Mr Go is the best Chinese deli cook in town. If we're so bummed with those sticky, cheesy
pizza and pepperoni, we would order those Chinese food in the box. It's our idea of a decent meal. Do not expect gourmet cooking if you're living with one of the sloppiest buds in the city. Everyday is a cowboy meal.
So he serves good food with funny antics on the side. Everytime he would give us those fortune cookies and when nobody's looking, I would crack it open to see my roll of fate. It's been years sicne I last saw him. One time, when he was going back to China to celebrate the
New Year with his family, he invited me saying that we should welcome the year with a dragon dance if I still haven't seen one. I hurriedly packed my bag and some Jackie Chan dictionary and Jet Li travel guide.
I was lost in translation upon my arrival as I don't understand what they're saying. They're like Martians blabbing on a secret code or something. So I kept mum most of the time. I was having this culture shock syndrome, and the only thing that kept me excited was the food.
Good thing the celebration started soon. I found myself clicking snapshots everywhere as the streets were jam packed with people. The dragon dance was fascinating. It was very graceful, athletic, and empowering, although you can see those silly feet underneath. The best thing ever was the firework display. It's like going to an Olympic game with those ceremonial torches. It was lively, sparkling, and illuminating.
To keep up with the beat, I read more about the Chinese calendar and Zodiac signs. I even consulted fate through numerology, palm reading, and the Chinese calendar. It was amazing, hopefully with near resemblance to truth (I wish it ain't a scam after all).
Little by little I learned quite a bit about the Chinese culture. I had some picture and my buds were envious seeing me with a beautiful Chinese girl. They were drooling, wishing they were there to see the spectacle and highlights of a unique encounter. What I'm looking forward now is some Chinese circus and acrobatics, maybe in my next visit.
