The Lunar New Year has always been for the old folks, especially those on my roster. The festive seasons have always been for the old folks, to whom the traditions matter; to whom steamboat and festive foods and stews are rather easy for their digestive systems. Save for the sticky and glutinous rice things. But a bite of a few won't hurt, I guess.
These two weeks have been crazy- arranging lo hei and festive meals for the old folks, taking them to do whatever shopping necessary, checking in with the corporates to ensure logistics are working all right in order to contain meal deliveries and bags of gifted groceries to a reasonable number. Otherwise, these oldies will just hoard and hoard, freeze and freeze till food gets mouldy and the dry goods expire. Dohh. And having to argue with the old folks why they couldn't have more than two bowls of waxed duck porridge at one sitting. I've been broiling waxed duck porridge like nobody's business. WTF. Never knew how handy my grandfather's recipe is. Best part- it's my first time cooking it. In a pot okay, not the rice cooker. No written pieces of paper. I close my eyes and the memories flood in, and I instinctively know what ingredients are needed to churn out the taste I'm looking for.
I really don't mind being in town during this period. The family has learnt not to impose on me. I never do things to fulfil a tradition if I can't justify it. There has to be a very good reason beyond 'it has always been done this way'. There're certain traditions I don't adhere to and many practices I refuse to follow, not when the family doesn't exactly do it either. :) Unfortunately, some aspects of the celebrations have been adopted. Like ang-pow-giving, which many commercial grooming services have taken the liberty to translate that into compulsory and almost illogical festive surcharges. ARRRRGH.
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