F I R S TP R E V918NEXTLAST

Giant Toads, Chinatown Grocery Store
A common Chinese greeting is "Have you eaten yet?" which underscores the importance of food as a cultural symbol. With Chinese New Year less than two weeks away meal preparations are in full swing. These huge softball-size toads were for sale along with turtles and even armadillos in a Chinatown grocery. During the celebration many foods take on meanings; wealth is symbolized by bamboo shoots, seaweed, egg rolls, oranges, and a whole fish among others. Long life is seen in long-grain rice, peanuts, noodles, and Chinese garlic chives.

This new year, number 4707, will be the Year of the Ox. The celebration will start at the beginning of first lunar new moon, January 26, and end on the full moon fifteen days later. About a week before the festival, a new paper Kitchen God is hung near the family stove. Often his mouth is smeared with honey to sweeten his annual report on the family's behavior to the Jade Emperor. In addition, kitchens are scrubbed to clean out old misfortune, but this must be completed prior to New Year's Day to avoid sweeping away the New Year's luck.
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