Happy Doggy Year!

It is time for another celebration. The year of the Fire Dog began on January 29, 2006. For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with Chinese traditions, Chinese new year is celebrated usually in January or February of every year depending on the Lunar calendar. The festivities last for fifteen days, beginning on a new moon and ending on a full moon.

During these fifteen days, it is customary to visit family and friends, and likewise, host family and friends with hoards of epicurean goodies. Being so far from home, it is difficult to get into the spirit of the festivital. In fact, over here in Fort Worth, there is barely a whisper of Lunar merriment. Usually, I try to make up for homesickness by cooking up a storm, and baking cookies two weeks before. Unfortunately, this year I did not have the time to bake, but still managed to have our friends over for our annual CNY get together.

The menu was as such: Yue Sang, the traditional CNY salad of mixed finely shredded vegetables and pickles, Fried fragrant chicken (chicken rice style), Shiitake mushrooms with baby bok choy, Fried stuffed beancurd rolls, Beef hot pot, with coconut cookies and Malaysian coffee as dessert. Jon cooked and chopped up the chicken, with some of my help. It went through tedious cooking processes, but was ultimately worth it!

All in all, it was delicious! And the company, even better. This is the time of year that I get the most homesick, and it is always fun to spend time with my surrogate family.

'Til next time.....Ciao bella! Back to the Winter Olympics.