A Happier New Year

Some of you may know that I have a serious problem with New Year's Eve. I just plain don't like it. It's just a chance to end each year with an over-hyped night of disillusionment and sparkly clothing. Perhaps it was designed to leave you desperate for a fresh start. I will say that this year in Philadelphia I  enjoyed a vast improvement on any other New Year's Eves I've had, but it will take more than one fluke year to change my opinion of this terrible excuse for a holiday.

Chinese New Year, on the other hand, is quickly entering the running for "Liz's Favorite Holiday." It goes on for 15 days, so there's not so much pressure on just one night. It involves a lot of free money for unmarried people. It's a time for families to come together and school teachers to have time off to scuba dive. It also involves huge amounts of homemade Chinese food.

Since today is the last day of Chinese New Year, it's only fitting to provide a recap of how I've been celebrating since the last post:

-After my final line dancing practice, one of the aunties invited us all to her house to sample a lazy susan full of homemade Chinese kuih. Kuih is a very popular word here, which means something akin to snack or finger food. I have trouble pinning down what exactly it means, since it can be sweet or savory. There were sweet things and savory things and cakey things and crunchy things and plenty of camaraderie to go around.

-I attended the Chinese New Year celebration at my mentor's church, which happened to be hosting the party for all the Catholic churches in the state of Pahang this year. There was very dramatic, heart-pounding drumming on 24 drums. There were adorable children in traditional Chinese dress singing special New Year songs. Of course, there was also an epic line dance only somewhat marred by the clumsy participation of yours truly. At one point, the children who were performing onstage invited everyone to join them for a rendition of the "Gangnam Style" dance, and my mentor pulled me up along with the other line dancers. For the record, I don't really know this dance. But I followed along with a smile on my face and yet another sweet farewell to dignity in my heart.

The Golden Flamingoes. Yes, this is what the line dancing group is called. I couldn't make that up if I tried.  The teacher is to my left. She's very glamorous and quite a good dancer. 

Me with my mentor, Lynette, and her daughter, Vanessa, at the celebration. They lent me the shirt :)

Of course there was a buffet of homemade food, in true church luncheon style--except this time there were also juice boxes of sweet chrysanthemum tea.

-Immediately after the extravaganza at my mentor's church, I went to spend the night at the home of another Chinese Malaysian teacher at my school. She lives with her husband, 20-month-old son, and maid in a huge modern home that's part of a compound where her husband's parents and most of his siblings live in houses with their families. When I walked in, the first thing I noticed, besides how beautiful the house was, was a small Buddhist altar and the Buddhist chant music playing. Later, we took a walk around the compound, where various nieces and nephews were out playing. We ran into some brothers-in-law (she has 7) who were cleaning out bird's nests that they had harvested from a big building next door where they keep sparrows for this purpose. After a lengthy explanation of the health benefits of eating spoonfuls of boiled bird's nests daily, we stepped into a house to watch her sister-in-law cook for a bit. Then, back home to the teacher's house to watch her prepare red plates full of pyramids of sumptuous fruits and candies, all decorated with red ribbons and intended to be offered during the prayers at midnight. 

A few hours later, I had a Chinese feast the likes of which I've never tasted before. Roast pork and chicken with delicious red and green chili sauces (honestly, the sauces kind of reminded me of Mexican food), whole fish with a delicious garlic sauce, rice, and a dish made with sea cucumber. It was pretty surreal to dig into a gooey, fatty piece of surprisingly tasty sea cucumber after I'd just seen them alive on the ocean floor during a dive. 

I spent the rest of the night waiting for midnight prayers and learning and teaching hand-clapping games with a roomful of adorable and rambunctious young nieces and nephews. It very much reminded me of my own family parties, where the young cousins end up in one room running around while the adults chat at the table. 

When it finally struck midnight, we went outside to a temporary altar with a statue of Buddha. In front of that was a table heaped with plates of fruit and baked goods. Many of the baked goods were red for good luck. Proceeding roughly in age order, each member of the family knelt, waved lighted incense in front of the altar, and silently invoked his or her wishes for the coming year. At the end, they asked if I wanted to take a turn. At first I refused, but after they coaxed me, telling me that the idea was to ask wishes of a universal heaven, "not anything specific," I decided to do it. It felt very much as if I was back to the conundrums of the early church that Paul writes about--"Do you eat food sacrificed to idols?"and all that. I saw more harm in saying, "Um, it would be wrong for me to do this as a Christian" to a family of expectant and hospitable hosts (who are a religious minority in Malaysia) than to kneel down and say a prayer for them to the God of my choosing at the altar of their making. Tack that on to the list of unexpected ethical conundrums faced here. At the end of the prayers, the family all helped to unfold gold-colored papers that they burned to represent a sacrifice of money and a request for prosperity in the coming year. Next, they set off some spectacular fireworks and firecrackers. Then everyone went inside to feast on the fruits and sweets that had just been offered up. 

-Last night my mentor invited me to an open house in her family friends' backyard. I sat down with a plate full of food, thinking that I would pace myself. I was especially impressed with the "prosperity noodles," the hostess's specialty. They were spaghetti noodles with chicken and mushrooms in a delicious brown broth. Just when I thought I would be able to get away without gorging myself too much, the hosts' nephew personally delivered a plate of satay chicken. Then the host came around with a plate of special curry puff made with fish. Next he stopped by with two different kinds of delicious cakes, watching me expectantly as I bit into them. Of course, by the end of the night I was stuffed, despite my attempts to be more prudent. The family had lived in Lambertville, NJ, of all places, for a while, so they spoke excellent English. Everyone was super friendly and hospitable, and I had a nice conversation with some Swiss expats who have retired here. Once again, there were firecrackers. I also got to use the most westernized bathroom I've found in Malaysia. Readers, don't underestimate the power of encountering a bathroom that feels like home. I'll explain more about Malaysian bathrooms in a later post.

-Today I had my final Chinese New Year bonanza (I think). I went with the Golden Flamingoes to a big lunch at a restaurant and had some of the best roast duck I've ever had. (Sorry, Sang Ke Duck House, but I think it may have been a little better.)

Traditional Chinese New Year dish. It's a plate of crispy fried noodles, pickled carrots, and other multicolored delicious things in a sesame sauce that comes with all the ingredients in separate little piles. Then all the guests reach in with chopsticks all together and mix it up. They higher they lift the ingredients in the air, the better luck it is. 

Me trying it out. Scandalous shoulder shot. 

Duck and chicken.

I took this photo because I thought there couldn't possibly be any more food, but actually several more plates arrived afterwards. Mom, Dad--on the left are pig trotters. They were actually really tasty this time! Very tender.

I guess all good things must come to an end, and tomorrow I will be back to a life with fewer Chinese feasts. I've looked at enough paper placemats in Chinese restaurants at home to learn that this year is my year--the Year of the Snake--so here's hoping it's a good one for all of us.