Rules and Regulations

The Confinement Taboos

To believe or not to believe?

Every experience in life shared must be true to a certain extent; I believe. Culture has it that experiences when worded must be recorded and followed to avoid painful consequences. The Asian confinement practices are not to go unheeded; this, I was told over and over again by my dear mother.
When I was under confinement, I tried to be as obedient as I could. That was because I was my mother's daughter. She would put so much fear into me that I could only do the rightful practices.

What are rightful practices that one should basically observe? But how do you convince a daughter who has gone through medical studies and to remind her of consequences? It's difficult to tell her the following:

• that she cannot wash with water that is not boiled; is water from heaters good enough?
• that she should go under herbal baths; water is to be boiled with the herbs; cooled and used as bathing liquid
• that she should not wash her hair for as long as time permit
• that climbing the stairs is a no no (stay in your room for 40 days without using the stairs; but you can use a lift of course)
• that she should not go under the moving fan

All the above are to prevent arthritis and bone related pains. When you have a cold shoulder, blame it on the disobedient practice. So, my mother used to say if you want to preserve good health make sure you do not disobey.

Basically, it's about the loss of blood, the womb that has served must be replenished and getting all unwanted 'air' out of the system. So, what is the best food? Anything and everything that is ginger-related. Ginger produces much heat in the body that cause you to be warm and sweat; and at the same time you cannot touch your crown with water. That will cause headaches and not worth trying. Replenishing your womb will cancel all 'ill-health' before it and making sure you are ready for the next baby.

My mother is kind and very concerned for her grand daughter. She has got her neighbour to pack all Chinese herbs and confinement related food for me to help Grace go through the period. Now it looks as though I have to make sure she obeys. When I told her about them, she looks at me with doubting eyes. My famous statement hopefully covers her doubts: in obedience you have blessings.

Confinement food is actually comfort food. The most common ones include:

• trotters cooked with ginger, vinegar and black thick soy sauce
• ginger rice wine chicken
• kidneys, liver and lean meat with wine 
• fried fish with ginger
• all forms of meat with ginger
• ginger juice cooked in rice with eggs

Through out the day, you are not supposed to drink plain water but a special herbal drink with ginger, dried dates and grapes. Drink it hot. Grace asked: no plain water? Do not be ridiculous. Sounds ridiculous I know but that was told.

Also, vegetables and fruits are 'cold' food and not to be consumed. That calls for constipation. Oh, I will have a earful session indeed. How did I go through? I have forgotten. Best answer. Well, we will see about it. I think what I have explained are only very common practices. There may be even steeper ones which I hope not to know or I will be plagued further. How do the Westerners handle all these? Someone told me that the Western food include a lot of red meat whereas Asian food is all about white meat. Red meat cover all that there is not in white meat. Oh... the list goes on and on.

At the end of the day, we still need to engage a confinement lady to help us go through the stage and to frighten us further about the taboos. If you do this and don't do that you are going to...

So do wish us a good time.

Of taboos and the confinement practices.