RED EGGS : Foochow Culture

My father married my mother when he was 40 years old. It was still a much expected thing for a man, to have a son. And it was especially stressful for my mother because my father was considered quite old already. The burden was heavy for my mother , as she was Chinese educated, conservative and obedient.

She followed Confucian teachings and the her extended family, the Laus, were full of expectations of her. Besides she was married into a huge family with an outstanding patriarch.

Her sisters in law, who had married into the large family earlier, had already produced several boys who were running around. Each time a baby boy was born into the large extended family, red eggs were distributed.

And the catch phrase then was,"Soon we would have red eggs to eat" whenever a relative was pregnant.

It was a trifle sad on the part of my mother because she felt pressured. She was still under 30 years of age and there were no experts were around to guide her. She had no methods  to help her conceive a boy.

Was she to resign to the fact that she could not make RED eggs for relatives? She had given birth to two girls and for their birth she could only make simple plian hard boiled eggs. Each year their birthdays were celebrated with plain hard boiled eggs.

When she had her third preganancy every one was curious. Her female relatives started to anxiously ask, "Do you feel different?" "Do you feel like eating something different?"

My maternal grandmother started looking at the gender of the chickens she was getting ready for my mother's confinement. A tell tale sign was the number of males and females in the chicken reared for confinement. Were there more females in the brood? That would mean she would have a boy.

So for 9 months every one waited with great expectations.

When she gave birth to my brother Hsiung, everything changed for her. Her spirits were uplifted and my father who was then almost 45 years old was a really happy man. He finally had a boy child and my grandfather came every day, by motor launch, across the Rajang, to see his new born grandson. He was truly over the moon, watching the squrmy little with that extra little flesh which helped put my mother on a higher status.

More relatives came with chickens and eggs and look at the pretty little baby boy for the whole confinment month. My maternal grandmother was beaming with happiness and she told every one that every day she had to make so many batches of noodes (soh mien), kill so many chickens and boil so many RED EGGS.

My mother thus had a chance to give out red eggs.

Making Red Eggs : the eggs are first hard boiled and then red colouring (either powder or liquid form)  is applied. A basin is filled with the red colouring and the hard boiled eggs are put into it. Sometimes 100 red eggs are made for distribution to guests who come from near and far.

It is common to hold the baby boy's full month with a red egg and mee sua party, and for some families, it was a full banquet in a hotel or restaurant.

The red eggs can be distributed to the guests, or later, as a take home gift.