Dhxjsjxhdhshdhd I love my bf so much he just said “hey do you ever see a picture that changes your life forever” and then showed me a photo of a loaf of bread shaped like a crocodile
in case you were curious this is the photo and yes, my life has significantly changed for the better after seeing it
[Image ID: a photo of a glass display in a bakery, in which five large and exquisitely crafted crocodile-shaped loaves of bread are stacked up. End ID]
I think the picture takes place in Vietnam, from what I can parse from the “Mr. Thınh” poster in the bg. HOWEVER I would like to do small infodump on my culture.
Crocodile bread is actually very important in Batavian weddings (people of Jakarta; endonym “Betawi”). It symbolizes loyalty and strength in marriage— and traditionally, crocodiles are regarded as very patient animals (stays and waits instead of chasing prey) and it reflects how love requires patience and how it needs to come naturally. It also symbolized riches at one point, but the specific records of that are unfortunately lost to time like the proper Batavian language (thanks 300 years of colonization).
These days it’s unpopular because of the rise of “modern” weddings that only have the ceremony, food, and party. Not to say that that’s bad but the simple symbolic breaking of bread between the two families straight up doesn’t happen often anymore and whenever a mini one (mini ones for the guests) gets sent to my house I go “oh yeah!!!! hometown culture!!!!!!!!” and then I get sad over forgetting it in the first place.
Anyway. Culture good, want more.
Oh my goodness… love really IS stored in the crocodile bread
