avatarLucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)

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Abstract

u’ll find sticky rice and various fillings including savoury (pork belly) or sweet (red bean) versions.</p><p id="6f5e">Despite this light and fluffy eating experience, the legend behind this dish is dark. Beloved poet Qu Yuan felt as if he hadn’t served his people in the falling Chu dynasty and threw himself into a river. Citizens honoured his death by throwing <b>jung</b> into the river so the fish wouldn’t eat him.</p><p id="0520">Talk about nightmarish stories to hear as a kid, right? You’d best bet I still munched on these delicious rice tetrahedrons.</p><p id="6a71">Source: <a href="https://artifactsjournal.missouri.edu/2014/03/the-legend-behind-zongzi/">Fan, 2014</a></p><p id="4874"><b><i>Inspired by

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my Chinese food series:</i></b></p><div id="4d90" class="link-block"> <a href="https://medium.com/the-brain-is-a-noodle/mooncakes-%E6%9C%88%E9%A4%85-ec5d716d34e0"> <div> <div> <h2>mooncakes 🌙 月餅</h2> <div><h3>a food haiku featuring eggs 🍳</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*Rd-G7fSfrzr1vPETgb-A3g.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="415e"><b>Writing Prompt</b>: What’s the history / legend behind a food you like?</p></article></body>

The Dark History of This Rice Dish

A tiny recount of the backstory of the zongzi (jung; 粽)

Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

The zongzi (or jung, Lucy’s chaotic pronunciation guide) is commonly eaten as part of the Dragon Boat Festival. Wrapped in leaves, you’ll find sticky rice and various fillings including savoury (pork belly) or sweet (red bean) versions.

Despite this light and fluffy eating experience, the legend behind this dish is dark. Beloved poet Qu Yuan felt as if he hadn’t served his people in the falling Chu dynasty and threw himself into a river. Citizens honoured his death by throwing jung into the river so the fish wouldn’t eat him.

Talk about nightmarish stories to hear as a kid, right? You’d best bet I still munched on these delicious rice tetrahedrons.

Source: Fan, 2014

Inspired by my Chinese food series:

Writing Prompt: What’s the history / legend behind a food you like?

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