2/2/13 - Chinese New Year Celebration

We hit the trifecta.  A few weeks back we were dining on Arab street on a Saturday evening at an Egyptian restaurant that didn't even serve alcohol.  The signs outside said "Respect the Heritage" so it seems like the whole area was pretty serious about it.  Sure kept the price of dinner down.  The appetizer platter for $16 at Cafe le Caire might have been one of the best deals we have found on the island.  Last weekend found us strolling through Little India, inhaling the exotic spice and fresh produce aromas, not to mention inhaling our dinner.  We also saw more gold than may currently be sitting in Fort Knox.  So it was only fitting that this Saturday we were in Chinatown for a party hosted by Sarah's school.

I had only been to Chinatown once before and that was only walking through it at night after a work happy hour.  At 10 PM, it hadn't been very busy and most of the shops/restaurants were closing.  Imagine my surprise then when we got off the MRT and wondered if we had left Singapore and were suddenly in a back alley in Shanghai.  For Chinese New Year all the shops had extended another 10 feet out into the street to sell all manner of holiday items and a host of what we affectionately call in the US "sombreros" - i.e. stuff that looks like a good idea to buy on vacation but then you get home and wonder what you are ever going to do with it.

After walking by the restaurant twice and not even realizing it we luckily ran into some other friends who pointed us in the right direction.  I should have known "Feng Bo Zhuang" wasn't exactly going to jump out at us in terms of a name.  Turns out it was written in Chinese and the sign hanging outside simply said Chinese Food on it.  Either way, we walked in through the door to a feast already on the table.  Duck, spicy green beans, frog in a bamboo bowl (tastes like a cross between chicken and fish) dumplings, pork, Chinese buns and noodles.  Chinese buns are running a close second to soup dumplings in terms of my favorite Chinese food.  They are buttery, greasy, piping hot melt in your mouth dough that is just a stomachache waiting to happen.  Delicious.  Good thing I only ate two.

After having our fill of Chinese food, Tsingtao beer and watching a tai chi demonstration we were off.  We needed to pick up some "sombreros."  In our case we bought our very own New Year's lantern to hang up on the porch.  Its a nice Badger Red color, right?  Matches the UW polo I wore to lunch.  What other red clothing item would I actually own?  Its not like I could wear my Wisconsin football jersey.  Tomorrow we're heading to the Botanic Gardens to listen to the Singapore Chinese Orchestra play a free outdoor concert.  Have to keep the cultural experiences rolling.

Happy Early Year of the snake everyone!