BEIJING (SCMP): A mother in China has sparked severe online backlash after sharing on social media that her son urinated on a table full of food, and her family continued to eat the meal.
The incident came to light in a recent social media post by a mother from Beijing, who told how her young son, held by his grandmother next to the dining table, suddenly began to urinate.
In the post, the mother “proudly” captured the moment when her toddler’s urine arced onto the table on which appeared to be breakfast, including steamed buns, eggs and vegetables.
Details about the toddler’s age and family background were not disclosed.
The post quickly drew attention on social media, with many netizens expressing disbelief and concern, with one online observer asking: “So, did you guys end up eating that food?”
To the shock of the online community, the mother confirmed: “Yes, we did eat it.”
She then explained that the baby’s grandparents did not mind, so the family continued to eat.
The mother also mentioned that the boy seldom wore disposable nappies at home because they are not ideal for urination.
“During the day, we rarely put disposable diapers on him, usually just using a cloth or letting him go bare. We do not cover it because it is better not to interrupt the child while he is urinating,” she wrote.
She even boasted about her timely photo-taking skills, saying: “Mum’s snapshot skills are quite good.”
In traditional Chinese culture, it is believed that the urine of young boys possesses various “mysterious powers”, from boosting yang energy and reducing fever to spiritual benefits such as warding off evil spirits and enhancing good fortune.
Urine from boys under the age of 10 is considered particularly potent, especially the first morning’s urine collected on the day before a boy turns one month old.
A famous food recipe from southern China, known as “urine eggs”, involves collecting urine from kindergartens or primary schools, cleaning fresh eggs, placing them in a pot, covering them with the urine, then cooking them.
The dish is believed to prevent drowsiness in spring and heatstroke in summer.
However, in this particular case, mainland netizens were only left astounded by the mother’s explanations.
“Is this real? You continued to eat food soaked with urine?” one person asked.
“Wouldn’t the whole house smell like urine? This family has really opened my eyes,” added another.
“As a mother myself, I find this hard to believe,” said a third. - South China Morning Post
