and with a continual stream of customers, they have the place well organized.  first you must pay and get a token.  then you patiently wait until your number is called. meanwhile, you can see them methodically alternate between filling the 10+ griddles with batter, checking them on occasion, and seeming to know exactly when they are ready.

mmm… fresh off the griddle.  they are crispy on the outside, airy and soft on the inside.  warm and lightly sweet goodness.

on mondays, i go to the traditional market and load up on lots of fresh goodness.  there are aisles and aisles of vendors selling everything from fresh meat and veggies to live seafood to tofu products to preserved goods, and so on.  while there are many traditional markets that vary in size and items they offer, here is a small glimpse of the one near my house that i usually go to – 三水湾菜场.  the vendors already recognize me and will ask me where my daughters are if i happen to go by myself.

much of the produce selection is seasonal, so i am excited it is currently strawberry season and am loading up on them while they last.  i will say that i have not been brave enough to try everything offered here – such as live frogs or chickens.  (though today i did purchase some live shrimp for the first time…)   but for the most part, i find it quite inspiring to go there.

what is bringing you happiness today?

three major traditions around here include hanging lanterns, eating tangyuan (汤圆), and setting off firecrackers.  i managed to capture 2 of those 3.

for weeks, the city and neighborhoods have been adorned with red lanterns hanging along the streets and buildings.  i love how they brighten up the streets.

also, hannah’s school had a Lantern Festival party, where they got to make some tangyuan themselves.  tangyuan are these balls made from glutinous rice flour.  they can be filled or unfilled, small or large, and usually served in some sweet soup.  hannah loves how they taste.

we arrived to find out it was actually a New Year FAIR.  the guys seemed much more relieved and excited once they saw that we were not just going to see flowers.  we were also told to avoid going at night or on Chinese New Year’s Eve, lest we be trampled by the extraordinary crowds going for last minute purchases and bargains.  So we went during the day, one day before CNY Eve… but as you can see, there were still plenty of people to squeeze alongside with.

It was a feast for the senses.  rows and rows of tents and vendors, selling anything and everything to celebrate this CNY, the Year of the Tiger.

So aside from seeing a huge selection of flowers, there was also the festive…

the novel…

(notes: upper left is a McD’s “tiger pie” dispenser.  and those stuffed animals are actually hand mufflers)

and all things Tiger…

and finally, what is a fair without food?   you could find fresh sugar cane juice, stinky tofu, butter cuttle, egg waffles, candy-coated fruits, stir-fried noodles, and so much more – sometimes unusual, usually tasty, always interesting

to start with, here are some initial glimpses of the “flower market” that we visited just before Chinese New Year (CNY).

going to the flower market is one of those CNY traditions in HK.  we were told this one we visited in Victoria Park is one of the largest in HK… and it turned out to be a bit more than your average flower market.  more to come…

i feel like this photo says “look at me!” and so i keep looking at it.  =)  but i guess i am biased.

we are headed off to Hong Kong tomorrow for Chinese New Year (CNY).  CNY around here is kind of like Christmas time in the US.  It is the longest holiday that everyone gets off from work.  there is a mass exodus back to your hometown to be with your family.  for many people, this may be the only time during the year that they see their family.  since our families are a little too far away and we were just there last month, we’ll be going to HK instead.  there is also big shopping time, as people buy gifts to take home.  so stores are busy running promotions.  and tonight at the supermarket, there was a special area selling various products in nice gift packaging just for CNY – the most popular products there?  vitamins and chocolates.
yesterday, when i went to the local market, there were tons of vendors outside selling live chickens (how i wish i had my camera on me!).  i guess that is another popular item to take back to the family.  i actually think i saw someone giving someone else a (live or recently live) chicken in a gift box as i drove through a neighborhood last night.
and CNY would not be complete without TONS of firecrackers going off everywhere on the streets and in front of people’s homes… i guess somewhat like the 4th of July only much louder.

we’ve been busy this past month with traveling and good friends visiting.  and now off we go to HK… but when we get back, i promise to start posting more than just my girls… but of course there will still be posts of them too =)

random things to note:
matching jogging suits courtesy of grandma – i think that finding coordinating outfits is one of those joys of having two kids now.
photo taken during our recent trip back to michigan – i realize now it takes a good week (at least) before and after across-the-world-trips for life to quiet down but that’s ok. i am also happy to report i managed to fly smoothly back to china by myself with the 2 girls on a 15.5 hr flight after a 22 hour delay at the airport (good thing hannah really likes airports, planes and hotels).

for unto us a Child is born…

Christmas is definitely not a big ordeal in these parts.  i think we may be the only ones in our apartment complex with a Christmas tree and lights on each night (at least from what i can see from our windows).  there is no hustle and bustle of christmas gift shopping…although there are random santa claus and christmas tree decorations in some storefronts.  no christmas music playing 24 hours a day.  it is not a standard holiday, so everyone is still working.  business as usual.  in some ways, it feels strange to me.

but then i realized… i guess that is how things were on the first Christmas Eve.  everyone just going about their usual day-to-day things, business as usual.  not knowing that in a small town, in a manger, under the most humble circumstances, a too-wonderful-for-words thing was happening.