Pre-Tet shopping in San Jose
The lunar new year comes a bit late this time. The first day of Tet coincides with Valentine’s Day on a Sunday. Can you imagine how big it is for the Asian expats? The other years Tet happened during the week, people have to work, kids have classes, maybe even tests. Who knows what a pop quiz on that first day can do to a child that whole year? Tet in Vietnam is in the spring, but for the expats in the western hemisphere, if Tet comes a bit too early, like in January, then it’d still be coat-and-cold-nose time. So yeah, it’s big this year.
In the past few days it’s been snowing in Texas and everything, but the weather here has gotten fairly springlike. The hills are all fuzzily green, purplish pink flowers blooming on the side streets (I know nothing about botany, but my guess is they are related to cherry blossoms somehow), spring showers come every now and then just to wet your eyebrows. The employment rate may still be low in Cali, but there was no sign of a recession in San Jose last weekend. The parking lots at Lion and the Grand Century mall were packed. It was like Black Friday sale. Cars were moving bumper to bumper trying to get in and out and maybe a spot. We went through maybe 8 songs on the CD while waiting to make a right turn to the other side of the mall. Of course it was also the big Super Bowl day, but we could tell that Vietnamese men and women really paid attention to football.
…Maybe if football looked like bầu cua… Lots of these tables were set along the sidewalk at Grand Century mall, some are games I’ve never seen before. My family used to play bầu cua during Tet, just a small game of dice to pass time. I liked it because of the pictures: a shrimp, a crab (“cua”), a wine gourd (“bầu”, hence the name of the game), a rooster, a fish, and a deer, which are also the six sides of the dice. Ah, sweet memories of the candies I won…
But not everyone was out for playing games, most of the women seemed to come here for the same reason I had: the food. Tet is not Tet without fridgefuls, counterfuls, pantryfuls, freezerfuls, and extrabellifuls of food. Banh chung banh tet are essential, but not the only thing. Lion supermarket had an entire aisle dedicated for pickles and mắm (cured fish, which can be eaten fresh out of the jar with white rice, cooked in a hot pot, or steamed with egg and pork to make a kind of meat loaf). It’s not nước mắm (fish sauce, that goes with banh cuon and bun thit nuong), not mắm nêm or mắm tôm (other kinds of dipping sauces), it’s visible cuts and strips of fish in jars of seasonings. As for pickles, the most popular choice for Tet must be củ kiệu (the bulb of Allium chinense). Its pungency is between scallion and garlic, a fresh change of taste from the overindulgent fatty pork stews, eggs and sticky rice of Tet. See your favorite pickle anywhere?
Enough salt? Want something sweet? The bakeries in Grand Century were ready to get you. Usually people were there for the green waffle, now they were there for even more green waffles plus boxes of Tet toothsies. They are not candies, they are not jam (if you’re British) or jelly (if you’re American), they are not simple dried fruits, they are not glacé. They are mứt, fruits whole and sliced, quickly stir-fried in sugar syrup, just sweet enough to last a month or two, but the fruit flavor should still be there. The lady told me not to take pictures, but I did anyway.
On the other hand, the flower stands didn’t mind me taking pictures at all. In fact, there were more people taking pictures with these flamboyants than people buying them. It may be too timid a miniature of Nguyen Hue flower market, but its spirit is high, that of both the visitors hungry for a look of Tet and of the buds and petals blooming despite the foreign cold.
The northern đào (peach flower) can make it here. The southern mai doesn’t, but Tet needs a yellow flower, so people in San Jose pick a vine with bright yellow blossoms and call it the “vine mai”. I have no idea what the vine actually is, but it’d make beautiful canopies.
Then firecrackers popped their sporadic crunchy strings of sound. The pavement turned red. Old and middle-aged men in dark jackets gathered in large groups, hunching over little sets of Chinese chess (yes, chess, not Chinese checker!). They don’t make loud acclaims, many just watched the chess pieces and sank in thought. Their greying hair felt another spring breeze, clinging onto the memories of how a festive tradition should be celebrated. Thirty years from now, will the next generation be in their place?
In the great pattern of things you secure an A+ just for hard work. Where you actually confused everybody was in all the specifics. You know, it is said, details make or break the argument.. And it could not be more correct right here. Having said that, allow me inform you precisely what did do the job. Your article (parts of it) is quite convincing which is most likely the reason why I am taking the effort in order to opine. I do not make it a regular habit of doing that. Second, whilst I can see a jumps in logic you make, I am not confident of exactly how you appear to connect the details which inturn help to make your conclusion. For now I will subscribe to your point however hope in the foreseeable future you link your dots much better.
1An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers
2Some truly good info , Sword lily I found this. “Childhood is that wonderful time when all you need to do to lose weight is take a bath.” by Joe Moore.
3Hi my family member! I wish to say that this post is awesome, great written and include almost all important infos. I would like to peer extra posts like this .
4Thanks for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research on this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more from this post. I’m very glad to see such wonderful info being shared freely out there.
5Nice post. I learn something more challenging on different blogs everyday. It will always be stimulating to read content from other writers and practice a little something from their store. I’d prefer to use some with the content on my blog whether you don’t mind. Natually I’ll give you a link on your web blog. Thanks for sharing.
6Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say fantastic blog!
7Hey there! This is kind of off topic but I need some help from an established blog. Is it very difficult to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any tips or suggestions? Appreciate it
8I loved as much as you’ll receive performed right here. The caricature is tasteful, your authored material stylish. nevertheless, you command get got an edginess over that you would like be handing over the following. sick indisputably come further before again since exactly the same nearly very regularly inside case you defend this hike.
9I visited a lot of website but I think this one contains something extra in it in it
10With havin so much written content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement? My website has a lot of unique content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my permission. Do you know any ways to help stop content from being stolen? I’d genuinely appreciate it.
11I think this internet site contains some real superb information for everyone. “Drunkenness is temporary suicide.” by Bertrand Russell.
12Hey very cool blog!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Wonderful .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds additionallyKI am happy to find numerous useful information here within the put up, we need develop extra strategies on this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
13This design is incredible! You definitely know how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
14But wanna input on few general things, The website design and style is perfect, the subject matter is really superb. “We can only learn to love by loving.” by Iris Murdoch.
15Hi there! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
16I’ve been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this website. Thank you, I’ll try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your site?
17What i do not realize is actually how you are not actually much more well-liked than you may be right now. You are very intelligent. You realize therefore considerably relating to this subject, produced me personally consider it from so many varied angles. Its like men and women aren’t fascinated unless it’s one thing to do with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs excellent. Always maintain it up!
18Thanks for this post, I am a big big fan of this web site would like to go on updated.
19Wow! This could be one particular of the most useful blogs We have ever arrive across on this subject. Basically Wonderful. I’m also a specialist in this topic so I can understand your hard work.
20This is the right blog for anyone who wants to find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually would want…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a topic thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!
21I think other site proprietors should take this site as an model, very clean and magnificent user friendly style and design, as well as the content. You are an expert in this topic!
22F*ckin’ awesome issues here. I am very satisfied to look your post. Thanks so much and i’m taking a look ahead to touch you. Will you please drop me a mail?
23I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your web site. Do you ever run into any internet browser compatibility issues? A number of my blog readers have complained about my website not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Chrome. Do you have any solutions to help fix this problem?
24Rattling clean internet site, thankyou for this post.
25I loved as much as you will receive carried out proper here. The caricature is attractive, your authored material stylish. however, you command get bought an nervousness over that you would like be turning in the following. sick no doubt come further in the past once more since exactly the same nearly very ceaselessly inside of case you defend this hike.
26Great line up. We will be linking to this great article on our site. Keep up the good writing.
27Super-Duper site! I am loving it!! Will come back again. I am bookmarking your feeds also.
28This really answered my downside, thanks!
29Very interesting info!Perfect just what I was searching for!
30Only a smiling visitant here to share the love (:, btw great style.
31I view something truly interesting about your site so I saved to my bookmarks.
32It’s actually a great and useful piece of info. I am glad that you just shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
33I am continuously searching online for articles that can help me. Thanks!
34Rattling instructive and fantastic anatomical structure of written content, now that’s user friendly (:.
35Some genuinely interesting info , well written and generally user pleasant.
36We stumbled over here coming from a different web page and thought I may as well check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to finding out about your web page again.
37I conceive you have noted some very interesting points, thankyou for the post.
38WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..extra wait .. …
39I believe you have remarked some very interesting points, thanks for the post.
40horse jello
41horse jello
42I like this weblog its a master peace ! Glad I observed this on google .
43Lovely just what I was looking for.Thanks to the author for taking his clock time on this one.
44Nearly all of the things you state happens to be supprisingly appropriate and it makes me ponder the reason why I had not looked at this in this light before. This article really did turn the light on for me as far as this particular subject goes. Nonetheless at this time there is actually 1 issue I am not really too cozy with so while I try to reconcile that with the main idea of the issue, let me see exactly what all the rest of your subscribers have to point out.Well done.
45Great website you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the same topics talked about here? I’d really like to be a part of group where I can get comments from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Many thanks!
46Hey! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
47I don’t ordinarily comment but I gotta admit appreciate it for the post on this amazing one :D.
48I have been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or blog posts on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site. Reading this info So i am happy to convey that I’ve a very good uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I most certainly will make certain to don’t forget this web site and give it a glance regularly.
49Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch since I found it for him smile Therefore let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch! “A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.” by Oscar Fingall O’Flahertie Wills Wilde.
50