This year I've planned for four gatherings over two weekends. Two outside and two hosted in our humble flat. Mr HEA grumbles at the enormity of it all. He would be perfectly happy cuddled up on the couch in slippers and his flannel pyjamas proudly relishing in his role of Asian Dad. Christmas is after all just one day or one long weekend if you were like us. But CNY is fifteen days. Most years he swears I make things up as I go along. He thinks the seventh day people's birthday, the Chinese Valentine's Day and the reunion dinner on the eve are just my gimmicks to get more presents or excuses to eat more Chinese foods that he isn't interested in. How Banana (yellow on the outside, white on the inside in case you hadn't heard the term before) is my man!
I roll up my sleeves as I roll flat the meat for my Ba Kwa determined that my LO will be educated on the right things about our heritage. I am pleased to see her nursery embracing the holiday. She comes home daily with red glitter all over as they collage roosters and make paper dragon lanterns for CNY celebrations. I dropped her off today with a lion dance puppet for Circle time hoping that the children will benefit from the authentic prop whilst singing their Chinese New Year songs ( to the tune of Mary had a little lamb though??!!?)
I think when she is older I'll rope her into the preparations but for now, I am keeping it simple and opting for store bought alternatives where possible.
Gathering 1: opted for Hotpot so it's BYO things that my guests love to eat but all I'd have to do would be to make the stock, get the dipping sauces, drinks, as well as stuff I'd like to eat ( prep prawns of course as that's my fav), and prepare the Yee Sang salad and desserts (sugee cookies, fruit platter).
Gathering 2: Planning a sit down dinner but I'll likely buy the following:
Peking Duck (M&S does a really good pop into the oven version)
Spring rolls (Frozen ones from freezer section of Asian shop)
Make:
Noodles
Radish cake
Yee Sang
Siew mai
Ba Kwa
CNY cookies
It is important that my little girl learns about the things we celebrate as Chinese. I feel my grandma in me as I think this but unlike my teenage self, I am proud to feel that. I no longer abhor my Malaysian Chinese heritage as I now have come to embrace the unique ways this melting pot London society come together. Everyone is celebrated here. So I smile to myself as the staff in our local Asian shop is inundated by questions from the Causasian folk trying to interpret the Chinese instructions for how to steam frozen dumplings for CNY, once more whilst I lovingly wrap each Siew Mai at home trying to swat away the curious toddler's fingers from the raw mince filling. Chinese Spring is in the air. That's all that matters.
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