By Wendy Ma (Kaomoji Ceramics)
 
Celadon glazed tall necked vessel with textured decoration of chinese characters and auspicious clouds.
 
150 x 85mm
 
"The name Sorrowful Rice was born in 1996 through the smash-hit comedy movie The God Of Cookery. The protagonist, played by Stephen Chow, is gifted a bowl of roasted pork rice with fried egg by his female counterpart played by Karen Mok. He subsequently recreates the dish in a cooking competition and comes up with the evocative name there. The name is a nod to Melancholic Palms, the signature move of martial arts warrior Yang Guo, who had invented it to commemorate his deceased wife in Jin Yong’s action-fantasy novel The Return Of The Condor Heroes.

Chow’s experience in the movie parallels the life of Jin Yong’s tragic hero. The female character played by Mok takes a bullet for Chow. As he reminisces about everything she did for him, his deep lament lends him the inspiration for the winning Sorrowful Rice. As such, Hong Kong’s quintessential grassroots dish finds itself a place in the shrine of local popular culture and a mass of culinary worshippers." Man Wei Leung, 2019 for Michelin Guide Hong Kong