Skip to main content

Kung Hei Fat Choy


Happy Chinese New Year! It is the lunar Year of the Dog. And to celebrate, we had lunch at the elegant Mandarin Gourmet in Palo Alto which serves the best Chinese cuisine in the area. For starters, we savored won ton soup and minced chicken in a lettuce cup. This was followed by moo goo gai pan, Mongolian beef, prawns with honeyed walnuts, three delicacies kung pao style and crispy Chinese eggplant shaped like meatballs. My plate was filled to embarrassing proportions but I cleaned it up except for a single broccoli.

According to Chinese astrology, people born in the year of the dog (1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006), have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and secretive. They can also be selfish, stubborn, eccentric and are noted for their sharp tongues.

Famous people born in the dog years are William Clinton, Cher, Madonna, Winston Churchill, Liza Minelli, Michael Jackson, Mother Theresa, Linda Ronstadt, Sophia Loren, Norman Schwarzkopf, Sylvester Stallone, Shelly Winters, and Mariah Carey.

My friend from Singapore writes her greetings thus: "Gong Xi Fa Cai". In San Francisco they say, "Gung Hai Fat Choy". And Kung Hei Fat Choy is the Cantonese translation. However it is written, I wish you a prosperous year of the dog.

* * *

Popular posts from this blog

The Fairy Tale Town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber has been on my travel bucket list for years. And I finally got there  last November. It is an enchanting place.  With its half-timbered houses, clock towers, colorful façades, schneeballs and beer steins, Rothenburg ODT oozes with medieval charm.  It's no surprise that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I was partially filmed in Rothenburg ODT. This is a common dilemma in Rothenburg ODT. Which direction to take? It's hard to choose because every cobblestone street seems to be competing for the best dressed street award. And they are all winners in my book.  After walking half a day, an inviting table for two with colorful flowers to warm a cold November day. I love how these two half-timbered buildings anchor a street that leads to another intriguing square. The Plönlein (Little Square) is the most photographed square in Rothenburg ODT. But I found more picturesque neighborhoods than this. That's ...
Read more

Midnight in Paris Movie Locations

It's not often I watch a movie but on a long flight home late last year, I had the chance to watch Midnight in Paris and was totally captivated by its plot. Can you imagine time traveling to the era of Fitzgerald and Hemingway, Picasso and Dali, Gauguin and Toulouse Lautrec? It was therefore such a treat to be in Paris and be able to see a couple of the locations from the movie. Had so much fun figuring out where the Peugeot came from to pick up Gil (Owen Wilson) and take him back to the Jazz Age. Rue Galande Rue Galande is a narrow street lined with boutiques with engaging window displays. Notice the giant flea sculpture above one of the shops. This location was shown at the beginning of the film. Interestingly enough, Rue Galande is a stone's throw from the bouquinistes along the Seine and across from the Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris. The Steps of St. Etienne du Mont This is where Gil was sitting, a little disoriented, when the Pe...
Read more

Casapueblo and Carlos Páez Vilaró

Casapueblo, Punta Ballena Just a few minutes from the popular beach destination of Punta del Este is Casapueblo which sits on the edge of a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. If you're staying at the hotel, then you're in for a big treat. Imagine the view of the blue ocean made more dazzling by the sun. But that's not all. There's also an art gallery and museum next door which displays the artistic works of Carlos Páez Vilaró who also designed Casapueblo, his permanent home and studio. Casapueblo reminds one of the Greek isles at first glimpse. But it isn't that simple. Look closely and you'll find the influence of Gaudi in the architecture which Vilaró himself built with no plans. There are no straight lines. The interior has many passages and narrow stairs leading to enchanting rooms, everyone of which is different from the other. Notice the curving lines and the rooftops with their pointed concrete posts. Vilaró liked his house to a hornero's (ovenbird...
Read more