If you didn’t get those New Years resolutions going already (or if you’ve already broken them) here’s another chance! 2012 is the year of the Dragon, symbol of prosperity, luck and good fortune.
I know it’s a tradition for many people in the United States (or at least New England- do other places do this too?) to order Chinese food on New Years Eve.
This made me wonder, do the Chinese celebrate their new year by eating pizza and cheeseburgers in return? The answer: Absolutely not. Here are a few menu options you might find at a Chinese New Year party:
* Lotus seed – signify having many male offspring
* Ginkgo nut – represents silver ingots
* Black moss seaweed – is a homonym for exceeding in wealth
* Dried bean curd is another homonym for fulfillment of wealth and happiness
* Bamboo shoots – is a term which sounds like “wishing that everything would be well”
And what you won’t find:
* Fresh bean curd or tofu is not included as it is white and unlucky for New Year as the color signifies death and misfortune.
I started celebrating the Chinese New Year in college, when I was working as a nanny for a Chinese/American family. I’ll be attending their annual New Year’s party on Thursday, and you better believe I’ll be all over that black moss seaweed platter.
Mmmmmmm
I have been super busy lately, and will *hopefully* have some very good news to share on here very soon. I don’t want to jinx anything, but it is the year of the dragon after all…
Balanced in Boston 