dragon boats

Today is 端午節, duanwujie, or the Dragon Boat Festival, all over China.  We went up to Taipei expecting a major cultural extravaganza.  It was fun, but more like an ordinary sports competition, with lots of very sweaty team members.  (Much to my surprise I found my two older daughters lingering over where the male paddlers showered their naked upper bodies after the competition  …)

There were lots of foreigners present, lured there, no doubt, by their guide books.  But most Taiwanese stayed away, preferring instead to celebrate the holiday in accordance with tradition — shopping at Costco’s.  Eventually we too gave in to tradition and went off to buy muffins (the guys had put their shirts back on by then …).

The traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival is 粽子, zongzi, or balls of sticky rice stuffed with different fillings and steamed in bamboo leaves.  They are pretty good.  Still, it’s mainly something old grandmothers make and give away to their grand children.  The grand children, who much rather eat pizza, quickly look for a foreigner to give the zongzi too. Of course it’s very impolite to say no.  With all the muffins and the zongzi, we are stuffed.