In China they don’t make a fuss about New Year’s Eve and so I’d never (apart form one year with a German friend) done anything to celebrate it. Tanzania is a little better for this traditional celebration and I was invited to several international gatherings.
Well, the New Year’s Even one was at least international. The New Year’s Day gathering was decidedly Chinese in style. My student invited me for dinner but omitted the crucial information (as is so often the case with Chinese) that it was at the temple he worships at.
I didn’t mind – it was something different anyway so was happy to go along. And even making dumplings was fine. In the past, this has always been a type of “Here’s a foreigner, let’s do a dumpling making activity for their entertainment.” But here I was asked to make them because they actually needed my help – not just to teach me a cultural activity.
It’s a very relaxing activity, making dumplings. One person has to roll out the dumpling balls and pass to another who fills and then seals the edges in a particular fashion. I did it quite well and once I had the right technique, I speeded up a bit.
Predictably there was too much food and I did my best to make a dent in it but /i had not long before, eaten a large portion of bolognaise and garlic bread. Why don’t the Chinese ever give you more notice of things like this? Why always leave it to the last minute?
It as nice to be in a temple although there were not many people there, it was calming and a cool evening. If it weren’t for the Mbalamwezi Beach Club next door it would have been very peaceful too. And I wasn’t allowed to kill any of the flies or mosquitoes buzzing around me because they are protected in Buddhism.
It’s is always nice to be welcomed into the Chinese community and eat Chinese food for a change.