This I don’t know why, it was either, you will get fat, it’s rude, or you will never find a soul mate in your life etc etc. Either way, we are all supposed to waste the last piece of food on the serving tray. Say, if the restaurant only offered 8 portion of food for 8 guest, does it means when I am the last one to be serve, I will not take the food because I am pantang?!!!! Absolutely not! Do you think I am stupid? ;)
Some good advice I am about to give. If a particular dish is so tasty that you are willing to risk the taboos of taking the last one on the serving tray, do offering it to the others first, it’s simple courtesy. If someone actually has the cheek to take your offer, the person probably will get fat and not find a soul mate, that’s revenge enough.
Purify Negativity
I am not just pantang, I am Kiasu too! When I read in a Buddhist website that the traditional prayer wheels have been converted to digital ones, and it is just as effective for purifying negativity. I didn’t hesitate to put them in this blog! Hee… maybe it will help all visitors of my blog be blessed, and this includes all living beings,
regardless of race, language or religion, and of course nationality. ;)
His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, has said that having the mantra on your computer works the same as a traditional Mani wheel. As the digital image spins around on your hard drive, it sends the peaceful prayer of compassion to all directions and purifies the area.
from http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/digital-wheels.htm
Surprisingly, we are encourage to put the mantra in the hard disk. It is suppose to make use of the computer hard disk to act like a prayer wheel! Isn’t that creative! Oh well, no harm trying, the file size of this mantra graphic is only 2KB! If it did works, hopefully it will purify all the pantang things I did in the past. Hee…. Just kidding.
The Mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" in Tibetan script
The traditional handheld prayer wheel
The digital prayer wheel!
Pictures from
Dharma HavenMy wish list: May the world be a more compassionate and tolerant place, may all those that are suffering receive help and all wars and destructions to stop. PEACE!
Disgusting? But Auspicious!
So, my husband commented that when cats walked boldly into your house uninvited, and decided to give birth to kittens in your house, the original bad luck now becomes good instead. Why is it so? Probably because animals will only give birth in a place where they felt safe and comfortable. Isn’t this nice? Never mind the bloody mess they left behind, it’s a miracle to see newborn animals, but beware of the new mother, they tend to be a bit protective. Some might find the mess disgusting, but look on the auspicious side, why didn’t they choose your quarrelsome neighbors instead? It’s because their instinct told them your house is a good place to be. (And probably because you left you doors opened again)
Since we are on the topic of disgusting happenings that turns out to be auspicious instead, let’s explores "POOS". Older folks thinks baby only poo poo in a place they are comfortable with, however, if they fuss and scream non-stop, that probably isn’t a very good place to be at. That’s why some folks “borrowed” babies to visit new house, they use the babies to gauge if a particular flat on sale is really a good bargain after all. If the baby sleeps, plays, laughs in the house, this place is auspicious. If baby poos, this place is not just auspicious, it brings wealth too!
What about stepping on dog’s poo? By right, considerate owners should clear up after their dogs, hence reduced the opportunity of stepping on doggie excrement. This makes it rare because street dogs won’t leave their feces lying around on the streets and pavement. If one is to be so lucky to step on a pile of shits, one should quickly proceed to the nearest 4D store and buy a lottery ticket. However, due to the sudden explosion of dog owners, many of which does not believes in cleaning up the mess, it is now more of an irritant than a lucky sign. A note to all dog owners, please clean up your dog’s poo poo, with the consumption of mass produced dog foods, their feces are no longer nutritional to the poor trees and grasses. In fact, their feces are more likely to kill the trees in a slow death!
Pigeon or bird poo! Yes, those are lucky as well,
especially,
I stress again,
especially when they landed on your
HEAD from the
AIR! Not from the trees I remind you again, it must be poo from the sky, from flying birds who has no time to find a bathroom. Must migrate before crow shooting season. Likewise, proceed to the nearest 4D store and buy a lottery ticket. You may choose to leave the excrement on your head for good luck but it might smell so bear with it.
