You know, there was a time when I had thought that, due to circumstances, my Chinese New Year for2023 would be a very quiet, maybe even a somewhat somber one.
But life springs you surprises sometimes.
It wasn't as sombre nor as quiet as I thought it would be.
Never mind that I didn't get to go to the bazaar at Chinatown very much like I usually do.
Never mind too that I didn't get to buy crates of mandarin oranges or bak kwa or new soft drinks or bags of sweets.
There were red packets (courtesy of the banks) on the coffee table.
There were brand new jars of cookies.
And there were mandarin oranges bought from the supermarket in portions of five.
It was all very festive looking, and- looking at the pictures now- I'm glad I decided to make it this way.
At least I didn't miss out on the occasion.
Despite how this picture looks, it wasn't all just (plain-looking) Filet O Fish burgers for The Family's Chinese New Year this year.
We had coffees.
We had cookies.
And there was a day when at another place I had the joy of salmon belly sashimi, shallow-fried mushrooms, pan-fried foie gras made slightly burnt, and cordyceps-something on my plate.
Let's just say it felt luxurious a meal.
Yet it wasn't only the salmon belly sashimi or the foie gras that gave me the sense of luxury this year.
There was also the rare privilege of having an entire roast suckling pig for two people.
It's very seldom that I get to have a roast suckling pig.
It's never that I've had the entire pig almost to myself, served complete with head and all.
So huge the portion was that my friend brought it back in two large platters placed in bright pink carrier bags meant for delivery.
One of the platters went straight on the table for lunch with the provided sweet plum sauce.
The other went into the fridge- together with the head of the pig which I refused to leave on the table because there is no way I can put a piece of meat inside my mouth with the head (and eyes) of the very same creature staring back at me.
Don't matter if the eyes have been removed and stuck with cherries or cherry tomatoes.
My brain sees it staring at me.
So, yes, into the fridge it went- this foil-wrapped head of a pig- along with the containers of sweet sauce and the other box of leeks and flour cakes.
I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the flavors of the pork and the crisp of the skin otherwise.
One thing that surprised me about this dish was just how little feel of the oil there was.
All along the thought of suckling pigs had given me a very oily, greasy feel.
This one didn't.
In fact it felt very much like sio bak (roast pork) to me, except that the meat was thicker, solid with way less fat, and the skin flatter and crispier.
I ate my portion with the little floury white cakes, and the fresh, juicy leeks.
The little pancakes took a bit of getting used to- perhaps I'm more familiar with crepes- but I liked the leeks. They added a refreshing burst of veggie juice to the otherwise gamey-tasting meat.
A plate of pea sprouts, or dou miao, accompanied our meal.
I'm really glad for all the food that I had during this Chinese New Year.
It was lovely to head down to Golden Mile (Little Thailand) for a delicious meal of Tom Kha (coconut cream soup), Massaman curry chicken, some fried ngoh hiang fritters, omelet with fried rice, and Thai chendol.
Thai food has always been a great pick-me-up, and we relished the entire meal, beginning with the Thai chendol (because we'd forgotten to let the staff know to serve it afterwards), then the coconut cream soup which we happily slurped up, then the Massaman curry sweet and spicy but not too hot, the fritters and finally the omelet, which by then we realized we had actually completed our meal without rice.
It's been a few months now, but one thing I do miss very much about this season are the cookies.
It's not every day that I get to savor a buttery pineapple tart with the gentlest of pineapple fillings that aren't too sweet.
Neither is it every day that I get to have as many buttery rich, melt-in-your-mouth sugee cookies as I like.
Maybe one day I will look back at the less-buttery pineapple rolls with a quiet, pensive smile, but for this year, I'll just say I'm glad to have gotten them and when the season comes around again next year, I know I'll keep an eye open for them, and maybe even buy them too.