longyan is quite common and largely enjoyed by southern Chinese. Once you peel off its grainy yellow shell, a juicy, translucent pulp reveals itself, beneath which hides the dark Burgundy-colored seed, making the dissected specimen look very much like an eye. The taste of longyan is a bit similar to another native Chinese fruit, lychee, but ancient Chinese believed longyan to be more beneficial for the body and a great source of yang energy. There are several different folk tales concerning the origin of longan’s name, one of which is akin to a Chinese version of "Farmer’s Goldfish." Once upon a time, the emperor offered a substantial reward to anyone who located a dragon’s eye capable of curing an ocular disease that the empress was suffering from. A villager who happened to know a kindly dragon told it about the request and the dragon promptly gouged one of its eyes out. The emperor was so thankful, he promised to grant the villager an eminent position in the court if he could retrieve another eye. Of course, the dragon, despite his benevolent nature, turned down the request because it wouldn’t be able to create rain for the lands – one of a dragon's many responsibilities. Unfortunately, the villager was so greedy that he decided to take it anyways and proceeded to stab the dragon's face. Bathed in blood and fury, the dragon threw the guy to the ground. In the midst of the scuffle, the eye was dropped and, much like a seed, became the fabled