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Pet Peeves!
Why can't Americans (Westerners?) tell the difference between the historical Buddha and Hotei?
The "Fat Buddha" you see at Chinese restaurants isn't Gautama, you idiots!
God, that is such a pet peeve of mine!
Lost in all this is an appreciation of how much the chubby, the plump, the tubby and even the massively overweight have contributed to society down through the ages. Henry VIII, whose rupture with the Catholic Church was a pivotal moment in history, was by no means immune to a case of the munchies. Johann Sebastian Bach, viewed by many as the greatest composer who ever lived, was a charter member of the Clean Plate Society. Queen Victoria, who presided over a golden age such as no nation had experienced since the collapse of the Roman Empire, certainly didn't miss many meals. And anyone who has ever seen a statue of Gautama Buddha realizes that he too knew how to hold up his end of the feedbag.
The "Fat Buddha" you see at Chinese restaurants isn't Gautama, you idiots!
However, the "Fat Buddha" is not the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, and strictly speaking the statue is not an idol.
God, that is such a pet peeve of mine!
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