Eating some kinds of food bring wealth

Braised pork trotters Braised pork trotters. My favourite food. Actually, I like pork trotters cooked in different ways: boiled in soup, Filipino style crispy pata, German pork knuckles, etc.

Crispy Pata I had dinner with a Lao young man and two teenagers (one male and one female) from China. The teen from China observed the Lao man as he was eating braised pork trotters. Then he said, "In Guangzhou, every family must eat this dish for Chinese New Year. You know why? What does a pig do with his trotters? Dig around in the ground, right? So Cantonese (people from Guangzhou) believe that if you eat pork trotters, you will find wealth, like the pig digging in the mud." The Lao man stopped eating to shake the hand of the China teen. He was so pleased to know that someone had just wished him prosperity!

I learned something new that night. I am a Cantonese. My father's family is pure Cantonese. We never ate pork trotters during Chinese New Year. The most auspicious food served was the pancreas of the pig because in the Cantonese play of words, the word for pancreas sounds like 旺财顺利 or great wealth smoothly flowing in. Even then, only my dad, being the eldest son, got to eat it because it's a very small piece. So much for sharing of wealth.

Well, if you don't eat pork, then this dish is definitely not for you. It doesn't mean you won't be wealthy. The only definite thing about eating pork trotters is raising your bad cholesterol level and possibly getting a heart attack from all that fat consumed! Of course, that depends on which culture you come from.

Ultimately, just enjoy the cross-cultural experience. Learn a new language and be able to share the best of your culture with a new friend!

Here's to enjoying food of different cultures!

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