June 21, 2017

Summer

By Joe


Today is the first day of summer. The picture above is the epitome of summer for me. Sitting with a friend by the pool eating a juicy watermelon. Yum. Celebrate summer. If it wasn’t so hot, it would be my favorite season.

Last night, I had Chinese for supper. My fortune cookie was a little naughty if you take it a certain way. It said, “Love is like a sweet peach, good to the last drop.” Am I the only one who sees something dirty in this, or is it just my mind in the gutter?

By the way, the “divided peach” is a term for homosexuality in China.  Mizi Xia was the favorite of Duke Ling of Wei (534-493 BCE). One day Mizi Xia bit into a peach and finding it sweet, he stopped eating it and offered it to the ruler. The ruler was moved by his ‘considerate behavior’. From hence came these expressions for homosexuality: “a preference for the leftover peach”, and “the love of the divided peach.”

About Joe

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I began my life in the South and for five years lived as a closeted teacher, but am now making a new life for myself as an oral historian in New England. I think my life will work out the way it was always meant to be. That doesn't mean there won't be ups and downs; that's all part of life. It means I just have to be patient. I feel like October 7, 2015 is my new birthday. It's a beginning filled with great hope. It's a second chance to live my life…not anyone else's. My profile picture is "David and Me," 2001 painting by artist Steve Walker. It happens to be one of my favorite modern gay art pieces. View all posts by Joe
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 21st, 2017 at 7:00 am and posted in Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

One response to “Summer”

  • jchenthecolumnist's avatar jchenthecolumnist
    June 22nd, 2017 at 4:17 am

    Joe,

    I thank you for briefly discussing the history of the “leftover peach.” As a Chinese American young man myself, I cannot tell you how essential it is for Chinese both overseas and living abroad to not have to carry the same stigma of being gay as it has been in the West, especially under the guise of “traditional values.”

    Ironically, within my own heritage, the very mention of LGBT history and people are heavily censored, even today in the 21st century, and sadly, you will still find a multitude of individuals and organizations who still continue to openly discriminate and condemn LGBT people, regardless of identity or orientation.

    Otherwise, cute, short post! I heartily look forward to many more, and Happy Summer to you too! 😀

    Regards,

    Josh C. in California

    Reply

Thank you for commenting. I always want to know what you have to say. However, I have a few rules: 1. Always be kind and considerate to others. 2. Do not degrade other people's way of thinking. 3. I have the right to refuse or remove any comment I deem inappropriate. 4. If you comment on a post that was published over 14 days ago, it will not post immediately. Those comments are set for moderation. If it doesn't break the above rules, it will post.