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“Everything must go!”  by Qiu Li Min
A clearance sale? No, it was the lady beside me urging me to take my share of the food! I was attending the wedding feast of a
Zhuang couple, and as it was clearly my first time, various people had taken it upon themselves to help me.

On arrival, I handed a red packet (a gift of money) to a man who was collecting them for the bridal couple. I was instructed to write my name and the amount of the gift on the red packet so that it could be recorded in a book. Feeling rather

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How can 8 people eat that much food?


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Symbols of blessings and sons!
embarrassed, I did as I was told. As I looked around the restaurant, I could see tables laden with dishes of chicken, duck, stewed pork, waxed sausage, meat rolls, pig’s stomach, soup – much too much food for 8 people!

After the bridal couple arrived amidst a burst of firecrackers, we were ushered to seats, men and women at separate tables. The bride changed from her red dress into a western-style white gown for a procession through the restaurant, then changed back into her red dress again. While the guests tucked into the food, the bridal couple circulated among the guests to receive their toasts. As we began eating, my helpful neighbor passed me a red plastic bag. Somewhat puzzled, I put it down beside my bowl and continued eating. I saw that everyone else had opened up their bags and so did likewise, wondering why we needed so many bags – for bones? After a few mouthfuls, one of the ladies started handing around a dish of chicken, each person putting a couple of pieces in their plastic bags until the dish was emptied. Every few minutes, someone would pick up another dish and the food was distributed. If I was too slow or undecided about a particular food, someone would put my share in my bag for me whether I wanted any or not! Before long, the dishes were empty and we were taking food from our bags. Sensing my surprise, the ladies kindly explained that if we didn’t empty all the dishes the hosts would think that we were dissatisfied with the food.

At the end of the meal, every guest was given a red-dyed boiled egg and a bag filled with peanuts, melon seeds and candy, symbols of blessings and sons. Each guest also tied up their plastic bag of food to bring home. So it seems that a Zhuang wedding feast is not just a single meal but can feed a guest for at least another day!