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Post by neferetus on Feb 7, 2008 17:03:50 GMT -5
Today, February 7, 2008 is Chinese New Year, which is the Year Of The Rat. (Close to the title of an old Al Stewart song, but no cigar.)
Back when I was still working in Chinatown, Los Angeles, the day's festivities would include a dragon parade down Broadway, with all sorts of colorful characters, musicians and dancers wending their way down the parade route to the rat-tat-tat accompaniment of endless strings of firecrackers. It was the one day of the year when firecrackers were allowed within the city limits.
It was also a good time of the year to hit the bakeries and I would always get a box of freshly baked almond cookies and fresh Chinese dumplings. Chinese dumpling is one of the most important foods in Chinese New Year. Since the shape of Chinese dumplings is similar to ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots, they symbolize wealth. Traditionally, the members of a family get together to make dumplings during the New Year's Eve. They may hide a coin in one of the dumplings. The person who finds the coin will likely have a good fortune in the New Year.
I also enjoyed "bao", which is a rice bun, stuffed with hard boiled egg and sausage, or sweet bean paste. Sesame balls were also up on my list.
Here in New Braunfels, we have one Chinese restaurant and not a sign of New Year celebration. Does anyone have Chinese New Year celebrations in their town?
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Post by Greg C. on Feb 7, 2008 17:22:57 GMT -5
Do they eat rats in celebration?
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Post by neferetus on Feb 7, 2008 21:43:43 GMT -5
Do they eat rats in celebration? No more than Catholics worship statues.
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Post by neferetus on Feb 8, 2008 13:22:25 GMT -5
We must all be very careful how we typecast any certain group of people. Would anyone here eat a rat to help celebrate New Year's eve? No? Then why expect that someone else would? The parallel I drew between Chinese eating rats and Catholics worshipping statues says a lot about the ignorance that we all share, to some degree. I don't know how many times I've heard from some mis-informed non-Catholics how, "Oh, you Catholics are idol worshippers, you kneel down and pray to statues". Ignorance. You want to strangle them for their lame remarks, but then you're suppose to be showing that you're a Christian by your example, so you just can't win.
Statues are symbolic, just as cruciufixs are. They are there to help you remember. Some people will keep a crucifix by the front door, so that they can be reminded to take Jesus with them wherever they go. They don't "worship" the crucifix; it's just a reminder. If you keep a picture of your family member on the wall, it is not there for you to worship, but to remind you of them. And I don't think that when people go to visit the imposing Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, that they fall down and worship the spirit of Lincoln.
I've mentioned some of the things that I truly miss about Chinese New Year, as well as some of the foods. None of these included a rat. Different cultures may have some ethnic foods that we do not particularly care for, because we have not grown up with them. Frankly, I cannot think of anything less appealing than saurkraut, but then again, add a sausage to it, or some schnitzel, with a little brown sugar and it is out of this world.
The main thing is, we all belong to our own little group. Some of us do not feel comfortable about stepping outside of that group to do a little exploring, or studying. The end results are that we often times take people at face value and in doing so, misconstrue their looks, actions, beliefs and customs. In todays world, we cannot afford to do this. It is a world that is shrinking rapidly as different cultures come together in the big melting pot of society. So, in the future, let's keep our eyes, ears----and our minds--- open and then celebrate both cultural and religious diversity. Viva la difference!
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Post by Greg C. on Feb 8, 2008 14:54:32 GMT -5
With some of the Chinese restaurants in my area, one must be sure of what he is eating.
"Was that really chicken?"
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Post by seguin on Feb 10, 2008 0:41:45 GMT -5
Well said, Nef! Although we all belong to a specific culture and a specific group within that culture (religiously, socially etc.), there´s still more that binds us humans together than there are things that separate us. Regardless of culture we all have the same fundamental needs physiologically and psycologically and hopefully that overrules our differencies in the long run. I guess tolerance is the key word here...
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