Chinese New Year suddenly became a big event in our household this year for the first time.   Mainly, it’s because Grandma Linda showed up from London and showered the kids with unexpected gifts.  She also took one of my children (the oldest and easiest) with her to her hotel in Chinatown where (from what I can tell) she let him stuff himself with fried tofu until he felt sick.  She also bought him a bunch of useless (but undoubtedly kid-enviable) trinkets that were either randomly destroyed or eaten by pets within minutes of coming home.  My youngest child (the three year old) stayed home with me the whole time, did not get sick or spoiled but definitely felt ignored.  Still, it was a change of pace for all of us and was hence memorable.  

Chinese New Year also featured large this year because it coincided with Dominic’s first First Grade field trip.  Right after gorging himself on tofu with Grandma Linda, Dominic returned to the scene of the crime – this time with his entire class to check out the Chinese New Year Parade preparations, take a tour of the police and fire station and, of course, see the fortune cookie factory.  I tagged along under the guise of helpful parent volunteer – chauffeuring giddy children back and forth in my recalled Prius and then trying to keep track of them as they raced around the crowded streets.  It was fun and exhausting and reminded me of all the reasons why I couldn’t ever possibly have more than two children.  It also brought back a ton of memories about growing up in Hong Kong – memories jogged by Chinatown’s familiar sights, sounds, smells, bargains and food.

Dominic loved the experience too – although his reaction was more straight forward and less sentimental.  For him, Chinatown was exotic and different and taught him some important life lessons.  Here are his reflections on what he saw and experienced:

Re Chinatown’s Police Station:

1.                  “It’s good to bring hand sanitizer to the police station because people who get arrested seem to pee on the floor an awful lot.”  (My son is right.  According to the wonderful police sergeant who showed us around the Chinatown Police station, most of the arrestees “soil” the public areas of the station).  Dominic was puzzled as to why bad guys aren’t potty trained.  I explained that wicked wine sometimes has that effect on people.  He seemed to accept that.

2.                  “Jail is not a good place for Asthma sufferers as it’s a smelly, dark place without a lot of ventilation.”   This is also true.  Several people died as a result of overcrowding in the jail cells (our helpful station sergeant informed us) and so now people are chained to the waiting room benches until they are driven downtown.

3.                   “Shooting people with your police gun can be hard on your brain.”  This was actually posed as a question by Dominic while the police sergeant was showing the kids the tools he uses for his job.  Fortunately, the police officer confirmed that it is very hard emotionally to shoot someone and that in his 25 years of duty; he has never had to use his gun.

Re Chinatown’s Fire Station:

4.                  “Being a fire man is way cooler than being a police man.”  [On this field trip, the firemen let each of the first graders blast the fire hose onto the street.  Not even the police car’s siren could compete with that].

 5.         “Sliding down on the fireman’s pole looks like a lot of fun.” (As an aside, all the mothers in the group  agreed – especially when the handsome young rookie gave us all a demonstration).

6.                  “Firemen no longer make people jump into a trampoline to escape from burning buildings because the landings don’t go too well. “  The trampoline with a big red spot in the middle is now simply used as decoration.

7.                  “Even though being a fireman would be cool, I don’t want to work in the Chinatown station. They do not have a Dalmatian.”  (As pet lovers, this is a deal killer for both of us.)

Re Shopping in Chinatown

8.                  “Chinese girls are really cute.”  (And if you are seven and give them a fortune cookie they will smile at you). 

9.         There are lots of cool things to buy in Chinatown – including firecrackers, pig’s feet, hello kitty purses and knife stars.

10.   “You can buy a lot of stuff in Chinatown for 10 dollars.”

Re the Fortune Cookie Factory

11.  Flat fortune cookies taste just as good as the finished moon-shaped product

12.  If you want to take a picture of Chinatown’s Fortune Cookie factory, you have to pay 50 cents.