By Theresa
There’s nothing like a warm bowl of soup on a chilly day. Clam chowder. Minestrone. Cream of celery. Shark fin. Garden vegetable. Wait a minute – shark fin soup? For those of you who have not tried it, it is a traditional Chinese soup served on special occasions which costs a pretty penny. Like the name implies, it contains cut up cartilage from a shark’s fin and is often accompanied with thinly sliced pieces of chicken or pork simmered in a chicken broth.
For the record, I have eaten shark fin soup numerous times at Chinese weddings and baby banquets and must admit it is a tasty soup. However after watching the documentary Shark Water, I’ve discovered that tastiness comes with a hefty price.
By Theresa
With today’s emphasis on beauty and youth, is it any surprise that some strange beauty practices have emerged? I suppose “strange” is relative—in some cultures, these beauty trends are perfectly normal. Many beauty trends are deeply rooted in cultural beliefs and the healing powers of organic materials.
My first encounter with a so-called “weird” beauty practice was in eighth grade. A Filipina girlfriend confessed that she recently got her period. Her mother told her that in order to have a clear complexion a girl should rub her first “blood” onto her face. My friend reluctantly complied. She never had a pimple; her sister who did not follow this practice was not so lucky.
