The other day on my way home, along the main avenue of the campus, I caught sight of a little creature looking like a pig. It was obviously a pet because it was wearing a coat and it stayed close to a man. The color of the skin was black and white. I couldn’t believe my eyes because I’ve never seen a person raising a pig as a pet. It looked so lovely that I was deeply attracted. So after confirming that the man was the owner, I started to chat with the man.
“Is it a pig?”
--“Yes.”
“Why do you raise a pig instead of a cat or dog as a pet?”
--“Because it is easy to attend. It’s easy to wash and it never pisses or shits in the house. When piss or shit calls, it will keep oinking and even scream until the owner took it outdoors to relieve itself. And the pig is much clever than the cat or the dog.”
“Really? Where did you get it?”
--“From a friend.”
“What species is it?”
--“Thai mini-pig.”
“How old is it?”
--“Two months.”
“Is it a boy or a girl?”
--“It’s a boy.”
“How much did you pay for it?”
--“370RMB.”
While we were chatting, the little pig started to get busy digging the earth in the garden with its nose, giving out tender oink oink. I asked its owner, “Why is it doing that?” He said, “Maybe its nose is itchy.” I asked, “Is it possible that it’s its hobby?” He said, “Maybe.” The pig dug with such persistence that soon it dug a patch of holes in the hard earth. Then it moved to another place and dug another patch of holes. I wondered whether its nose hurt from digging so hard. Its owner said, “No, its nose is very hard.” The chat went on.
“Does it like people to hold it?”
--“No, it only allows its owner to hold it.”
“Will it bite people?”
--“No, unless you hurt it.”
“What do you use to feed it?”
--“Rice.”
“Vegetable?”
--“Yes.”
“How many meals does it have a day?”
--“Two.”
“Does it have a name?”
--“Yes. I named it Kourou (the name of a decilious dish made from pork). ”
“Don’t you think it’s lonely? Have you thought of finding him a partner?”
--“Not now. For the moment I don’t have enough energy to take care of two. Later on, when I get another, I will call it Meicai (the vegetable to go with Kourou to make the famous Meicai Kourou, a very delicious dish).”
“Hahahaha. Sounds funny! This will certainly make your mouth water!”
--“Yes, to make it special.”
The owner said that this pig was very clever. He even knows the way home! Amazing!
This encounter overturned my knowledge about pigs and changed my impression of a pig as being dirty and stupid.
(March 9th, 2018)
