honorable mention
Yulai Xu china
Photo © Yulai Xu
title
You can't eat beef
Gradually, my heart began to shake, and the desire for the taste of beef constantly hit my psychological defense line, prompting me to decide to break my personal taboo.
However, my first attempt at beef was a disappointment. It wasn't as delicious as I thought it would be, and I didn't have the symptoms I was told.
It was a huge shock to me, as if I had been in a deception for the past 25 years. I used to feel inferior because I couldn't enjoy beef like everyone else, and I told a lie to keep people from knowing that I was sick, pretending to be a member of a religion that forbade beef, and even resisted the temptation of beef many times. All of this prompted me to re-examine beef, which had fallen from a sacred presence to an ordinary ingredient.
back to gallery
entry description
One of the most common phrases I heard growing up was, 'You can't eat beef.' This limitation has plagued me for 25 years, rooted in a childhood medical accident that left me with nephritis. The so-called experiences of my family, folk doctors, and elders etched the precept 'do not eat beef' into the depths of my consciousness. For me, beef is like a forbidden food in some religions, or like a sacred relic in some religions.Gradually, my heart began to shake, and the desire for the taste of beef constantly hit my psychological defense line, prompting me to decide to break my personal taboo.
However, my first attempt at beef was a disappointment. It wasn't as delicious as I thought it would be, and I didn't have the symptoms I was told.
It was a huge shock to me, as if I had been in a deception for the past 25 years. I used to feel inferior because I couldn't enjoy beef like everyone else, and I told a lie to keep people from knowing that I was sick, pretending to be a member of a religion that forbade beef, and even resisted the temptation of beef many times. All of this prompted me to re-examine beef, which had fallen from a sacred presence to an ordinary ingredient.
back to gallery
