Gung Hei Fat Choy!!!

Happy New year!

The Family C had a great albeit tiring New Year's celebration. It kicked off with a bountiful dinner on New Year's eve. Bountiful meaning more food than 2 adults and a child could ever imagine eating. Yes I went a little overboard. I'll post some good recipes later and tell you about one really HORRIBLE one later.

On Sunday, we went to chinatown to see a firecracker and cultural festival. The event was supposed to start at 11:00 AM. Like any Chinese wedding, the thing didn't start until after noon. At one point there were so many people crowded on to the stage mysteriously, posing for pictures that people around us were thinking that somehow that was the opening ceremony. Well it turned out to be a massive photo op. We also say G's friend, E up on the stage taking pictures. I am probably going to hit him up for a couple of pictures for g's photo scrap book since most of my pictures included too many "backs of heads" to be visually appealing.

Thankfully the firecracker stuff was scheduled for the beginning of the festival. So g sat on G's shoulder, watching the lion/dragon/unicorn dance while dignitaries dangled heads of lettuce and red envelopes off a stick. Then the fireworks started. We thought that g would freak out because it was really loud. She just sat on G's shoulders and took it all in. I freaked out because in the midst of the fireworks, a strong gust of wind must have kicked up all soot from the firework residue and blew it straight at us. I had s with me, so I turned away from it but I still felt little bits fly straight into my eye. s started to cry. I was worried that she got some in hers also. I think she freaked when I freaked. I looked up at g thinking that she must also be distressed. She was watching all this, calm as can be.

On Monday, we had the C family reunion. Last year was a truly sad affair when we sat at a table with rotating family members. There were never more than 6 people at that table and that included G, g, Ggrandmom and me. As one or 2 new family members came, someone else left. Expectations for this year was very low. So we sat at a smallish table (probably meant to accommodate 6). The family member rotation persisted, but a core group of 7-8 people actually stayed the whole time. Even G's cousin showed up unexpectedly. So unexpected that they had to be "banished" to a separate table at the other side of restaurant since the reservation didn't include them. Very odd kind of family reunion indeed. Red envelopes, candies and fruits were exchanged. Ggrandmom gave g some candy which she gladly accepted, thinking that they were toys for her to take apart. At some point during the meal, g managed to peel the foil off a chocolate easter egg. I thought that since it was a special occasion, I would just peel the rest and give it to her to try when G's cousin whispered to me that all of the cousins knew better than to eat the chocolate that Ggrandmom gave them. Well, sort of made sense when it dawned on me that ash wednesday is a few days away and I am peeling an easter egg. In that handful of candy that she got was a mix of easter eggs and christmas bells. Not knowing really what candy was, I told g that the egg was broken and it was dirty since she got it all over her hands. She looked at her hands and agreed. Left it and went on to eat some more rice noodles.