New Year Snapshots

Last week, Mr. A gave a Chinese New Year presentation to M’s 1st grade class.  I had mixed feelings about it initially, but after M came home from another parent’s Hanukkah presentation saying “Mama!  We learned about Hanukkah today! We at latkes!  It was sooooo cool.  I wish I was Jewish!!”, I changed my mind.  I decided first graders are probably pretty positive about new things if it is presented in a fun (and delicious) way.

So Mr. A went to school and did a presentation (I was there as a crowd control helper).   As the teacher introduced us, she said “This is Mr. A and Ms. AmFam.  They are Chinese New Year EXPERTS!”

At that point, M piped up: “My MOM isn’t an expert in Chinese New Year because her ancestors are from EUROPE!”

Mr. A read a couple books, made the kids kowtow for a chocolate coin filled red envelope, used a puppet to demonstrate a lion dance and taught them to use chopsticks to eat a big marshmallow.  We also gave them a cup of Mr. A’s famous noodles (aka long life noodles) and a M’s beloved Taiwanese shortbread cake. For the most part, the kids were great.  A few of them balked at eating unusual things, but the majority tried and liked the snacks.

My favorite comment of the class was made in response to one boy’s grimace and statement that he was NOT going to try that cake and it looked gross.   Another little boy said “Evan, you should try it!  I thought it would be DISGUSTING, but when I tasted it, it was DELICIOUS!”

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Yesterday, we went to China Day, which is a big festival of Chinese culture put on by a variety of Chinese organizations in our state.  In previous years, M performed her Chinese dance at that event, but since we are Chinese School drop outs, we could all relax this year.   After a thousand hours of incredibly boring speeches, proclamations, banner presentations, the girls enjoyed a lion dance and dance performances.

There were a lot of different cultural activities on the schedule.  My personal favorite was “How to guide your kids to study math.”   I pointed it out to Mr. A because I thought it was funny.  He failed to see the humor and was disappointed we weren’t going to be able to attend that session due to a scheduling conflict.

When we went to get a snack.  Mr. A saw the college students who performed the lion dance and went to talk to them.  He was hoping they might want to perform at a big fancypants  Asian Lawyer function later this year.   It turns out the lion dancer guys were members of a new Asian fraternity.   Mr. A asked several of them who he should contact to book them and they all just mumbled and shrugged.  Finally someone told him to ask Everett.

When he tracked Everett down, Mr. A introduced himself.  Everett did a typical frat-boy head nod to say hello.  Mr. A went on to explain about the fancypants Asian lawyer event, which caught Everett’s attention.

“Asian Lawyers?  Here in our city?” he said.

Mr. A said yes.

“You a lawyer?” Everett asked.

When Mr. A said yes, Everett immediately dropped his eye contact (which according to Mr. A is a sign of respect in Asian cultures).

Then Everett smacked his hand on his chest (kind of gang-symbol like), nodded his head again and said   “Respect, yo.”

Mr. A thought that interaction was seriously hilarious and repeatedly said “Respect, yo!” to me all evening.