Sunday (22nd January) will be Chinese New Year's Day and the start of the 15-day Spring Festival that it prompts. The city is closing down in preparation.
I was chatting with a friend earlier and joked that I had ordered my rabbit for dinner, pretending that I thought the animals that lend their names to the years were what were traditionally eaten that year.
She pointed out that at least three of them can't be eaten.
The animals, in order are tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, chicken, dog, pig, rat and ox. I've marked the three she thought I couldn't eat in red. I replied that I have eaten 龙虾 (lóng xiā) which literally means 'dragon shrimp' and is lobster and I've often eaten 老虎菜 (lǎo hǔ cài), literally tiger salad as well as 虎皮青椒 (hǔ pí qīng jiāo), tiger skin peppers, so they count!
Dragon Shrimp and Chips
Tiger Salad
Tiger Skin Green Beans and Peppers
Rhesus Monkey
I have another four years to find a dish that includes the word monkey! There must be one.
新年快乐！
