Vietnamese hoping for extra virility during Year of the Goat
HANOI - The Year of the Goat is eagerly awaited in Vietnam, where the animal
is revered for its sexual capacity.
"The sexual power (of one male goat) is legendary: it can satisfy 30
or 50 goats," said the French-language Courrier du Vietnam weekly
newspaper. Restaurateurs are also convinced of the animal's
aphrodisiac qualities, saying that eating goat meat can boost a man's
performance in the bedroom.
They also recommend drinking rice wine distilled for six months in a
bottle containing a goat's penis.
"In general, the goat has an easy-going nature and prefers to work in
a team rather than on his own. He hates any sort of discord or
uneasiness and does not like to be bound by a strict routine or rigid
timetable," says Dao Dang Phong, a US-based expert on Vietnamese
culture.
"Among the signs in the Chinese zodiac, the goat is probably the most
gifted artistically."
No one knows the real origins of the Chinese horoscope representing
the cycles of the lunar year, but there are many different
interpretations, according to Phong.
One Chinese legend has it that the Jade Emperor asked for twelve
representatives of the animal species on earth to be brought to his
heavenly kingdom. He then classified them in order of merit.
However, another version says the order of the 12 animals was decided
thousands of years ago by Buddha, who called for a New Year's meeting
of animals.
The first to arrive was the rat, followed by the ox. Then came the
tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the
monkey, the chicken, the dog and the pig.
However, the Vietnamese prefer the buffalo to the ox and the cat to
the rabbit.
Agence France Presse - January 30, 2003
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