Comments on: Solving a Chinese restaurant mystery

By: Doug 陀愚

Doug 陀愚 — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 16:12:04 +0000

Hi LOK and welcome to the JKLLR. I think you’re right: Asian immigrants may find it hard to express their religion here so it’s often safer to just keep quiet. I hope things will change over time with better understanding.

By: LOK

LOK — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 21:24:11 +0000

Thank you for posting this Doug. I have a few Vietnamese friends and some of them are from the mainland. For the most part, they are pretty open when it comes to talking about food and the new year, but just about all talk about their religion has either been deliberately misleading or cautiously expressed with the utmost skepticism. I guess they have seen how people in general react to the idea of worshipping ancestors and gods, so they have developed this as a defense to protect themselves. Thanks again, this gives me a better appreciation and understanding.

By: Doug 陀愚

Doug 陀愚 — Thu, 26 May 2011 03:10:27 +0000

Hi Julian,

Good question. I have no idea to be honest. Maybe they’re imported from the Old Country. :-/

By: Julian

Julian — Thu, 26 May 2011 03:03:37 +0000

Where can i buy a shrine box like that? My china town does not seem to have them.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:53:07 +0000

Kyoshin is right, that is Tudi Gong.

By: Lost in Translation

Lost in Translation — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:32:29 +0000

I’m glad you were nerdy enough to post this. It’s just the sort of thing that interests me but I wouldn’t have been able to follow through on this to the extent that you have here (although I’ve got a basic working knowledge of Mandarin, I lack a lot of the cultural references since I didn’t grow up in a Buddhist household). I’ve always about of the American “framing the first dollar bill” as a celebration of past achievement – but after reading your post I can see how it has a totemic quality, something put up there to invite good luck and future prosperity.

By: Kyōshin

Kyōshin — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 07:48:46 +0000

The Earth God Ong Dia is apparently associated with dragons so that sounds right. I also found this: "[Ong] Than Tai is a Taoist god who is known for protecting the wealth, while [Ong] Tho Dia is a Vietnamese practice as a "god" who overwatches their own land."

By: Kyōshin

Kyōshin — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 07:40:10 +0000

Hi Doug, If you look at photo 5 on this page it suggests that they are the 'Wealth' deity and 'Earth' deity. I think you are right about Fukurokuji but the other one - the earth deity - could be Tu Di Gong.