THE TIGER CURSE

My paternal grandmother (whom I refer as Nai Nai, paternal grandmother in Mandarin) grew up in Keelung, Taiwan. When she was born, her mother (whom I referred to as Ah Zoh, great grandparent in Hokkien) celebrated exuberantly by announcing a feast complete with a slaughtered pig. This was highly unusual, counter-cultural and was seen as extravagant, as Chinese tradition in the 1930s did not particularly value the birth of a daughter, and certainly not with the life of precious livestock, which during those modest economic times, meat would be reserved only for seasonal festivals and other significant milestone celebrations.