According to Chinese folklore the Jade Rabbit lives on the Moon, pounding herbs with a pestle and mortar to make the elixir of life for the Moon goddess.
A nice idea until you consider that Chinese herbal medicine is usually quite unpalatable.
But in Chinese culture food is medicine. It’s all about balance – yin and yang, hot and cold. Different foods are thought to be heating, cooling or neutral to the body.
To clarify, … red meat, fried foods and chilli are all heating foods. Cucumber, lettuce and yoghurt are cooling. So far, sounds kind of logical. Cold water is cooling. Ah, but hot water is neutral! It gets more complicated. Clementines and satsumas are heating but tangerines are cooling. Confusing. What about oranges? They’re neutral. Cabbages are heating but Chinese cabbages are cooling. OK, that’s enough!
So, on that basis, just eat a balanced diet and get some exercise. You’re welcome!
22nd January 2023 welcomes the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit. If you were born in 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, you are a Rabbit.
It’s believed that in the year of the Rabbit people can climb to higher levels because the rabbit has short forelegs and longer back legs! By that logic, we could really do with a year of the kangaroo and T-rex too, so we’d all have more opportunity for progress.
Kung Hei Fat Choi
Mo and Dave
One Response
Love it!! Happy New Year too xxx