Fruit

In todays society people's lives are consumed by workng, family, and bills. Today, people in the modern world are accustomed to seeing skyscrapers, polluted streets, and many businesses. People in our modern era are more likely to eat out than cook a meal at home. The more people eat out, the less they can enjoy cooking. Foods made for selection are usually those that an ethnicity prefers. Foods that are a cultural norm to one group can be taboo to another. Is it possible that because peoples lives are so consumed they fail to give signigifigance to something like a fruit? Well the Chinese do.

One family of fruit that symbolizes a lot to the chinese people is the Citrus family. When Americans think about Oranges or Tangerines they think of breakfast or a snack. For the Chinese it symbolizes something big. According to Flavor and Fortune an "Orange means a prayer or wish for good fortune." This fruit is one of the most common fruit that are offered and are usually eaten on the second day of the new year. It's weird that they wouldn't eat it on the first day, but this is because an emperor offered Oranges to his officals on the second day. So by doing this you are representing "Officaldom". Which means to welcome more regime in Asia.

The mandarin, another fruit part of the citrus family is usually given to a woman by her in-laws the day of her wedding. She is to peal them at the ceremony, and share it with her husband. This symbolizes "a happy and full life together" for the newlyweds. This is not the only thing it means. In cantanese the word mandarin means gold. So not only are the in-laws wishing them happiness and a long beautiful life together, but they are also wishing them a lot of wealth.

One fruit that's not part of the citrus and does not represent happiness is the pear. According to Flavor and Fortune the chinese do not like to share a pear with their partner because it means seperation. So they do not give pears as gifts.It is said to not give a pear to a friend on the seventh or fifteenth day of the month because you will be wishing "separation on someone they love."

It's interesting how all these fruits have a meaning, and to most people it's just something to eat. People tend to overlook nature, and everything that it means. One thing that means nothing to one person, can mean a lot to another. Which is why we should always have open minds about everything we encounter during our lives.

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