Every year, my family would try their hardest to add American holidays onto our calendar. However, most of the time it ends in sleeping before the ball drops or handing me a gift card for Christmas. I’ve never complained about my parent’s ability to assimilate to American culture especially since we settle on compromises. Over the duration of Winter Break, we had Spaghetti Fridays. Although spaghetti with soy sauce was a first for me, I appreciated their effort.
Last Tuesday marked the first time I would celebrate Lunar New Year without my family. This day is incredibly important to my parents who have always strived to keep everything as traditional as can be. For a long time, I looked forward to this day as a means to cash in my red envelopes. I would always stay in my room with my cousins while the grown-ups played Mahjong. It wasn’t until last year when I was invited to the Mahjong table – I had no idea how to play. As with any family reunion, I was brutally insulted by my relatives which was my signal to promptly kick myself from the game. I went into the kitchen and helped my dad prepare the countless dishes for the dinner. Throughout the whole day, the whole house was filled with the aroma of ginger, star anise, sesame, and other ground spices. The importance of this holiday to my family is immeasurable.
This time, it was my turn to embrace a holiday that my parents revere. It was great. I invited numerous friends over to wrap dumplings in preparation for a feast. To put it nicely, some of the dumplings looked grotesque, but I was still overwhelmed by nostalgia. It reminded me about what the holiday truly symbolizes. Luckily, we managed to serve dinner and have a great New Year without a side of food poisoning.
