TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On Monday (Aug. 5) Pizza Hut Taiwan released a pizza timed to coincide with the upcoming Lunar Valentine's Day.
Following the launch of the “Cardcaptor Sakura” anime pizza in June, Pizza Hut issued a press release Monday announcing its “Red Filling Stuffed Crust Pizza." The pizza will only be available for seven days and has been issued in time for Lunar Valentine's Day, or the Qixi Festival (七夕節), on Saturday (Aug. 10) observed in many parts of East Asia.
The pizza's crust is filled with sticky strawberry mochi, which when stretched is meant to simulate the Red Thread of Fate, the invisible chord around the finger of those destined to meet each other, based on East Asian beliefs.
According to Pizza Hut, the new pastry has been specially blessed by the matchmaker god Yue Lao (月老) at the Le Cheng Temple in Taichung.
The Le Cheng Temple has been voted by netizens as the most magical temple for matchmaking in Taiwan. Last weekend, Pizza Hut offered 20 pizzas at Le Cheng Temple inviting male and female worshippers who came to pray to Yue Lao to share the pies.
Their eating of the red filling signified that Yue Lao connected everyone with the Red Thread of Fate, blessing all believers seeking sweet love while savoring the delicious dish.
The new item is priced at NT$249 (US$7.60) and only available in Taiwan until Aug. 11. From Monday until Saturday, customers who purchase the item and take a photo with a Yue Lao statuette at their local Pizza Hut store will have a chance to receive a red thread blessed by the Le Cheng Temple.
