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The Vinegar Tasters
“You see, Pooh,” I said, “a lot of people don’t seem to know what Taoism is…””Yes?” said Pooh, blinking his eyes.” So that’s what this chapter is for – to explain things a bit.” “Oh, I see,” said Pooh. “And the easiest way to do that would be for us to go to China for a moment.” “What?” said Pooh, his eyes wide open in amazement. “Right now?’ “Of course. All we need to do is, lean back, relax, and there we are.” “Oh, I see,” said Pooh. Let’s imagine that we have walked down a narrow street in a large Chinese city and have found a small shop that sells scrolls painted in the classic manner. We go inside and ask to be shown something allegorical – something humorous, perhaps, but with some sort of Timeless Meaning. The shopkeeper smiles. “I have just the thing,”, he tells us. “A copy of The Vinegar Tasters!” He leads us to a large table and unrolls the scroll, placing it down for us to examine. “Excuse me – I must attend to something for a moment,” he says, and goes into the back of the shop, leaving us alone with the painting. Continue reading →