As per my in-laws' customs, I, or rather, my buddy, had to arrive at the bride's house bearing teh-kar (pig trotter) on the wedding day.
Last evening, we celebrated our anniversary ... eating teh-kar ... heh heh heh
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yumyum!
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary to you and Snowylady.
ReplyDeleteDanke.
ReplyDeleteOops I am late.. Happy belated anniversary!!
ReplyDeleteBonjour Snowy, just wondering about the symbolic meaning of the teh-kar...
ReplyDeleteJoyeux anniversaire de mariage !
Bonjour Liu,
ReplyDeleteIt is the tradition from the Hokkien region. I believe the term is 轿前猪脚 - the ham hock was traditionally borne at the fore of the bridal procession in front of the litter (the enclosed carriage).
According to one website I found : http://baike.baidu.com/view/3015854.htm, the custom originated during the Tang Dynasty when the region was less densely populated and retained much of the wilderness.
When daughters were married off, the procession risked being attacked by wild animals, and hence the ham hock was supposed to act as decoy to enable the people to escape.
I'm not too sure about how much of that is historically accurate.
The Fujian region was traditional one of the poorer areas of China. The mountains did not make it easy for farming, and the land was not as fertile as the neighbouring provinces such as Zhejiang etc.
Eating meat was a luxurious indulgence and reserved for celebrations.
As per the custom, the bride's family will not retain the entire ham hock but slice a portion to be brought back by the groom. The meat will be shared by all relatives and guests.
PS : Liu, in case you're wondering how such a small plate of pork knuckle could be shared by so many people ...
ReplyDeleteThe actual teh-kar used in the wedding was the entire foreleg (raw) of the hog and was very heavy - my buddy grunted as he finally carried the plate through the door and announced its arrival to my mother-in-law.
It had to be the foreleg - the hindleg is used only if the mother-in-law was a stepmother.
Interesting.... Suddenly I missed those CHF days..
ReplyDeleteMerci Snowy. Interesting how it reminds the celebrations of the indomitable Gauls... A wild boar is also a pork. :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.toys-collection.com/data/catalog/detail2/asterix-5-3475.jpg
I'm sure Gaullish weddings include a lot of wild boars and strong drinks ... maybe a little bit of fighting too :P
ReplyDeleteMe too ...
ReplyDelete