When it comes to Chinese New year, there is never going to be a link between eating and eating.
Whether it is the dumplings and rice cakes that led to the North-South War, or the necessary bacon at the Chinese New year's dinner table, it is our Chinese unique "New year Culture".
Ms. Li, who lives overseas, is not only causing a "neighborhood war" because of the bacon that the Chinese people like to eat during the Spring Festival, but she is also questioned by the police at the door because of her suffering!
What's going on here?
Neighbor: I thought it was a terrorist scene
The story has to be told from the beginning.
Ms Li, who had settled overseas in her early years, was a very family-minded person, although she was overseas. For her, Lunar New year is to eat dumplings and bacon with her family, or else the taste of the year will fade.
But unlike previous years, this year, because Li had just finished giving birth, doctors advised her to try not to fly long hours for her own safety and the baby's safety.
Reasonable Ms. Li's parents heard the news, specially applied for a family visit visa, nominally said she wanted to see her grandson, but Ms. Li understood: parents this trip is to not let themselves alone, can not help heart moved.
Just during maternity leave, Ms. Li followed her mother to learn to make bacon and hung the pickled meat on the shelf in the backyard.
As a result, within two days of being exposed to the sun, Ms. Li's family had received complaints from neighbors all the time:
"what is that on your balcony?"
"what is this, meat? Why does this meat taste so strange? "
"my child looked out last night and found your backyard tanned with meat. He cried and told me it was a horrible scene!"
Although Ms. Li has repeatedly and sincerely explained that this is a traditional Chinese food for the Chinese New year, it can only be stored outside for a few days and can be stored for a long time, hoping that the neighbors will understand, but the neighbors do not buy it.
As a result of this stalemate, Ms. Li also had a temper, refused to remove the bacon. The neighbor saw her tough attitude, unexpectedly chose to call the police!
This, just because a few pieces of bacon, the situation completely out of control.
After being persuaded by the police, Ms. Li reluctantly removed the bacon.
In an interview, she only repeatedly explained: this is a traditional Chinese food, (traditional Chinese food), she herself does not understand why such a small matter can make the neighborhood angry, even contacted the police and the media to resolve …
Chinese: it's just bacon, is it?
Sun-cured meat is a perfectly normal behavior for the Chinese people.
When the lunar month approaches, many Chinese residential buildings will start to hang these salted bacon, some people even found business opportunities, set up a special network to sell their own pickled bacon;
(this picture of "sun cured meat" was popular on the Internet some time ago.)
But Westerners have no idea what the Chinese "dried meat" (dried meat) is:
What's the difference between this and our ham, bacon? Why do Chinese people like to do it in their own homes rather than go out and buy bacon and ham?
In fact, Ms. Li is not the first Chinese to dispute her neighborhood because of drying bacon, nor is she the last.
A while ago, Tony, a young man, posted pictures of himself in the community on Facebook, complaining that the Chinese neighbors around him were drying dried fish and bacon.
"it makes me feel offended to our western senses, (insult), every time my relatives come to my house, I feel very embarrassed," he said in the post.
"I wish I could see flowers, trees, beautiful scenery, not these things when I look out the window," he added.
Many local white residents have also expressed support for his comments below, and they are questioning the health safety of the bacon:
The fishy smell of the streets has attracted a lot of wild cats and mice to wander around, fearing that the bacon will lead to more dirty stuff.
There are also some rational Chinese who point out that the protests by their neighbours are indeed justified:
Ms. Xu, who lives near her home, said that before the New year, there were indeed many Chinese who made bacon at home. Her neighbors and neighbors made it. However, most of them hung up in the backyard or on the roof, where people could not see it. They hung out outside, and very few people hung out on the street. Exposure to dust and car exhaust is also unsanitary.
Hygienic hidden danger of homemade bacon
In conclusion, Westerners do not understand why the Chinese made bacon at a glance:
First, meat needs to be hung upside down, in the visual unsightly;
Second, some bacon, such as fish, taste strong, making Westerners feel unacceptable;
Third, it is easy to attract flies, rats and other "poison", affecting the health of the surrounding safety;
Fourth, many Chinese families hang bacon on the balcony and other places, which is the same as drying clothes on the balcony, is not accepted by the western mainstream values.
(there have also been complaints from neighbors about Chinese families hanging clothes with clothessticks in Australia.)
As a matter of fact, not only overseas Chinese, but also some Chinese who have already emigrated, are beginning to realize the health problems of bacon. After all, domestic winter, flies, mice and other has almost disappeared, but not necessarily not abroad.
Especially Australia is now in the summer, flies raging, and there is no need to make homemade bacon for the "taste of the year."
So, it's also a piece of bacon. What the Chinese see is the taste of the year, the tradition of the Chinese, but what Westerners see is the impact of the smell of the meat on environmental hygiene, as well as concerns about the quality of the meat itself.
This can only be said to be due to cultural differences and other causes of cognitive differences, but the health concerns of Westerners do have some reason.
There is an old saying in China that peace is the most important thing.
For the sake of harmony in their neighborhoods, Chinese people have to bear with it, or buy homemade bacon from Chinese factories through formal channels. Although it is certainly not cheaper than self-made goods and prices, at least food hygiene is guaranteed!