Deep fried chicken for ancestors
Every holiday has its traditions, like having stuffed turkey for Thanksgiving or eggnog on Christmas. A long upheld custom in Thailand is gathering family members to share an auspicious meal with their ancestors during the ‘Wai Jao’ ceremony that occurs every Chinese New Year.
‘Wai Jao’ directly translates to “god worshipping” – as ancestors are highly revered, they are given a glorious feast during CNY. One of the staple dishes is a whole-steamed chicken. This year, though, Bonchon is looking to change up tradition with its limited edition Wai Jao special: a deep fried whole chicken.
Soy garlic flavoured chicken
A few days ago, the fried chicken mogul announced their special promotion on their Facebook page. Netizens can pre-order a whole deep fried chicken covered in Bonchon Chicken’s signature “Soy Garlic” sauce from now until 5th February 2021.
Image credit: Bonchon Chicken Thailand
Those interested can order the ฿688 (~USD23) menu item directly through the restaurant’s LINE account.
As of 27th January, Bonchon’s post has garnered over 10,000 shares. Coconuts Bangkok shared a comment from a concerned netizen that read, “It’s deep-fried chicken now? Will my grandpa and grandma get high levels of cholesterol in heaven?”
So, why chicken?
According to Chinese New Year tradition, a whole chicken is a symbol of family, abundance, reunion and rebirth. The dish is not only high in nutritional value, but is large enough to feed an entire family, including the departed ancestors.
Translation: MRW when I’m an ancestor and I see this
Image credit: Tastes
During the Wai Jao ceremony, families will offer the feast to the ancestors first, before enjoying the meal themselves. So, after years of eating steamed chicken, netizens are bound to be excited to switch up their CNY meal this year.
Switchin’ up traditions on you
The positive reception of Bonchon’s take on traditional CNY offerings show that Thais are happy to see twists on long-held traditions. What it mostly shows, though, is the sanook culture that the country maintains, even during the pandemic. Sanook translates to “fun”, and the nationwide mindset is built around trying to find humour, no matter the time.
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Featured images adapted from Bonchon Chicken Thailand, wanniruay
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