Foo dogs
Poll
 | 1 vote (7.69%) | ||
| | 5 votes (38.46%) | ||
| | 4 votes (30.76%) | ||
| | 3 votes (23.07%) |
13 members have voted
April 29th, 2011 at 4:02:36 PM
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Here is an excerpt from my upcoming blog entry on Oahu:
By the way, why do people call the pair of allegedly lions, that are a ubiquitous form of Chinese decoration in the U.S., "Foo Dogs"? Are they lions or dogs? A good trivia question is which one of the pair is male and female? Everyone always looks in the obvious, but wrong, place. The answer is that the male has his paw on a ball, and the female on a kit/pup.
Click on image for larger version.
The question for the poll is, what are these creatures?
By the way, why do people call the pair of allegedly lions, that are a ubiquitous form of Chinese decoration in the U.S., "Foo Dogs"? Are they lions or dogs? A good trivia question is which one of the pair is male and female? Everyone always looks in the obvious, but wrong, place. The answer is that the male has his paw on a ball, and the female on a kit/pup.
Click on image for larger version.
The question for the poll is, what are these creatures?
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
April 29th, 2011 at 4:06:41 PM
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http://mysticlodgecasino.com/mystic%20luck.html
"Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe." -Rig Veda 10.34.4
April 29th, 2011 at 4:42:54 PM
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Quote: teddys
While titling them "foo dogs," that link describes them as an "imperial guardian lion," which serves as a good example of why I'm confused.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
April 29th, 2011 at 5:19:03 PM
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They're lions. The "dog" part may have come through garbled translations.
In a related trivia note, the more traditional (and much more attractive in my opinion) lions in front of the New York Public Library building are named Patience and Fortitude.
More trivia? Those names come from Ralph Waldo Emerson. "Patience and fortitude conquer all things."
In a related trivia note, the more traditional (and much more attractive in my opinion) lions in front of the New York Public Library building are named Patience and Fortitude.
More trivia? Those names come from Ralph Waldo Emerson. "Patience and fortitude conquer all things."
Each of us is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.
Preparing for a fight about your bad decision is not as smart as making a good decision.
April 29th, 2011 at 5:28:17 PM
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Hmmm...it seems the Japanese called them dogs, and if you saw them in Hawaii, it's far more likely you'd hear the Japanese name than the original Chinese. But they were meant to depict lions.
Each of us is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.
Preparing for a fight about your bad decision is not as smart as making a good decision.
April 29th, 2011 at 5:48:53 PM
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Quote: Wizard
The question for the poll is, what are these creatures?
They are lions. According to this "Stars and Stripes" article, they started out as lion images on the silk road between the Middle East/Africa and the Far East. In the Far East, they, "morphed into more doglike shapes because no one had much contact with real lions".
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
April 29th, 2011 at 5:52:45 PM
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They're cats (faux dogs).
April 30th, 2011 at 5:49:53 PM
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I submit for the world's consideration that we quit calling them Foo Dogs, in favor of Foo Lions.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
