Chinese New Year

I have always loved celebrating Chinese New Year with my family. Now that I am away, I become nostalgic of the good times we had. I remember back in Hong Kong, my cousin Jenny and I used to "house hop", wishing our relatives a prosperous year before asking for red pocket money. Then mame would tell stories of my sister who enjoyed setting the crispy dollar bills free as the gentle wind blows them off her tiny fingers, sending the green out the window and down the building. And the sound of majong that fills the room with excitment. This is the only time when I could get away with eating a whole tube of Princles then getting a fever the next day. In California, we would do essentially the same things except with a little less families to visit. There was always candy, the jello ones with a clear plastic wrap that melts in your mouth.

This year, I celebrated New Year's with my good friend and his family whom graciously invited us to their house for a feast of a thousand beasts. We had lots of good food including "lean gau" (my favorite) and tea egg. When I ate the turnip cake, I remembered how much I enjoyed eating my sister's home-made ones. When we left, my friend's mom gave us a daffodil. I had forgotten that my mame planted those during the New Year's as well and the smell of the flowers would permeate every corner of the living room. Yes, those were the good times. Happy Chinese New Year mame and babee!