The definition of “dubious origin.”

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Things are going pretty good. Here’s a short update:

We’re 3 months from the wedding. School is…school. I am now a copywriter.

Done.

lol Frodo.

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Anyway, school is over in about 4 weeks and I’m taking the summer off, which means I’ll be back to blogging my butt off. I’m putting together some Tidbit Tuesdays to ease myself back into the blogging game. In the meantime, there are several places you can keep up with me.

Twitter – Obviously.

Facebook – I heard it’s the new MySpace.

Pinterest – Now with more food history and anthropology. And pugs.

Keep eating and asking, my friends.

Esther

Get it? Cause it’s Rocky Road?

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Last year I was unemployed and living in a place I hated. My guess is 25 Days was a special way to escape that. It turned out to be so much fun that I was determined to do it again the following year, but plan ahead so there wasn’t the same scramble.

Obviously I didn’t end up planning.

My life has blown up in pretty amazing ways since that fateful Christmas. In the last few months I moved to a place I love and got engaged. In the last few weeks I got my first “grown-up” full-time job (ever) and into grad school (yay!). Then I had my stint with the steroids which, while not amazing, was kind of time consuming. All in all though, this has been a fantastic (almost full) year.

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I am immensely thankful for all that’s happened (except the steroids) but I am not thankful for my lack of blog planning. This blog is my baby and I’m surprised blog social services hasn’t turned up and taken it away. With two days till Christmas, I have to admit defeat. These posts aren’t happening before the 25th and I hang my head in shame. Actually, I cried about it the other day.

Pssssh, no! That’s totally not overdramatic! How dare you suggest it!

Srsly, not an overreaction at all.

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAnyway…..

I’m still going to do the posts because my baby needs some love. They’ll just go up after Christmas. Which is when everyone wants to read things about Christmas. Afterwards.

Honestly, this post is kind of a plea for understanding because I’m needy and want to justify myself but out of everyone in the world, I’m probably the most disappointed. Not angry. Just disappointed.

I think this year I will plan. That way I can get a couple non-Christmas holiday season foods up as well.

Holidays like Decemberween!

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On the plus side, I did end up with this marvelous new banner by this guy.

You’re jealous.

I hope everyone had/has a great holiday! Go eat a lot of food cause duuuuh.

Keep eating and asking, my friends.

Esther

BUT you may have noticed that I have this new mega-awesome-super-duper-best-ever banner!

IKNORITE!?

And it’s all thanks to this guy right here:

This is my friend Giancarlo. He’s not really a dinosaur.

Check his stuff here, his Twitter here, and his Facebook here. It’s the polite thing to do.

Keep eating and asking, my friends.

Esther

Omg shhhh he’s sleeeepin.

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I want to see the golden piglet.

Even though the majority of Czech aren’t actually that religious, they place importance on those superstitions and traditions. Another tradition that seems to have stuck is carp. Traditionally, a Czech Christmas dinner consists of anywhere between 9 and 12 meatless (or supposed to be meatless) courses depending on the area of the country. Like other cultures that eat fish on Christmas, carp is symbolic of the Last Supper. Families that served 12 dishes were invoking Jesus’ 12 apostles.

Om…noms?

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The carp is not an old tradition. The Czech have never been huge fish eaters and feasting on Christmas carp only started in the 19^th century. Before refrigeration, two things affected Christmas dinner: location and money. Anyone who ate carp on Christmas prior to the 19^th century either lived in a fishing town or was quite wealthy.

Only the wealthy ate carp. Seems odd, doesn’t it?

Like these people. These people probably ate carp.

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Despite the limited access people had to fish, there are written accounts of carp farming way back to the 11^th century. Monasteries kept fishponds to raise carp because it was a good food for Lent. The most significant cultivation happened in the 15^th and 16^th centuries when the number of carp ponds increased in South Bohemia. In fact, the art of creating and maintaining carp ponds was so admired that two men, Stepan Netolicky and his successor Jakub Krcin, became famous. Netolicky designed a pond system that incorporates several ponds and is still functional today.

Nowadays, carp at Christmas has become a staple and the Czech are known to have some of the best carp in Eastern Europe. Every meal begins with a fish soup, vánoční rybí polévka (that literally translates to “Christmas fish soup”), that’s made from the leftover bits after butchering a carp.

From this…

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So, bits like the head and the tail and the….other stuff. Yum.

To this!

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The Czech still aren’t big fish eaters but every year between the 24^th and 26^th of December, the Czech population ingests about 60,000 metric tons of carp. The Christmas carp counts for about 60% of the annual Czech demand for freshwater fish and 90% of freshwater fish sales during Christmas. Clearly, the carp harvest is kind of a big deal. In late October fishermen head out to carp ponds, most of which are man made, and begin the process of harvesting carp from the 7,600 ponds in Southern Bohemia.

How does one harvest carp, you ask? I’ll tell you.

First, you start draining the carp pond. That can take anywhere from a week to a month, depending on the size of the pond. The fish move to the deepest area of the pond where they are easily corralled by boats and nets. Fishermen drag huge numbers of live carp out of the lakes and ponds and sort them out by size. The fish are only retailed when they’re 3-4 years old and size is a good indicator of age. The smaller are returned to the pond to continue growing while the larger are sent to holding facilities. The fish hang out in tanks for a few weeks during which they purge themselves of their muddy taste. They are, after all, bottom feeders. The fishing lasts until the end of November.

Carp fishing at Talinsky Pond.

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This particular method of carp farming and fishing started in the 14^th century and hasn’t changed much over the years.

Once the middle of December roles around, the streets of towns and cities are flooded with carp vendors. People choose their carp and the vendor fishes the Chosen One out of the huge tank. The carp can be killed and cleaned right there on the spot but most people choose to do the traditional thing – take them home and let them live in the bathtub until it’s time to kill them on Christmas Eve.

This picture is kind of hard to see, but there are tons of these booths lining the street. And lots of carp. LOTS.

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What’s the best way to kill a carp at home, you ask? I’ll tell you.

First, you hit it hard on the head with a heavy object (usually a mallet). Then you cut the gills and tail so the fish stops “flapping about.” Remove the scales and innards from the stomach with a knife, clean the carp thoroughly, and cut that baby up. The leftover bits are used to make vánoční rybí polévka. And don’t throw out the scales! Place them under dinner plates or the tablecloth at Christmas dinner to bring wealth to the home. People who carry a fish scale or two in their wallet year round will never run out of money. They will also have a stinky wallet.

And this carp thought he was just getting a new friend.

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Oh hey, side note about killing carp with mallets – Chuck Norris is bad at it. That’s right, I’m talking about Chuck Norris in a Christmas post about carp in an Eastern European country. Turns outs Christmas carp is such a well-known tradition in the Czech Republic that T-Mobile produced a commercial in which Chuck Norris, visiting a Czech home for Christmas, is invited to kill the carp. He, of course, refuses and then faints.

“Anyone can be tough on TV.” -The Guy in the Bad Sweater

If you’re wondering, “Why Chuck Norris?” the answer is because he’s mega-popular in the Czech Republic. His films were smuggled into the country as the Iron Curtain was about to collapse and they were some of the few bits of western entertainment the Czech could access. Once the 1990s rolled around, Walker Texas Ranger became one of the first major television hits from the US. Czech kids grew up with him. The managing director and co-owner of the commercial’s production company, Petr Keller, said

“Chuck Norris accepted this offer also for one reason, as a devout Christian he wanted to come to Prague to do Christmas ads because as he told us ‘In the U.S. it’s all just season holidays”

His agent decline to comment.

Fun fact: Chuck Norris is 72. IKNORITE!?

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What were we talking about? Oh yeah, Christmas.

There are, of course, people who don’t agree with the carp markets. In 2004, animal campaigners in Prague called for the end of the public fishing market and the “slaughtering of millions of carp” at Christmas. Petr Schmied, campaigner with the Animals Freedom association, said

“It is paradoxical that Christmas, generally considered a holiday of love and peace, has unfolded as a sign of the massacre of animals.”

The argument is that the fish are being killed at 3 to 4 years old when in the wild they can live to be about 20 or 30 (actually, they can live to be 200, but who’s counting?). In addition, fishermen in public markets use knives to behead the fish turning the street into a brutal, open-air slaughterhouse.

I was going to post a picture of the fish market slaughter but went with an adorable puppy instead.

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“’And all that happens in front of the eyes of children. But that does not embarrass their parents,’ said Petr Schmied, who denounces the suffering inflicted on carp.”

Ya know, as opposed to the traditional killing method of smashing the fish over the head with a mallet and then gutting it while it’s still half-alive.

The protestors approached customers out doing their yearly carp fishing and tried to engage them in debates about the custom, saying the tradition is not so traditional since it only dates to the 19^th century. Prior to that there was a more vegetarian tradition of eating kuba, a porridge made of hulled barley and dried mushrooms, and sour soup.

According to Schmied, they were having little success but meant to keep trying.

I guess it doesn’t look too bad…

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Aaaand back to Christmas dinner.

The vánoční rybí polévka (fish soup) also holds a special place in the hearts of the Czech. A way to use all the fish bits, it’s turned into a well-known part of Czech culture. Every year on Christmas Eve, the mayor of Prague turns out to serve Christmas fish soup to the entire city in the Old-Town Square. In 2011, 3,000 portions of soup were prepared following an old Czech recipe. Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda served 2,000 portions in the square while another 1,000 were served on Wenceslas Square and Kampa Island. The tradition began as a way to give the poor and beggars a gift on Christmas as well, but these days the soup group is about one half Praguers and the other half foreigners and tourists. There’s the occasional homeless person but they’ve all but stopped coming.

Svoboda serving soup.

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The traditional Czech Christmas dinner has changed a little over the last few hundred years. There aren’t necessarily 9 to 12 courses anymore, but it always includes fish soup, fried carp, and cold potato salad. Families have tried other main dishes for dinner, like salmon or poultry and pork, but the following Christmas they tend to go back to carp. Whether that’s out of preference or just feeling generally uncomfortable with changing tradition, we may never know.

Fried carp and cold potato salad.

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Keep eating and asking, my friends.

Esther

Bibliography:

-Borufka, Sarah. “The story of Christmas carp – Magazine – The Prague Post.” The Prague Post – Czech and Central European news, business and opinion. Prague Post, spol. s.r.o., 17 Nov. 2010. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. <http://www.praguepost.com/magazine/holiday-guide/6452-the-story-of-christmas-carp.html>.

-Bowler, Gerald. “The Czech Republic.” The World Encyclopedia of Christmas. Toronto: M&S, 2000. 55. Print.

-Clinton, BJ. “Czech campaigners call for end to cruel carp Christmas tradition.” Free Republic. FreeRepublic.com, 22 Dec. 2004. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. <www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1306928/posts>.

-Crump, William D.. “Czech Republic.” The Christmas Encyclopedia. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001. 101-103. Print.

-”Czech Christmas Customs.” My Czech Republic – Czech travel, culture, community. Local Lingo s.r.o., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. <http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech_culture/czech_holidays/christmas_superstitions.html>.

-Fairclough, Gordon. “Czech Republic Gets a Kick Out of Action Star Chuck Norris Appearing in Spots for T-Mobile – WSJ.com.” Business News & Financial News – The Wall Street Journal – Wsj.com. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 29 Dec. 2010. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204685004576045742920566766.html>.

-”Food recipes-Traditional Czech Christmas Food – My Destination Prague.” Your Local Travel Guide to Worldwide Destinations – My Destination. My Destination, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://www.mydestination.com/prague/6178405/food-recipes-traditional-czech-christmas-food>.

-Jobes, Gertrude. “Carp.” Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore and Symbols, Volume 1. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1961. 292. Print.

-”Prague mayor serves Christmas fish soup in city centre | Prague Monitor.” Prague Monitor. Real Time Productions S.R.O., 27 Dec. 2011. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. <http://praguemonitor.com/2011/12/27/prague-mayor-serves-christmas-fish-soup-city-centre>.

-Rousek, Leos. “  Czech Christmas Carp Gets Chuck Norris – Emerging Europe Real Time – WSJ.” WSJ Blogs – WSJ. Dow Jones & Company, Inc, 29 Dec. 2010. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. <http://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2010/12/29/czech-christmas-carp-gets-chuck-norris/>.

-”The Christmas Carp’s journey to the Christmas table.” Czech Christmas – Christmas Carp. Radio Prague, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. <archiv.radio.cz/christmas/carp.html>.

-Vries, Ad de., and Arthur de. Vries. “Carp.” Elsevier’s Dictionary of Symbols and Imagery. 2nd enl. ed. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2004. 104. Print.

Yuck.

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Me. I don’t like alcoholic beverages.

Me aside, the answer would be most people. Come Christmas you get a lot of creamy, milk-based alcoholic beverages. Eggnog, ponche, rompope, coquito, etc. Chile has one too.

Cola de mono.

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Since Chile is a largely Catholic country, Christmas holds a special place on the calendar. It’s a time to get together with friends and family, eat, drink, and generally celebrate. The only equivalents would be New Year’s Day and September 18^th (Chilean Independence Day). Since Christmas falls during the height of summer, the holiday has been adapted to fit the climate and culture of Chile.

Let me voice some of the obvious questions that are running through your mind right now.

Do Chileans eat fresh vegetable salads during Christmas dinner? Of course they do. Does Santa wear shorts? Ya darn tootin’. Is their milk-based alcoholic beverage of choice served cold?

You betcha.

I don’t understand. Where are the brussels sprouts?

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If you read through American blogs or recipe sites, Chilean cola de mono (which literally translates to “tail of the monkey”) is touted as “Chilean eggnog.” That’s untrue. They both contain milk and alcohol and have a creamy color but the similarities end there. The ingredients and resulting taste and consistency of cola de mono are enough to make it clear that they are not the same drink. One is not the other.

Would you see seashells next to eggnog? Methinks no.

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The main ingredients for cola de mono are milk, coffee, sugar, and aguardiente, a clear, grape-based 50 proof grain alcohol produced in Chile. Baking spices, like nutmeg and cinnamon, are optional but recommended. There are those that like to include whiskey, vodka, and other spirits in their punch while others enjoy substituting condensed milk for regular milk.

Served to you by this guy.

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Cola de mono gets the most table time in northern Chile and, for whatever reason, the drink only holds real sway at Christmas and New Year’s. Manufacturers have done their best to change that but they’re kind of fighting a losing battle. Cola de mono has become a significant part of Chilean Christmas. Only residents of port towns like Valparaíso and San Antonio drink it out of season. For example, Dieciocheras (national holidays) are traditionally a time for chicha (a slightly alcoholic fruit punch) but you’re likely to find one or two San Antonians with a cola de mono in hand.

That’s corn. In case you were wondering.

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The only definitive information I could dig up about cola de mono’s origins is that it’s linked to Santiago. After that, everything’s a little hazy.

Let’s start with the name cola de mono.

There are several theories about how the name came to be. The story with no evidence whatsoever is that it will have you swinging from the rafters like a monkey, hence “monkey’s tail.”

Pretty sure the person made that up. A for effort though.

Another tale (lol get it) concerns the original packaging of the manufactured cola de mono. It’s possible that the early 20^th century manufacturers of cola de mono originally used anisette (aniseed liqueur) in addition to or instead of the traditional brandy when mixing up a batch. The most popular anisette was a Spanish brand called Anís de Juliano, also called Anís de Mono cause of the big ol’ monkey on the label. Since the manufacturers had all those leftover bottles, they decided to use them to store and sell their alcoholic beverage. The bottled drink soon earned the name of cola de mono because of the monkey on the bottles.

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There’s not much evidence for the use of anisette so the manufacturers could have just used the empty bottles to package the drinks. Still earned it the name cola de mono, though.

In his book “Diccionario de Chilenismos y otras Voces y Locuciones Viciosas,” Chilean author Manuel Antonio Romón says it got it’s name because the coffee brown color of the drink reminded people of the color of a monkey’s tail. Again, this story is unlikely. Most origin stories imply that a person or persons of elevated status invented cola de mono. It’s doubtful that the elite of early 20^th century Chile knew the most common color of a monkey’s tail.

One last name story, which doesn’t even explain the whole name, but ok. Since the drink is served cold, there is speculation that the word cola is a bastardization of the English word “cold.”

This is a tiny monkey.

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Name aside, where did this concoction come from? The most popular theories have to do with Don Pedro Montt Montt, president of Chile from 1906 to 1910. Also, that’s not a typo, that’s his name.

These theories aren’t backed up by much historical fact. We can presume they’re popular because they promote a sense of nationalism. However, well-known historian Bellarmine Torres Vergara supports the next anecdote despite lack of evidence.

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One night, President Montt was at a party held in his honor by the wealthy widow Dona Filomena Cortés Bascuñán. Dona Filomena loved to give refined and exquisite banquets and this one was no exception. The guests arrived, eager for a good (drunk) time. At the time, the custom was for guests to turn in their weapons to an attendant at the door. That way, if anyone got rip-roaring drunk and a fight broke out, no one would die. So everyone, including the President, handed over his or her gun.

Eventually, the President said to himself, “It’s late, I’m tired, I’m going home.” He turned to the host and her guests and announced, “It’s late, I’m tired, I’m going home.” He went to the gun attendant and demanded to have his Colt revolver returned immediately so he could leave. Only his friends weren’t down with that. For one thing, it was raining. For another, they wanted to get more drunker (yes, that was on purpose). They told the attendant to lie and say the gun had gone astray. Clearly, the President couldn’t leave without his gun so his friends encouraged him to stay until it was recovered.

1849 Colt revolver. Not the one owned by President Montt.

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But then everyone was like “Now what?” cause all the wine and liquor had been consumed. They needed something to keep the party lubricated so they trooped into the kitchen where they discovered a pitcher of cold café con leche (coffee with milk) and a bottle of aguardiente. The café con leche and aguardiente were mixed together, along with sugar and baking spices. It was immediately named Colt Montt in reference to the President’s hidden revolver, which eventually morphed in cola de mono.

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Another version of the same story ends with, “The President’s nickname was ‘El mono Montt’ and that’s where the name comes from.” Not sure how plausible that one is since 1. Where did the cola (tail) come from? and 2. Why would you nickname your president “El mono”?

Still another President Montt story has him traveling to Europe where he tasted a delicious punch. He brought home the recipe, as well as Colt weapons as gifts for his officers, and it was adapted to fit Chilean tastes. A variation says an employee or cook found the recipe and spread it around. Either way, it was named Colt Montt in honor of the gifts he brought home with him.

WAIT, DON’T GO! I’m not done yet.

It’s a sad puppy.

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The final chapter of the “President Montt had something to do with cola de mono”story is far less jolly. In 1901 there was a debate between Montt and his opponent, Germán Riesco. Riesco won the debate and to celebrate, he and his supporters went to an ice cream parlor on Calle San Pablo in Santiago (a man after my own heart). The owner produced his signature drink, melted coffee ice cream mixed with milk and brandy. The supporters christened the drink “la cola de Montt” (Montt’s tail). Ya know, as in “running away with your tail between your legs.”

Then Montt won the election and Riesco & Co. were sad.

I’m not sure why he lost. His mustache was way better.

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All these stories sound like Montt was the weird kid at school that nobody liked or understood so they picked on him by calling him names and hiding his stuff but then he persevered by beating the popular kid at the school election and his life turned into a teen movie about the underdog coming out on top.

lol. Not this movie.

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Now that we all have warm fuzzies, let’s move on to a slightly more factual origin story.

In his book “Apuntes para la Historia de la Cocina Chilena,” Eugenio Pereira Salas says the creator of cola de mono was Juana Flores, the wife of a merchant living in Santiago at the turn of the century. Their home was situated on calle San Diego in the neighborhood of Plaza de Almagro right next to an Uruguayan bar and facing a restaurant called Coq Hardi (yes, the location of her home is important). She wanted to create an alternative to the popular but “evil” alcoholic punches so adored by her countrymen. She combined coffee with milk and vanilla but, alas, it too became evil. She later died of a broken heart in her calle San Diego home.

I’m not sure how that’s relevant.

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So why is the location of her home important? Because both the Uruguayan bar and the restaurant actually existed. The house was there, in its original state, until the 80s when a huge demolition project wiped out a bunch of buildings in the area. Plus, there was a local store nearby called Cola de Mono that was featured in a 1963 issue of On Tour which many people suspect was Juana Flores’.

Cola de Mono bar in 1963.

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The other story is that Dona Flores’ husband invented the drink. He wanted to name it colemono and threw a fit when everyone ended up called it cola de mono.

 Whatever the real story, the general consensus is the drink was invented by those of aristocratic (or at least elevated) status and slowly worked its way down to more “common” society because it was easy to make and the ingredients were cheap.

The recipe for the drink has been relatively unchanged – milk, brandy, coffee, sugar, vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon – but there were (and are) bars and restaurants in Chile that liked to change it up a bit. One famous variation was from a bar called Fuente Franco Suiza in the 1970s. They called theirs Gorilla Glue and I have no idea what was in it.

Nooooooo thanks.

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The most sought after cola de mono was from La Bahía in Monjitas. La Bahía guarded their recipe jealously until they had to close their doors in 1963. At a special farewell dinner, the barman, Gerardo Ruiz Rivera, revealed the recipe included nutmeg, vanilla, and lemon peel, thus ending the 25-year-old mystery.

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These days, many drinking establishments support drinking cola de mono year round but, as is the case with the commercial produced drink, it just isn’t working. Chileans like to keep their cola de mono a Christmas tradition, along with going to midnight mass and coming home to a huge family meal. They gorge on roast turkey, beef, or chicken, maybe salmon and shrimp, fresh vegetable salads, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, carrots, green beans, avocados, celery, and fresh bread. There’s Pan de Pasqua, a Christmas bread with nuts, raisins, candied fruits, and spices, and Stollen in southern Chile. Desserts range from Bûche de Noël to Black Forest cake to berry trifles.

And to accompany all this, several glasses of cold cola de mono with a cinnamon stick. Because what’s Christmas without a creamy glass of the worst hangover ever?

Cola de mono and Pan de Pascua.

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Keep eating and asking, my friends.

Esther

Bibliography:

-Albala, Ken. “Chile.” Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia, Volume 2: The Americas. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood, 2011. 71-2. Print.

-Bowler, Gerald. “Chile.” The World Encyclopedia of Christmas. Toronto: M&S, 2000. 42. Print.

-Caskey, Liz. “Cola de Mono: Chile’s Version of Eggnog.” Eat Wine by Liz Caskey Culinary & Wine Experiences. Liz Caskey, 23 Dec. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <eatwineblog.com/2011/12/23/cola-de-mono-chile’s-version-of-eggnog/>.

-Crump, William D.. “South America.” The Christmas Encyclopedia. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001. 266. Print.

-Culture and Customs of Chile. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2000. 79. Print.

-Janer, Zilkia. “Glossary.” Latino Food Culture. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008. 150. Print.

-URBATORIVM. Christian Salazar Naudón, 2 Dec. 2008. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://urbatorium.blogspot.com/2008/12/el-cola-de-mono-la-tradicional-y.html>.

-”Nuestro.cl / Cola de mono: la bebida de montt.” Nuestro.cl / el sitio del patrimonio cultural chileno. Corporación Patrimonio Cultural de Chile, 1 Dec. 2003. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://www.nuestro.cl/notas/rescate/colamono_origen.htm>.

What is this magic?

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No it’s not, I’m totally lying.

The most important day/festival of the year is the New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. Children are given new clothes, delicious meals, small toys, and firecrackers (always a good idea to give a child a firecracker). They pay respects to their elders and spend time with family.

How stupid adorable is this?

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Sounds a bit like western Christmas, amirite?

Christmas is celebrated in China, as well. Sort of.

OH MY GOD.

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Christmas in China is new. It didn’t make its way into mainstream Chinese society until later in the 1990s and, now that it has, the celebration is definitely not religious. It’s not even about spending time with cherished family and friends.

There are several million Christians in China, but when you take into account that the country contains 20% the world’s population (about 1.3 billion people), that’s not a lot. The religious holiday was introduced by missionaries in the 16^th century but didn’t get popular until the 1920s and 30s. When the Communist Party took over in 1949, it once again fell by the wayside. Western “things” were a big no-no.

Virgin Mary and baby Jesus.

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So back to mainstream Christmas. Once the Communist government became a little more tolerant in the 1980s, Christmas started to make a comeback. The assumption is the government relented (a little bit) because it was an excellent way to pull in some profit. Stores began a-selling, people began a-decorating, and food got a-eaten and by the mid 1990s it had morphed into a commercial success. There was too much pressure from the Communist government to keep religion out of Christmas, however and it became the commercialized version of Christmas (probably even more so) that we know in America, minus the religion.

Watch this video. The answers to “what’s the meaning of Christmas?” are charming (no sarcasm, I thought it was lovely).

“I heard that it has something to do with a person called Jesus.”

What’s so striking and wonderful about the answers to those questions is the information westerners (like myself) see as completely commonplace are not universal knowledge. There’s this ingrained idea that we know it so of course everyone knows it. In the same vein, if westerners were asked, “Do you know who Guanyin is?” we might have similar answers that would charm the pants off an East Asian Buddhist. Differences in cultures, my dears. It’s fascinating.

P.S. She’s the goddess of compassion. That’s the shortest answer I can put in a photo caption.

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Anyway, what Christmas has become in China is a little bit what Christmas has become in Japan. A time to shop, eat, and give gifts to your boyfriend or girlfriend – a little bit like Valentine’s Day. There are holiday theme parks erected, huge events planned, and everyone spends a butt-ton of money. One event that took place in Hong Kong last year was called the Ngong Ping 360 Snowy Chocolate Christmas. From December 8^th through January 2^nd there were daily chocolate tastings (complete with chocolate fountain) and chocolate making workshops.

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So…what about the food?

On Christmas, the Chinese eat western.

Chinese Christmas ham.

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During Christmas, western restaurants and hotels prepare extravagant Christmas feasts. They serve “traditional” Christmas foods, like turkey, roast beef, cranberry sauce, and veggie sides. Large international hotel chains offer Christmas buffets to tourists visiting for their vacation, which are so popular that people have to make reservations months in advance or they can forget the turkey. Hotels, department stores, bakeries, and larger grocery stores sell lil’ yummies like Christmas cookies and peppermint drops. International chain grocery stores tend to have more of the western Christmas foods and treats than other establishments.

Image advertising the Christmas buffet at the Carlton Hotel in Singapore.

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The interesting thing is, if you visit china.org.cn to read about Christmas in China, their information is more of an ad for shopping for everything ever and spending a load of money than the idea of Christmas. Quickly, from the about section of China.org.cn:

“China.org.cn offers broad access to up-to-date news about China, with searchable texts of government position papers and a wealth of basic information about Chinese history, politics, economics and culture.

The authorized government portal site to China, China.org.cn is published under the auspices of the State Council Information Office and the China International Publishing Group (CIPG)in Beijing.”

When it comes to food suggestions on the website, there’s really no rhyme or reason. There’s encouragement to stop dieting and eat everything you can. There are four images of roast turkey (one of which is a lil ridiculous – see below), and names of a few places that offer Christmas dinners or specials. But the next few articles don’t even mention the word Christmas. They advertise a café, chocolate chip cookies, molecular gastronomy, and dim sum. They’re simply encouraging people to eat out.

If you’ve ever done this, show me. Please.

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While most Chinese elect to eat out on Christmas, some families have begun preparing elaborate Christmas feasts at home. If you want to go with traditional western, your best bet for ingredients are chains like Jenny Lou’s and Carrefour in china and City’Super in Hong Kong and Taiwan. They stock turkeys (not a native bird of China), cranberries, and all the necessary fixins. However, most Chinese stick with their own festival foods – dumplings and Peking duck for instance.

IT’S A PIG.

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Those feeling especially celebratory will make Eight Treasures Duck (八宝鸭, phonetically bā bǎo yā).

Eight Treasures Duck, you say? That sounds interesting! What is it?

“A duck stuffed with diced chicken, smoked ham, peeled shrimp, fresh chestnuts, bamboo shoots, dried scallops and mushrooms stir-fried with slightly undercooked rice, soy sauce, ginger, spring onions, white sugar, and rice wine.”

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Oh. Ok.

IT’S FILLED WITH SO MANY THINGS.

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Understandably, Chinese people are confused when they come to America for one reason or another and find out not all Americans celebrate Christmas. They’ve been brought up believing that Christmas is America’s national holiday. The idea that some people eat Chinese food on Christmas instead of mounds of turkey is baffling. Chinese immigrants in America usually celebrate Christmas with Chinese food as well; only they go with traditional festival foods instead of General Tso’s chicken (which, incidentally, was most likely invented in New York City).

Not real Chinese food.

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There is one Christmas tradition that is purely Chinese: giving apples. It has become popular to give apples on Christmas Eve; so popular that stores sell apples wrapped in colorful paper. Why do they give apples? Well, Christmas Eve is called ping an ye, which means “quiet or silent night.” The word for apple is ping guo, which sounds similar.

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And that’s why they give apples on Christmas Eve.

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If we look at the apple in China on a slightly deeper level, there isn’t much there. Apples aren’t a native Chinese fruit so the type of ancient meaning that might be associated with, say, the peach (the fruit of life), is fairly non-existent. However, there’s indication that the apple represents peace in China, which might be part of the reason why apples are gifted. The only reason I’m suggesting this is another Chinese Christmas tradition that implicates a similar idea – oranges.

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Often in the Christmas displays in shop windows, a bowl of fruit, particularly tangerines and oranges, is prominently featured. That’s because oranges are thought to bring wealth, joy, and good luck, as well as ward off evil spirits. Still, the orange holds more significance in Japanese myth and (as we know from last year) is a common gift on Christmas in Europe and America, which is the main reason why I don’t think this can be considered an exclusively Chinese tradition.

A store selling Christmas decorations.

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So there you have it. Christmas food in China.

Keep eating and asking, my friends.

Esther

Bibliography:

-Andrews, Tamra. “Apples; Oranges.” Nectar & Ambrosia: An Encyclopedia of Food in World Mythology. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2000. 7-10; 166-167. Print.

-Björkell, Stina. “A Chinese Christmas | gbtimes.” gbtimes – The Third Angle Chinese news and video reports on China today. N.p., 21 Dec. 2007. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://gbtimes.com/lifestyle/chinese-christmas>.

-Boland, Rory. “Christmas Events in Hong Kong – Guide to Christmas Events in Hong Kong 2011.” Hong Kong Travel Guide – Travel Guide to Hong Kong and Macau. About.com, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://gohongkong.about.com/od/whattoseeinhk/a/xmaseventsinHK.htm>.

-Boland, Rory. “Christmas in Hong Kong – What to Do and Where to Eat at Christmas in Hong Kong.” Hong Kong Travel Guide – Travel Guide to Hong Kong and Macau. About.com, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://gohongkong.about.com/od/whattoseeinhk/a/XmasinHK.htm>.

-”Christmas In China.” The North Pole Web Site. The-North-Pole.com, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/china.html>.

-”Christmas in China.” china.org.cn. china.org.cn, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.china.org.cn/living_in_china/Christmas_in_China/node_7058308.htm>.

-”Christmas in China: Christmas Around the World at Santa’s Net..” SANTA CLAUS OF THE NORTH POLE. Father Christmas.. Australian Media Pty Ltd., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.santas.net/chinesechristmas.htm>.

-Cooper, James. “Christmas in China — Christmas Around the World — whychristmas?com.” Christmas Traditions, Christmas Customs and History, Christmas Around the World, The Christmas Story and Christmas Fun! – whychristmas?com. James Cooper, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/china.shtml>.

-Crump, William D.. “Asia.” The Christmas Encyclopedia. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001. 14. Print.

-Cummings, Tucker. “What Do People in China Have to Eat at Christmas Time? | eHow.com.” eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More – Discover the expert in you. | eHow.com. Demand Media, Inc., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.ehow.com/facts_5533463_do-china-eat-christmas-time.html>.

-Gao, Helen. “What China Loves About Christmas, and Doesn’t – Helen Gao – The Atlantic.” The Atlantic – News and analysis on politics, business, culture, technology, national,  international, and life -TheAtlantic.com. The Atlantic Monthly Group, 25 Dec. 2011. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/12/what-china-loves-about-christmas-and-doesnt/250488/>.

-Jobes, Gertrude. “Apple.” Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore and Symbols. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1961. 112-113. Print.

-Mack, Lauren. “Chinese Christmas: Prepare Chinese Christmas Cuisine.” Chinese Culture. About.com, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://chineseculture.about.com/od/chinesefestivals/a/Chinese-Christmas-Prepare-Chinese-Christmas-Cuisine.htm>.

-Mack, Lauren. “Christmas in China: How Christmas is Celebrated in China.” Chinese Culture. About.com, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://chineseculture.about.com/od/chinesefestivals/a/Christmas-In-China-How-Christmas-Is-Celebrated-In-China.htm>.

-Naumann, Sara. “Christmas in China 2009 – What to Do for Christmas in China – Spending Christmas in China.” China Travel – Info for Travel to China. About.com, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://gochina.about.com/od/shopping/a/Christmas.htm>.

-Parkinson, Rhonda. “Chinese Christmas Celebrations.” Chinese Recipes – Chinese Cuisine – Chinese Food and Cooking. About.com, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://chinesefood.about.com/od/foodandchineseculture/a/christmas.htm>.

I love you, Mrs. Beeton.

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This week I’m sharing some postcards created by one William H. “Dad” Martin. No relation.

I had to.

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Martin was a photographer located in Ottawa, Kansas during the turn of the century. He started out in 1894 as a photographer but it wasn’t until 1908 when he started using trick photography that he hit the big time.

“Taking geese to market” from 1909. Really big geese.

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That was a pun. I made a punny.

Martin produced a series of postcards, many of which featured hugely exaggerated images of food. The photos were so popular that over the next three years he earned the equivalent of more money than I will ever have in my entire life.

Enjoy.

“Potatoes grow big in our state.”

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“The Modern Farmer”

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“Good corn makes good hogs.”

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Speaking of hogs…

“Feeding time.”

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“Country Fair”

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“Harvesting a profitable crop of onions.”

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“Bringing in the sheaves.”

(source) <— That source also has a couple more pictures worth checking out.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, anyone?

Betcha didn’t guess that this was one of my absolute favorite books as a kid.

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Keep eating and asking, my friends.

Esther

Bibliography:

-”Did You Ever Have A Dream Like This?”  Fantasy Photographs — American Museum of Photography(SM).” American Museum of Photography  — View Great Photographs Online — History of Photography Exhibits. The American Photography Museum, Inc., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.photographymuseum.com/talltale.html>.

-Martin, William H.. “Food.” Lapham’s Quarterly 4.3 (2011): 5. Print.

I think this is actually someone’s house.

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I’m doing it again this year.

Me on December 26th.

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While you reflect on my poor decision making, here’s the 25 (technically 26 because one was a two-parter) posts I did last Christmas.

Poor decision making. Ya know, kinda like getting a lower back tattoo.

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Day 1: Laufabrauð – Iceland

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Day 2: Sorrel & Black Cake – Jamaica

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Day 3: The Great Supper & The Thirteen Desserts of Provence – France

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Day 4: Oranges – Turkey, Europe, North America

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Day 5: Julbord – Sweden

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Day 6: Candy Canes – Europe, North America

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Day 7: Injera & Wat – Ethiopia

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Day 8: Bûche de Noël – France

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Day 9: Dickbauch – Germany

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Day 10: Twelfth Night Cake & King Cake – Europe, the Americas

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Day 11: Japanese Christmas Delights – Japan (doy)

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Day 12: Mincemeat Pie – Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Sometimes America

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Day 13: Little Feast – Iran

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Day 14: Christmas Pudding – Great Britain, Canada, Australia

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Day 15: Mole Poblano de Guajolote – México

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Day 16: Eggnog – America, Great Britain

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Day 17: La Vigilia – Italy

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Day 18: Lefse – Norway, American Midwest

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Day 19: Communion Wafers & Apples – Lithuania

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Day 20: Gingerbread – Pretty much everywhere.

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Day 21: Stollen – Germany

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Day 22: Sugarplums – Europe, North America

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Day 23: Babingka & Puto Bumbong – Philippines

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Day 24: Cookies for Santa - Mostly America, Europe

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Day 25: The Christmas Bird, Part I and Part II

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And there it is. Last year’s 25 (but really 26) posts. And to think, soon it’ll be 50 (but really 51).

Keep eating and asking, my friends.

Esther

THEY’RE MINI TURKEY BURGERS!!!

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Thanksgiving is on Thursday. It’s a day for us to eat all the green bean casserole and take all the naps and have all the family fights. Those things are, of course, essential to a proper Thanksgiving, but the real star of the day is our tricky friend, the turkey.

Ooooooh so fiiiiine.

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Thanksgiving without turkey is unimaginable. I mean, why do you think there’s Tofurkey and other gross I MEAN TOTALLY DELICIOUS substitutes? Because it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a heaping pile of bird meat. Images of Pilgrims chillin’ with Native Americans before chowing down on a shared meal of death and destruction wouldn’t be complete without our fat fowl friend.

“Would you like a drumstick before my husband and his friends completely destroy your home and family?”

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Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but them murderous Pilgrims and unsuspecting Native Americans (omg could I be any more biased?) did not center their Thanksgiving meal on the turkey. Actually, they didn’t even start the holiday of Thanksgiving.

“Contrary to popular belief, Thanksgiving did not become a national tradition under the Massachusetts Pilgrims; nor was the turkey for a fact the piece de resistance at the famous 1621 meal” -James G. Dickinson

So many lies!

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November Thanksgiving wasn’t widely celebrated until Abraham Lincoln decalred it a national holiday in 1863. Before that it was occasionally celebrated by New Englanders but for different reasons and never at the same time of year. Turkey wasn’t a traditional part of their Thanksgiving until 1857. From there it spread nationwide until, finally, it came to rest in our hearts and minds as the only suitable Thanksgiving main course.

Oh, hello. Did you want me to violently devour you after being bathed in a sauce made of your own juices? YOU DID!?

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And to think, if we’d followed the Pilgrims example, our main Thanksgiving course would be deer.

Everyone ready for some Thanksgiving Deer?

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Ah well. Better luck next time, the turkey.

If you have any interest in reading a little more about the turkey, check out my Christmas Bird post. Yeah, yeah, I know it was for Christmas but it kinda turned into a history of the turkey instead.

Keep eating and asking, my friends.

Esther

Bibliography:

-Davies, Karen. “Our Token of Festive Joy.” More Than a Meal: The Turkey in History, Myth, Ritual, and Reality. New York: Lantern Books, 2001. 51-4. Print.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

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Soooo yesterday we talked about yam mythology. Today let’s talk about the rituals that surround those myths.

Dancer in the New Yam Festival in Nigeria.

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Since yams were so important to so many to the Oceania region, it’s not really a surprise that there were plenty of rituals surrounding them. While the New Caledonians simply bury yam-shaped stones to increase the yield of the yam crop, the most popular rituals revolve around the Yam Spirit.

A New Caledonian Yam Harvest.

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In one Australian yam ceremony, the Yam Spirit makes its way from Altjerringa, the home of the ancestral spirits, to a mountain cave. From there the Spirit moves to a totem stick decorated with vegetable down (also called bombax cotton, it’s the fibers obtained from the Silk Cotton Tree) and planted in the ground. If the performers in the ceremony please the Great Spirit, the yam’s taproot will send shoots throughout the soil that will provide yams to the people.

Silk Cotton pod.

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The Yam Spirit in Nigeria, sometimes called Ifejioku, had a special cult. The people of the cult had to follow specific rules before and after the yams were planted. For example, an Ibo (now Igbo) priest plants his yams first so he can harvest his first. He gives his “firstfruits” to the Yam Spirit. The largest yam in the whole harvest is called the juiji and it’s believed that the Yam Spirit resides within. The priest keeps the juiji until the next harvest (a full year later) then kills a fowl and sprinkle’s its blood on the yam. He leaves it at the shrine of the Yam god along with some cola nuts as an offering with the hopes that it will please the god. The Ibo consider it a severe violation to harvest and eat yams before they provide the offering.

Ifejioku

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Just like in so many agriculture rituals around the world, the gods (and sometimes the ancestors) provide the food, so the people honor them through rituals. While the Orokolo people believe that the moon god provides yams, many other god/food myths believe a goddess provides them. In these myths, the goddess dies, goes down into the ground, and is resurrected as a food plant. In Oceania, the food plant is usually a yam and the gods who guarantee a good harvest are honored with respect and reverence.

Vegetable Kingdom by William Rhind from the 1860s.

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Yam ceremonies are still performed in some countries. Here’s a paper on Iri Ji Ohuru, the New Yams Festival, in Nigeria. It’s long and informative.

That’s a whole lotta yams.

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Keep eating and asking, my friends.

Esther

Bibliography:

-Andrews, Tamra. “Yams.” Nectar & Ambrosia: An Encyclopedia of Food in World Mythology. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2000. 249-51. Print.

-Davidson, Alan. “Yams.” The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. 858-9. Print.

-Matthews, J. Merritt, and Herbert R. Mauersberger. “Minor Seed Hairs.” Matthews’ Textile fibers: their physical, microscopical, and chemical properties. 5th ed. New York: J. Wiley & Sons ;, 1947. 343. Print.

-”bombax cotton — Britannica Online Encyclopedia.” Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/72519/bombax-cotton>.