Lunar New Year is beckoning

As I go for my morning marketing with my better half these days, I can see vendors selling Chinese New decorations, sweets in the form of the tiger (the next animal for the coming Lunar New Year), and beautiful new clothes for Xin Nian (Chinese New Year) too.

There is a type of fruit or root called Ngau Gu or arrow-head which is only on the market for sale before Xin Nian. The Chinese will peel off the skin and make slices of the fruit and fry them. They are quite crispy and delicious.

Chinese delicacies such as Kuih Kapit (made of the dough of flour, eggs, sugar, and coconut milk and baked in between two circular metal discs clipped together over the burning charcoal), ribbon cakes (which are made from the wrapping of wantan for the Wantan Mee (a type of noodle soup sold in Malaysia) and kuih bangkit (made of tapioca powder, sugar and eggs and baked in an earthen pot in between burning or glowing charcoal) are already on sale, a month ahead of Xin Nian.

I can sense that Xin Nian is approaching from the 'bei feng' (northerly breeze) that caresses my cheeks each morning. It always reminds of Chinese New Year and my first year teaching in Jerantut, Pahang.

All the above signs indicate the approaching steps of Xin Nian.