Purple Cloud Chicken in Eight Pieces

Purple Cloud Chicken in Eight Pieces

　　Chicken in Eight Pieces is also known as Horse Feed Bean Chicken. Horse Feed Bean, also called fodder bean or forage soybean, is the original cultivated type of soybean. The name "Horse Feed Bean" originates from the custom of "sending off the Kitchen God." Legend has it that the Kitchen God oversees the food and clothing of households, and on the 25th day of the 12th lunar month, he reports the good and evil deeds of people to heaven. Therefore, folk traditions include constructing paper and bamboo bridges or carts on the 24th night, burning them in front of the door, and slaughtering a chicken to "send off the Kitchen God." To keep the Kitchen God’s mouth sealed so he doesn’t report faults, avoid conflicts, and sweeten his words, offerings such as sticky rice balls filled with red bean paste ("Kitchen God Sending Cake") and glutinous candy made with maltose ("Sugar Ingot") are presented. People also smear the kitchen door with distiller's grains, calling it "getting the God drunk." Additionally, some mold rice flour into shapes like jars or chicken coops for worship, and use sugar to stick to the kitchen door. Meanwhile, they cut straw into inch-long pieces and scatter soybeans in the air as feed for the Kitchen God’s celestial steed, the "Divine Horse," known as "Horse Feed Bean." During this ritual, as a form of reward, the chicken is divided among participants based on age and contribution. It is said that at the beginning of time, the Creator made the chicken on the first day of the first lunar month and humans on the seventh. Dong Xun’s *Questions on Ritual Customs* states: “The first day is for the chicken... the seventh day is for humans.” *The Book of Changes: Commentary on the Verified Hexagrams* says: “The chicken is a yang bird, serving as an omen for humans.” The “chicken” symbolizes the beginning of human activity, marking the start of a new day and time, ending the chaos of night and ushering in the dawn. For the Ge Tu people, from preparing a whole chicken to carving it, there are unique customs when hosting guests. Whether killing a chicken to entertain guests relates to these ancient beliefs in the earliest days of the Ziyun people is now impossible to verify. But among the Ziyun people, a meal without chicken—even with mountains of delicacies—lacks respect. The distribution of Chicken in Eight Pieces differs between the Miao and Buyi ethnic groups. The rest of the chicken is cooked and eaten, believed to improve eyesight, strengthen the body, and nourish deficiencies.

　　Purple Cloud "Chicken in Eight Pieces" is a traditional ethnic dish used by the Miao and Buyi peoples of Ziyun to entertain guests. "Chicken in Eight Pieces" is also a customary dish served during weddings, funerals, or daily hospitality for guests by the Miao and Buyi. However, the methods of dividing the chicken and the etiquette concepts differ between the Miao and Buyi.

　　"Chicken in Eight Pieces" refers to eight main parts of a chicken: the head, feet (also called thighs), shanks (the upper part of the thigh, called "gua"), claws, wings, tail, intestines, and liver.

　　The preparation of Purple Cloud "Chicken in Eight Pieces" is unique, and its way of eating is also particular. The practices of the Miao and Buyi ethnic groups are largely similar.

　　For example, the "head": the first belief is that it goes to the host, known as "the head does not go outside"; the second is that it is given to the guest as a sign of respect; the third is that during a betrothal, the person who eats the head must first peel out the chicken brain and show it to everyone, known as "eating the chicken and returning the chicken" (because a whole chicken brain closely resembles a small chick). The two "gua" are, in principle, one for the host and one for the guest, symbolizing equality and friendly relations. In Miao tradition, the chicken head, neck, intestines, liver, and heart are offered to the eldest male leader to show that the host has entrusted their heart to the guest, henceforth forging a bond of loyalty and close ties, with frequent (gut/gut) visits back and forth.

　　During weddings, funerals, or Lunar New Year celebrations, divination is done using the "gua" to predict whether the event will be auspicious, if the next year will bring a good harvest, and if livestock will thrive—this is called "eating chicken and reading the divination." There are many aspects to reading the "gua," and the reasoning is quite profound. The other parts are distributed according to the status of the recipients, with various interpretations. When eating "Chicken in Eight Pieces," the two most important rules are: first, the host must distribute the pieces, and the meal can only begin after the person who gets the "head" initiates it. Second, good or auspicious "gua" are placed by the host on their family altar to symbolize peace and good fortune throughout the year. When entertaining guests, the Chicken in Eight Pieces is served on a platter with the chicken head facing the most respected guest seated at the top-left position. During drinking, the chicken head is passed around as part of a drinking game: whoever it is passed to must recite a four-line poem, or else they have to drink. After the drinking session, the meal begins. Each seat has designated parts of the chicken: the head is eaten by the guest of honor at the top-left seat; the left lower seat guest eats the left rib; the top-right seat guest eats the right rib; the bottom-right seat guest eats the tail; the right side guests eat the right wing and leg, while the left side guests eat the left wing and leg.