MY PERSONAL PLANS FOR THE CHINESE NEW YEAR PARADE

Three days hence, on Saturday February 11, the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco will take place.
You will probably not be surprised to find out that I will not watch it.
Indeed, I saw it once or twice, back in the eighties. But I've always found American parades to be too much and too slow. Really, how many high-school marching bands from the hinterlands and the delta do you have to see before you've had enough?
Or politicians in open vehicles, benignly doing the regal wave?
Yes, the various dragons and lion dances are neat-O.
So is the St. Mary's Drum and Bell Corps.

Evenso.

My biggest problem is that I would prefer to eat dinner on Kearny Street, either at the place with the waitress who has a kind face, or the restaurant where 'miss-lovely-small-hands' works. Rice-stick noodles in soup, or fish and greens.
But either place is out of the question.
Kearny Street is where all the crowds will be.
Anywhere in C'town is probably not a good idea this Saturday.
Not with half a million suburbanites in town.
Too many people, too much noise.

My best bet is to purchase a selection of snacky things (點心) in early afternoon, either from one of the dimsum counters on Stockton Street, or from 容記糕粉店 on Jackson.
Once I get to the office, I'll put them in the refrigerator for later.
糯米雞 or 雞飽, perhaps, and some 燒賣, 咸水角, and 蝦餃. Maybe even a 鹹蛋酥, despite the cholesterol. Or perhaps because of it. Even two of them - one is never enough.
A quiet little feast high above the frenzy.

[BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE WORDS: 點心 (dimsum) = snacky things, little tasty dumplings or steamed small dishes, often eaten at a teahouse for breakfast or lunch. 容記糕粉店 (yong kee gou fan diem) = a store on Jackson Street that sells freshly made dimsum items and small pastries; they're usually out of stock and sweeping the floor by late afternoon. 糯米雞 (no mai kai) = glutinous rice and chicken wrapped in a lotus leaf and steamed - one package is enough for two people, hence the alternative, 雞飽. 雞飽 (kai bao), which is a steamed bun filled with chicken. 燒賣, 咸水角, and 蝦餃 (siu mai, haahm sui gok, and haa gau) = pork mince enfolded in a pasta cup and steamed, steamed and pan-fried pork and rice flour cake, and shrimp bonnets respectively. 鹹蛋酥 (haahm dan so) = a salt egg yolk nestled in lotus seed paste (莲蓉 lien yong) inside a pastry shell, utterly delicious! Very similar to a 蛋黃酥 (dan wong so), which is also high in cholesterol (and one is likewise never enough!), but not as deadly as 菠蘿油 filled with 餐肉, which is one of the most dangerous AND satisfying snacks in the known universe.
Trust me on this. Have one. With a nice hot cup of 奶茶. You'll thank me later.]


FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

From the direction of Market Street, the sounds of drums and explosions will reach me as I eat.
I may even observe the festive throngs briefly from the windows thirteen floors up, before deciding to take a very long nap in the break room till it's all over.
There is a large beanbag pillow there, and nobody will hear me snoring.
Need to bring in an alarm clock.

Later I'll head over to the cigar bar.
They will probably not be busy afterwards.
It should be pleasant being around people again.

* * * * * *

It will have been a splendid parade. Colourful, glorious, joyous, and festive. Lots of fire crackers!
The five hundred thousand suburbanites (or more) will be bubbling over with excitement, and returning home stuffed to the gills with sweet and sour pork, kung pao prawns, and pork-fried rice. Plus imperial rolls!
If you've never seen it, you really must come.
It's a not-to-be-missed experience.

Happy New Year.


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