Chinese New Year usually passes us by, as we're in sunny Australia about this time of year every year. We've stayed put at least till nearly the end of new years this time round. And we're hosting the New Years Eve dinner tonight and the traditional 'Return to Mother's Home' dinner also. Which happens on the 11th of February, or officially the 2nd day of the Chinese lunar calendar. If I was Chinese, (and I'm not.....) this would be my day of the holiday to go back to my mother's house. Traditionally this was the one day of the year in which all married off daughters were allowed to go back to their mother's homes to see their family. As my husband is the eldest boy in the house, he's decided to take on the hosting of the return to mother's house for his sisters sake, who has her mother in her house and technically never has the chance to 'Return to Mother's Home' as she's always there........ We'll not be hosting in the house as we are tonight, we'll be taking everyone out for dinner.
I often miss this time of year travel wise and I forgot the general buzz in the air as everyone hurries to prepare for the week off. The one whole week of the year that the Taiwanese go easy on themselves and take a break.... This morning I took the girls to the market and it was alive with excitement. My usual vendors had hired extra staff, the market was full, people were walking about everywhere with bags bulging with meats, fruit and vegetables. The markets will shut down until the 17th, so now is the time to buy up. Of course, 7-11 and places like supermarkets won't shut. But most Taiwanese get their produce fresh from markets.
I've always wanted to take photos of my local market. But I hate looking like the big white foreigner in the midst of people going about their normal business, with a camera in my hand. But today I just couldn't miss it. It was too much fun and I had to get the camera out. Yes, they all thought I was a bit soft in the head. But who cares. Most of them know me anyway.
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| My nuts and dried goods vendor. |
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| She sells fresh free range eggs too. |
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| Vegetables galore! |
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| Pineapple ~ in Taiwanese the word for pineapple sounds like the Mandarin Chinese word for good luck. Get all that? |
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| My favourite fish vendor. I get my prawns from here. I'm not much into dealing with whole fish. |
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| Nice and fresh. |
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| Noodle stall. The boss man was covered from head to toe in flour. So was my camera at the end of it. |
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| Just made this morning. Fresh as can be. |
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| Noodles being wrapped around in the machine. |
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| Getting bigger and bigger. It looks like leather getting wrapped up. He's holding a bag with flour in it and bouncing it up and down on the wide strips of noodle to stop it from sticking. |
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| Out it comes into beautiful strips of fresh noodles. Noodles are for longevity at Chinese New Year, and generally just for yummy-ness anytime else. |
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| Selling new years banners and ornaments to hang in the house. |
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| Happy New Year!! |
