Chinese New Year

Everything in Hong Kong seems to be sloooowing down for Chinese New Year. Decorations are everywhere and it seems like the city has this aura of anticipation this week. All the stores are posting their reduced hours for the next week and kids are out of school now. I have to get lai see packets for the staff in our apartment building. For Chinese New Year, you give red packets filled with crisp, new bills to people that work for you or that are younger than you. Everyone is selling mini tangerine trees and pussy willows because I think they are symbolic of good tidings for the new year, the Year of the Rooster. Last year was the year of the monkey. I read my Chinese horoscope for the upcoming year, and it said that while last year was very bad, this year will not be much better and that I had better not make any big changes. Hmmm....that doesn't sound very good to me.

They are also selling sweets everywhere...new ones that I have never seen before! The one below was particularly intriguing to me. How could I not be fascinated by a hard sesame ball with a red rooster looking cap on top of it? So, I bought one yesterday. The red part on top is not sweet like you would think, it is hard and tastes fried. The outer portion of the ball is crispy and hard and has sesame seeds on it. I was dying to find out what was inside...I thought it would be red bean or lotus seed paste. When I broke open the ball, there was a soft, peanut brittle type glob. It had peanuts, sesame seeds, and I think lotus seeds all mixed up in a sweet paste, sort of like caramel. It wasn't caramel though, it was just sweet. It was delicious! I wish I knew what it is called.



Chinese New Year Treat 


Inside of Chinese New Year Treat