Chinese festival attendees have found a creative alternative to overpriced bottled water: cucumbers.
It all started on May 1 when someone posted a picture of a half-eaten cucumber to Xiaohongshu, a social media platform similar to Instagram. The caption read, “When going to a music festival, make sure to bring a cucumber.”
It’s actually a strong argument – cucumbers have high water and electrolyte content, are easy to carry, and usually pass through security checks.
People fell in love with the idea, and started sharing their own hot takes on social media platform Weibo, weighing in on the cucumber-based solution to festival dehydration.
“Quench your thirst, or your hunger,” writes one user. “You can break it off and share with friends.”
“Why is this trending! Next time we go to a music festival, they’re definitely going to be checking for cucumbers,” writes another.
Music festival cucumbers may seem rather strange, but the phenomenon is actually just the most recent development in the “punk health” movement.
Started by Chinese millennials and Gen-Z, punk health attempts to offset unhealthy habits by integrating elements of traditional wellness practices. Heavy night of drinking? Have some goji berries. Not getting enough sleep? At least take some grape seed extract in the morning.
So, while we realize that music festivals aren’t always the “healthiest” activity, at least we can rest easy knowing that we’re meeting the bare minimum of hydration.
Cover image via Xiaohongshu, RADII
