This article appeared in the Pacifica Tribune on Feb. 18, 2010.
By Shirley Fong-Torres
Special to the Pacifica Tribune
Posted: 02/18/2010
Grrrrrrrrreat! It’s time to celebrate the Year of the Tiger, beginning Feb. 14 and officially ending with the Lunar New Year Parade in San Francisco on Feb. 27.
The Chinese lunar calendar names each of the 12 years after an animal. Legend has it that Buddha summoned all the animals in the kingdom to come to him before he departed from earth. He named a year after each of the 12 animals that showed up. Today, believers feel that the animal year they are born into influences ones personality and destiny.
Year of the Tiger (1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010): Tigers are fighters, powerful, aggressive and rebellious. Artist-poet William Blake admired their awe-inspiring fearful symmetry. Tigers are impulsive, which can be positive or negative depending on the situation.
Chinese new year is celebrated on the first day of the First Moon of the lunar calendar, and that is why each year’s new year day is different. This is the biggest holiday of the year, a combination of the more mainstream Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled up with a bit of Mardi Gras. There are years and years of history, tradition and respect that come into play. We are not just out to party, although it appears that way to many observers.
On lunar new year’s eve, many traditions are honored; especially, we pay respect to our ancestors and dearly departed family members by putting out their favorite foods. The dining room table is filled, perhaps with a whole steamed chicken (the word for chicken in Cantonese is synonymous with good world); a whole steamed or salted fish (abundance and if salted, preserve family.)
Plates are piled high with fresh oranges and tangerines — the tangerines must have leaves attached to assure that the family stays together, that friendships remain intact. Homes are decorated with vases filled with peach and quince blossoms and pots of almost-blooming azaleas.
Hung on walls or gracing tops of plates of fruit are couplets with declarations such as: Enter and Exit with Happiness, Prosperous Business Always, and the traditional Happy New Year and May Prosperity Be Yours. A harmony tray is filled with eight (lucky #8 sounds like prosperity in Cantonese) varieties of candies coconut, lotus beans, sweet lotus root, to ensure there is something sweet to offer to family and visitors.
As I drive home, I love seeing trees in bloom, especially around Terra Nova Boulevard and Everglades. It is one of the most glorious sights around our Pacifica. I grew up in Oakland, across the Bay, lucky to have had a father who was a great chef. Our parents prepared traditional foods in addition to our personal favorites, first at a meal to end the year, hon neen and then one to welcome the new year, hoy neen.
Some people do not wash their hair on New Year’s Day, believing they also might wash away their luck. Sweeping floors is also a no-no, for the same reason. Be sure to wear happy colors, red, yellow, gold, green. Say nice things on new year’s day (and always!)
Today, older members of a family are more likely to observe such traditions while the younger ones are adding modern twists such as sending greetings through e-mail, Facebook, Twitter or texting. We all agree that the focus is family and gathering to celebrate through meals.
Food, the universal language of love, is an integral part of our lunar new year celebration. Whether they are new year food that we have year after year, or comfort food that we all remember and love, celebrate with your family and friends! I visualize mom’s kitchen, warm and cozy, as she dishes out a bowl of piping hot, soothing jook, rice congee loaded with lean pork and thousand year-old eggs. You might visualize yourself gazing at your mom’s platter of finger-lickin’ fried chicken or pot roast, mounds of meatballs and spaghetti noodles, or a hearty chicken soup.
Jook, a Chinese breakfast
Jook, also known as rice congee, is definitely a comfort food. I grew up loving this, especially on cold days or if I am under the weather, and it remains one of my favorites.
1 cup washed and rinsed rice — for a creamier jook, change the proportions to ¾ cup regular long-grain rice, ¼ cup arborio rice.
2 turkey drumsticks/ wings — approximate 2 pounds. Or, combination of drumstick/wings/legs/thigh. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, remove meat, set aside. Use bones for the soup, and save the meat for the jook.
One quarter-size knob of fresh, peeled ginger
1 tablespoon salt
9 cups of water (or low-sodium chicken broth, or combination of both)
4 to 6 bean curd sticks, “foo jook,” soaked in hot water until color changes from yellow to white, drain, cut into 2-inch pieces — this is an *optional ingredient, a personal favorite for my daughter Tina and me.
Optional: gingko nuts, shelled, soaked in hot water and remove outer skin layer.
Toppings, as desired: beat in one to two eggs right before serving, minced green onion, additional thinly julienned fresh ginger, minced fresh Chinese cilantro, white pepper, soy sauce; thousand year old egg, “pay donn,” or preserved, salted egg, “hom donn.”
To cook: In a large stockpot, add the rice, turkey bones, ginger, salt and water (or chicken broth.) Bring to a near-boil, lower the heat, cover the pot tightly, and simmer for 2 hours or more, until the rice has broken down and the soup is thick. During the last 30 minutes, add the foo jook and gingko nuts (optional ingredients.) Transfer to serving bowls and have the toppings available.
*If you are using a crockpot, put it on “low” at night, and by morning, the jook is ready for you to add toppings to enjoy for breakfast.