It’s that time of the year. It’s Chinese New Year.
Hotpots, dumplings, yee sang (Prosperity Toss salad), tang yuan (glutinous rice balls) and more appeared one after another in the various gatherings I attended throughout the 14-day long celebration. My mouth is watering just reminiscing on all the good food I had.
A potluck event organised by the Malaysian Student Association got all the Malaysians gathered in the Murray Building once again followed by a smaller one by a fellow USMC mate the very next day at Connaught halls. A hotpot dinner using rice cookers to hold the normal and mala (spicy & numbing) flavoured soups at some friends’ house and the dumpling making party organised by Friends International at Burgess Road Library were nothing less than fun and made my tummy happy.
Last year was my first time not spending the Chinese New Year celebrations with my family, being in the UK and all, so it was a surprise that this year turned out interestingly different. Despite my brother and I only being an hour coach ride away from each other, we somehow did not manage to meet up last year. However, some nagging by our parents my mom to be exact and a really last minute arrangement led to my brother, sister and I spending a whole Sunday eating more good food and chatting away this time around.
(Sorry about the absence of photos, I forget my priorities when there’s food in front of me.)
Other than the events above, there were also events happening in the city center for the public to celebrate together. Over one weekend, there was an array of performances and activities in front of the Guildhall and in the West Quay shopping center.