“To a Greedy Devil Like Me…”: Jackie Chan Had a Bittersweet Feeling Once Despite Losing a Fight for the First Time

International action comedy star Jackie Chan leads a disciplined life. His work expects him to stay lean, fit, and athletic at all times. Chan has maintained his form by gradually adapting to a healthier lifestyle, which included healthy food habits. Though Chan now follows a strict diet, there was a time when he was a big foodie.

The Karate Kid actor’s love for food once created circumstances that led to his first real fight. Though he ended up losing it, the aftermath has left a bittersweet taste for Chan. In his autobiography, Chan gave a detailed account of his first ever real fistfight.

Jackie Chan fought against his bullies

In his memoir Never Grow Up, Jackie Chan gave a detailed account of various incidents from his childhood. As a kid, Chan had a big appetite. He used to spend his travel expenses to buy food and then had to walk back home from school. Looking at his poor financial condition, at times, his rich classmates traveling in cars would throw insults at him. Fed up with those remarks, Chan decided to take a stand for himself and got into a fistfight.

However, even though the then 6-year-old Chan knew how to fight, it was not a battle amongst equals, as he was one against many. Eventually, he ended up with a big bump on his head after being unconscious for a while. Guilty of their kids’ behavior, the parents of his bullies sent chocolates to the injured Chan.

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Narrating his reaction, Chan wrote, “Chocolates! To a greedy devil like me, it was the best possible present. Even though I was in pain and my head was spinning, I still had my appetite. I ripped open the box and shoved one in my mouth. The sweet taste filled my mouth and helped me feel better about the sting of defeat. So I had another one, and another. Before I knew it, I’d finished the whole box—and started to feel sick.”

Though the sweets were a good distraction for the injured kid, his father wasn’t happy about it. Despite being already injured, Jackie Chan ended up getting beaten again, this time by his father. Summing up the core memory, the martial arts icon wrote, “I’ll always remember that day as the first time I lost a fight. I would face defeat many more times as I grew up, but I didn’t know that then. And I’ll always associate the bittersweet taste of chocolate witirh that day.” Jackie Chan’s insatiable hunger as a kid was a matter of deep concern for his parents.

Struggles of feeding a growing child

Chan grew up during the time of the Chinese Civil War. The war led to his family seeking shelter in the French embassy in Hong Kong. Due to their dire living conditions, it was difficult for his parents, one of whom worked as a cook and while the other as a maid at that time, to afford the basic necessities.

To support the family and the growing child, the Priest in the church used to provide bread and milk to them, weekly. Jackie Chan has gone on record to talk about how his parents were always worried about feeding him.

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A millionaire now, Jackie Chan can eat to his heart’s content with no one to stop him. However, these memories from his struggling days have been etched into the heart of the humble king forever.