The slumbering dragon awakes and cringes every time he hears the auspicious greeting of Chinese New Year bastardized to highlight the one word that seems to have an English anchor: fat.
But perhaps fat is a rather auspicious word: may your new year be fat... with friends, laughter, learning, family and health.
Your belly and your ass? Oh, they're going to get fat too with 15 days of obligatory, but nonetheless pleasurable, eating.
Here is our completion dinner...a feast to bridge the old and new years when the entire family gathers around the dinner table to gorge itself on food rich with symbolism.
The Chinese word for fish, yu, sounds like abundance.
"White-cut" Chicken lightly poached and served with a scallion ginger sauce.
Shrimp...or "ha" for much laughter in the new year.
Sesame balls that resemble laughing mouths agape; savory crackers that masquerade as coins; and sweet glutinous cakes or "goh" that mimic the verb, to rise or grow.
Go head, say the fat word...I'm too busy eating.
