My family is not making zongzi aka bak chang this year because of my dad, ngl even though the process is fairly labor intensive, I actually have fun doing that.
I just saw jelly dumplings made in little plastic bags. Ingenious, and it's got the right curves in the right places too. I might do that with my kids.
My dad went for a recent health check-up at a local KK and his blood sugar was high despite fasting. He's an ardent lover of zhong and can finish 4 in a go, so we decided to forgo making it this year as a sign of solidarity.
The doc recommended that he starts taking diabetes medication, but he adamantly refuses despite our insistence. He's making drastic changes to his lifestyle and diet instead in hopes of a more positive result when he's due for another check-up a few months from now.
iirc, the diabetes medication helps control blood sugar level, and that in turn keeps the cells in the whole body in the correct environment (meaning, the right glucose concentration) to operate properly and reliably.
Even if he does get his diet and exercise and weight and lifestyle in order within the next 6 months or whatever, the current few months with higher blood glucose is still not good for his organs.