First Day of CNY 2006

As with all cultural norms, a family's tradition is what links remembrance of an occassion. A simple example would be having a cake with candle blowing would link to birthdays.

And so, as I have not slept since yesterday, I was happily trawling around the web when I heard mom get up at 6ish. I heard her pottering in the kitchen and soon enuff, could hear a very faint sizzle. I wondered if she was starting to fry the entire batch of pink rice cakes already.

As I sat here wondering what to do next, I found my attention meandering to the rice cakes she most likely is frying. On the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, Mom fries these ordinary pink fluffy, doughy rice cakes in a non-stick pan. It is fried to a crisp on the outside so that the rice within is just warmed, and eaten with a vinegary garlic chilli and sweet black sauce. Giving it more thought as I did since I am still conscious at 9am, this seems to be the one food that seem to symbolize the starting of a brand new year to me. The Ang Baos (money given by relatives) and snacks seem to pale in comparison when it comes to the symbolism, to me.

Hmmm... strange isn't it? Something as simple and innocuous as these ricecakes holding so much meaning for me. I don't even eat them on a regular day but come the first day of chinese new year, I have to have them else it is just not quite the start of a brand new year.

I am sure if I were to one day live alone or with someone, I would panfry these rice cakes on the first day of CNY too. =)

Oh! I hear relatives coming into the house now, gonna climb into bed to try to catch some shut-eye, will wake when relatives have stopped torturing my doggie woggie and are all gone.

Bye for now!