Week 6: Project Update 2/16

For our Hox Zodiac dinner project, Charles and I researched more about the Dragon and the Snake, our respective animals. Charles found that they each have a lucky flower, the hyacinth and the orchid, which we could arrange and incorporate into our dinner table set design. I also did some more research on the science behind our animals. The dragon was more difficult to research because it is a mythical animal, but I did find some more information about its biology. According to Han dynasty scholar Wang Fu, the Chinese dragon is a hybrid animal composed of nine anatomical resemblances. The dragon is most commonly portrayed with “a horse's head and a snake's tail. Further, there are expressions as 'three joints' and 'nine resemblances' (of the dragon)…His antlers resemble those of a stag, his head that of a camel, his eyes those of a demon, his neck that of a snake, his belly that of a clam sea monster, his scales those of a carp, his claws those of an eagle, his soles those of a tiger, his ears those of a cow.” 

 

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Charles and I also brainstormed ideas regarding what kinds of food to make for the dinner, and how to incorporate both Korean and Vietnamese elements into the dishes. Charles found that Vietnamese food uses leafy greens and fish as a staple while Korean food traditionally includes rice, vegetables, seafood, and no dairy products. We were brainstorming with a sauce recipe that Charles created which includes various ingredients from Southeast Asian flavors, and we wanted to experiment with adding gochujang, a Korean pepper paste. We are conducting more research on what kind of dishes we would create and the science behind the zodiac animals.

 

 

“Chinese Art: Dragons.” Dreweatts, https://www.dreweatts.com/news-videos/chinese-art-dragons/.