Tongan meat seal allusions

"Tongan seal meat" is a large piece of pork leg meat weighing 35 Jin, mixed with dried oysters, mushrooms, lotus seeds, shrimp skin and other condiments. It is called "seal meat" because it is wrapped in soy sauce, wrapped in gauze towels, covered with cages and cooked, and then served.

There is an interesting story about "sealing meat in Tongan": Lin Xiyuan (1482- 1567), a famous official of Tongan Neo-Confucianism, gave a lecture in Guangdong during Zheng De's reign in the Ming Dynasty. Before he was admitted to the Jinshi, he worked as a private school teacher in Yuekou Village outside Tongan South Gate. Usually I like to try "Tongan meat seal", but because there is a fence at home, I have to cut wood (chicken legs) and soak in soy sauce to satisfy my hunger. In the twelfth year of Zheng De in the Ming Dynasty (15 17), Lin Xiyuan passed the imperial examination and returned to China dressed in gold. The squires soon arranged a luxurious banquet to welcome him. During the dinner, Lin Xiyuan just tasted the sea cucumber, shark's fin and delicacies on the table, and seemed to stop there. When the squires saw this, they all became nervous because they thought there was something wrong with their hospitality. They quickly picked up the harpoon meat and raised their glasses. At this time, Lin Xiyuan suddenly asked: "Why is there no' sealed meat' dish?" The squires were at a loss for a moment and thought they had heard wrong. It turned out that the "meat seal" at that time was delicious, but it was too vulgar to be a big scene. Fortunately, the host used his quick wits and said, "Now' sealing meat' has become a famous dish in his hometown, and the last dish is pressing the table." While hastily ordering people to get ready.

Since then, Tongan meat seal has moved from ordinary folk dishes to festive wedding banquets.