Dear Folks,

If you have ever lived in China, then, just being here in Thailand, you will miss the REAL Chinese Lunar New Year, complete with tasty goodies, and even Moon Cakes.

So many goodies in China, really, that it is hard to even compare the West with East Asia…

I miss Chinese New Year, just as I have for many years, beginning in the year 1973.

So what do you intend to do this evening?

Will you even sleep tonight, or tomorrow morning?

Most people do not sleep the first night of this glorious holiday.

This year, I expect many great gifts from companies such as DeepSeek. And, they have promised us we will be shocked, once more, just like last time. Hope the US Stock Market will not crash…ho-ho-ho.

There are special foods that one should eat, and Moon Cakes are not one of these.

Sesame Soup Balls are good, though.

And, a fish is a must.

I am satisfied that I chose to live most of my life in China, though I wish I had come to Thailand a bit sooner than I did.

There is nothing like having a Communist Girl Friend, though…

I guess.

I just might watch a few episodes of Dream of the Red Chamber, later this evening.

I think I have all the episodes stored on Google Drive, or somewhere.  The 1987 version is the best series, by the way.

I will wish all here a very prosperous

Chinese New Year,

Gamma

Note: I do NOT say this tongue in cheek, of course. I really mean this.

2026 is the Year of the Horse. The Horse embodies enthusiasm, speed and fieriness, bringing a year focused on bold moves and exploration.

I'm a bit wary of Moon Cakes .

32 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

There are special foods that one should eat, and Moon Cakes are not one of these.

4 minutes ago, 0ffshore360 said:

I'm a bit wary of Moon Cakes .

It's the wromg time year for mooncakes. They are associated with the mid-autumn harvest festival.

3 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

It's the wromg time year for mooncakes. They are associated with the mid-autumn harvest festival.

That might explain my wariness?

3 minutes ago, 0ffshore360 said:

That might explain my wariness?

If anyone likes mooncakes, they need to check when the mooncakes were made and how long they have been on the shelf.

40 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Dear Folks,

If you have ever lived in China, then, just being here in Thailand, you will miss the REAL Chinese Lunar New Year, complete with tasty goodies, and even Moon Cakes.

So many goodies in China, really, that it is hard to even compare the West with East Asia…

I miss Chinese New Year, just as I have for many years, beginning in the year 1973.

So what do you intend to do this evening?

Will you even sleep tonight, or tomorrow morning?

Most people do not sleep the first night of this glorious holiday.

This year, I expect many great gifts from companies such as DeepSeek. And, they have promised us we will be shocked, once more, just like last time. Hope the US Stock Market will not crash…ho-ho-ho.

There are special foods that one should eat, and Moon Cakes are not one of these.

Sesame Soup Balls are good, though.

And, a fish is a must.

I am satisfied that I chose to live most of my life in China, though I wish I had come to Thailand a bit sooner than I did.

There is nothing like having a Communist Girl Friend, though…

I guess.

I just might watch a few episodes of Dream of the Red Chamber, later this evening.

I think I have all the episodes stored on Google Drive, or somewhere.  The 1987 version is the best series, by the way.

I will wish all here a very prosperous

Chinese New Year,

Gamma

Note: I do NOT say this tongue in cheek, of course. I really mean this.

I have Hong Kong Chinese as extended family and they have little to say that is good about Mainland Chinese women !

But they do like their food ! Bland and immoderate !

1 minute ago, Evil Penevil said:

If anyone likes mooncakes, they need to check when the mooncakes were made and how long they have been on the shelf.

Exactly that and more !

The Horse likes to gallop, so maybe a good year to do some traveling.

Good riddance to the Snake.

Snakes make me nervous.

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I will wish all here a very prosperous

Chinese New Year,

Prosperity? With Trump's tariffs?

Are you joking?

1 hour ago, save the frogs said:

Prosperity? With Trump's tariffs?

Are you joking?

Relax and have a Moon Cake....

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Relax and have a Moon Cake....

Or better yet, have a full Lunar New Year feast!

Considering mainland China's current prosperity, many people aren't aware of how grim things were during the Maoist years. When I worked in China in the 1990s, I had a local employee who had grown up in the 1950s and 1960s and a personal assistant who had been born in the early 1970s. They both emphasized how important the Lunar New Year Festival had been in those years.

It was the only time of the year people could eat fish or eggs and enjoy sweets. It was also the only occassion when people got new clothes. The Maoist planned economy suffered from an extreme shortage of consumer goods, especially food. In the latter decades, people didn't go hungry but there wasn't much variety. China's one billion souls ate mainly a plant-based diet with very little meat, a few slivers of pork or chicken every few weeks and never any beef.

My assistant said he and his school mates thought about Lunar New Year weeks in advance. To them, the Lunar New year was the equivalent of Christmas and every other Western holiday rolled into one. As China's economy began transforming after Mao's death, the Lunar New Year lost its importance in terms of food and clothes. Eggs, fish, sweets and clothing could be bought on an everyday basis and the Lunar New Year mainly became a time for families to get together.

29 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

As China's economy began transforming after Mao's death, the Lunar New Year lost its importance in terms of food and clothes. Eggs, fish, sweets and clothing could be bought on an everyday basis and the Lunar New Year mainly became a time for families to get together.

Not sure when he died but China was the big winner in globalization after joining the two in 2002.

All about money now and sadly integrated into aung pao here, Hong pao in China, even the red envelope has been replaced on WeChat with digital rubbish.

And a Happy Lunar New Year to the peoples of Viet Nam, Korea, Japan, etc. who are not Chinese and do not celebrate Chinese New Year, but celebrate Lunar New Year.

10 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

many people aren't aware of how grim things were during the Maoist years. When I worked in China in the 1990s, I had a local employee who had grown up in the 1950s and 1960s

Before the 1990s, I recall that, after a big feast, paid for by the government-run company, and even though everyone was stuffed, having eaten their fill, the old Chinese guys would then order another two bowls of white rice, and gulp them down as if they had not just eaten a full meal.

This is certainly one of the things that you will never see today: After a full meal, this older generation would be able to stuff down another two bowls of rice.

And yet, they never got fat: They rode bicycles everywhere they went.

But Chinese kids today...

They don't know their own history, and instead...

K-Plop is king...

I miss the good old days when very litttle meant much more.

The Chinese culture then was far stronger and much less diluted than it is now.

Those were the good old days when a Famine actually MEANT something....

2 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

And a Happy Lunar New Year to the peoples of Viet Nam, Korea, Japan, etc. who are not Chinese and do not celebrate Chinese New Year, but celebrate Lunar New Year.

Those countries?

Different country names, but same culture, especially Vietnam and Japan.

Korea is an outlier.

Thailand is still heavily influenced by Chinese culture but is separate.

Japan is completely guided by the Tang Dynasty culture. And everybody knows this, including these days...Gemini.

The Japanese never admit that they are basically just Chinese living on an island.

And, the Chinese would never accept them, either.

Still: Same culture of the Tang Dynasty...

Same writing system up to pre-WW1, etc.

Same love of tea and Confucian values.

Japan used to revere teachers, and China still does...

Somewhat

So, of course they celebrate the Lunar New Year.

XinNianKuaiLe....新年快乐

We are not China. Fork Chinese's NY.

10 minutes ago, JimCM said:

We are not China. Fork Chinese's NY.

Who are "We' ?

Surely you men just you, rather than all of us ?