Happy Chinese New Year 2009

It’s the year of the Ox today. It’s a time for Chinese tradition: cleaning, organizing, giving money to the kids, gathering with the family, and eat lots of food! I called my parents yesterday afternoon because they live in Indonesia (already Monday).  My dad was born in the year of the ox, so this year is a special celebration for my family in Jakarta.  They had a dinner party at my parents’ place.  Today, they went out to eat in a Chinese restaurant on the New Lunar Year.

Last Saturday, I took my family to Royal Kitchen Chinese restaurant for dinner with friends.  We purposely pick this place because it has authentic Chinese food and decent price.  We ordered 7 dishes for 6 adults and 5 kids. We talked about our culture, family, customs, our countries (Indonesia and US), work, school friends, and of course, our kids.  The kids got fidgety and restless by the end of the evening.  So we went next door to a dessert place called Mochilato.  We got some Mochis and frozen yogurts.  It was a fun evening.  It gave us a chance to get to know each other more.

I just love these celebrations.  They give us a reason to get together, and that’s something we look forward to every year.

恭喜发财!  Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Photo Credit: ecpica

Tags: celebration, chinese, new year, ox, restaurant