the Foochows loved rearing pigs and every family would have two or three mother pigs which they would keep for as long as they could give birth to plglets, meaning, for as long as they were economically viable.
Then came a time when the old lady had to be slaughtered and her meat would not be very welcome on the table. It would be very very tough. some butchers would be honest in their business and admit that the meat was of lesser value. But some would have their own ways.
When we were young we felt that each festive season would cause some anxieties for mothers who needed to go and buy the best cuts of pork from the butchers.
Some unethical practices like the butchers slipping into the pile of pork some very "old mother pig meat" would usually happen during the festive seasons, Unfortunate mothers who inadvertently were sold the bad cuts would be hoping mad. All the boiling would not make the meat tender!!
"Tii moh Nii" was something that would make many Foochow mothers curse left and right. Could they complain to the Consumer Association of Sibu? Non existent actually. But they would learn who to trust and stick to their friendly butcher.
30 years after I left Sibu, I wonder if some butchers would still do the same.
Note...The Dōngzhì Festival or Winter Solstice Festival is one of the most important Chinese and East Asian festivals celebrated by the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans during the Dongzhi solar term on or around December 22,2019
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