Happy New Year -- You Pig ;-)

Happy New Year to you all. Sunday marks the start of the lunar new year, which is a HUGE celebration among the Chinese. It's also observed by the Vietnamese (they call it Tet) and some Koreans (they celebrate Jan. 1 and the Lunar New Year, I guess the Koreans are the party animals of Asia).

This is the year of the pig, or boar. I'm not really sure what kind of year that'll be, but it definitely sounds like a year for feasting, doesn't it? I haven't actually done anything special for the new year. It kind of crept up on me this year. But I did decorate my home with some quince blossoms (red flowers that are blossoming signals a prosperous year) and set out a plate of tangerines (the Chinese word for tangerines sound very similar to gold -- again with the money).

I like how the lunar new year is tied to the seasons. It represents the coming of spring and is often called the Spring Festival. I hope this spring brings an abundance of great and interesting foods at the markets. Time to chow down or pig out, you choose.