Baby peed on food, but just ate it? ... Because of this Chinese 'superstition'

Chinese Family Eats Food Despite Baby Urinating on Table
Due to Superstition That Baby Urine Has Magical Powers

A baby urinating on the dining table. [Photo by SCMP]

A local Chinese family has shocked netizens after continuing their meal without cleaning up a baby’s urine that was accidentally spilled on the dining table. The family reportedly ate the food based on a superstition that the baby’s urine wards off evil spirits.

According to Hong Kong media outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 8th, the story came to light when the baby’s mother posted a photo on social media showing the baby urinating on the dining table. The mother explained in the post, “While we were eating, the son who was being held by his grandmother suddenly urinated, spilling it onto the table.” Netizens who saw the photo praised the mother’s quick thinking, saying, “The mom’s presence of mind to take a picture is amazing.”

However, when one netizen asked, “What did you do with the food?” the mother shocked everyone by replying, “We ate it.” She added, “My parents-in-law didn’t mind and ate the food, so the whole family ate together.” She further explained, “There is a saying that the urine of a young boy increases positive energy, reduces heat, drives away evil spirits, and brings good luck.” In response, netizens expressed horror with comments such as “That’s so unhygienic,” “No matter how much you love your child, how can you eat that?” “I’m a mom too, but I could never eat that,” “The whole house must smell like urine,” “Just looking at it is disgusting,” and “Is this even true?”

Meanwhile, in China, there are several dishes that use children’s urine. One representative dish is 'Tongzhu Dan (童子蛋),' which involves boiling eggs in the urine of young boys. This dish is made as a local specialty every spring in the Ningbo region of Zhejiang Province in eastern China. Typically, the urine of elementary school-aged boys is used to boil eggs multiple times so that the eggs absorb the urine. Traditionally, Tongzhu Dan is believed to help with fatigue recovery, reduce heat, and improve blood circulation.