Stuff We Rike #10 Fat Idols
Okay, now back onto subject. Asians as a general whole are a pretty skinny bunch. We are known for being short, nimble and evasive. Asians you could say are generally considered to possess many of the physical attributes that would best allow for hand to hand combat and occasionally feet to feet combat as well Although one would like to say that this is a gross misrepresentation of Asians and merely a poor stereotype, I would argue that there is indeed much merit to this perception as Asians are pretty darn skinny. In fact, Asians are so skinny, they idolize fat things.
They say the grass is always greener on the other side. Well for Asians the grass on the other side would be obesity. While Americans are constantly wrestling their conscience with french fries, with french fries usually winning the battle, Asians are busy staying skinny and living longer than ever. This is clearly evidenced by the Asian love of sumo wrestling a sport where each additional excess pound equates to greater admiration. Some would argue that Americans value their football linemen, but let's be honest, Americans root for the skill players. In Asia they just root for the fat people. Asians admire the fact that these massive gladiators are able to consume such large quantities of food and get so large. Kobayashi became a star in America because Americans were befuddled by his ability to ingest that much food in such a short period of time and still manage a svelt physique while in Asia people were less than impressed. In fact Asians thought it was such a waste that Kobayashi could eat so much food and not get any bigger. In fact, Asians are so amazed that a fellow Asian can get so large that they have even created a term, "yokozuna," to admonish upon their prized massive heroes.
Asians have taken their admiration of the over sized beyond the athletic arena and have also extended this admiration to their higher beings. Through time many Asians have devoted their time towards practicing Buddhism. Asians particularly have a special place in their hearts for the "fat Buddha," because let's be real, he just looks so friendly with his round belly and ear to ear grin. If you were to tour ten Asian households, eight out of ten of those households would have a Buddha statue on display and eight out of eight of those statues would probably be of the fat variety. What makes "fat Buddha" so attractive? Perhaps it's the huggability factor of the "fat Buddha" that attracts Asians. Or perhaps it's just the fact that Asians really like to idolize fat things and in this case religious figures.
You cannot place the value on a child. Children, are appropriately so, the most prized possession of any adult. For Asians, fat children and specifically fat babies are the most prized possession possible. Every Asian mother wants a fat baby with round cheeks, short extremities and an oversized head. It is a sign of great fortune and would make any grandmother blush over her luck in having a fat grandchild. I am proud to say that I was a 10 pound baby. Sorry mom. I hope the good fortune that I brought into her life offset the delivery troubles she went through. In short, babies are great but fat babies are better.
Now one may wonder how the Asian obsession over fat things developed. I have no idea but I can venture a guess. Perhaps it's the fact that Asian children grow up playing with fat toys. While American boys grow up playing with X-men and GI-Joe figurines and American girls grow up playing with Barbie dolls, Asian boys grow up playing with Kerrope, a fat green frog, and Asian girls grow up playing with Hello Kitty who despite her cute bow tie, is quite chubby. So while American children grow up idolizing body types that are unreasonable, Asian children grow up liking fat things. See Americans grow up idolizing turtles that know martial arts and eat pizza. Asians grow up idolizing fat frogs. There in lies the difference and why we like fat things.
Posts
