Chinese New Year celebrations start with the new moon, this year February 4, and end on the full moon 15 days later, so on Friday, the 18th, Deb and I and two friends drove to Wong's King in Portland for a nine course banquet, lichee martinis, and Martin Yan's cooking show. Deb was afraid they would run out of his most recent book so she bought one early and prevailed upon Yan to sign it.
At the head table, a cook carved melons, beets, and turnips into flowers. We hors d'oeurved on veggie rolls and pork shumai--Deb's favorite--she scarfed 10.
Entertainment started with fire crackers beyond the windows in the parking lot, then moved inside with the lion dance.
For his cooking show, Yan carved meat and vegetables into impossibly thin slices, joking that such skills allowed Chinese families to live on very little, then boned and sliced a chicken in less than 18 seconds. He drafted two men from the audience to cook the food, then served it to the tables they came from.
Our dinner started with Four Happiness Cold Cut Platter--veggies on dry ice--and continued with a seafood soup arranged as a yin yang sign, followed by Pearl Stuffed Angel Wings, Lucky Thai Chicken, and yum, lobster tail over yam noodles.
The most dramatic dish was served with the lights dimmed: Flaming Braised Diced Steak.
The next three courses seemed anticlimactic: cod fillets, noodles, and assorted pastries. Dinner ended with cooks parading to applause.
Martin Yan and the chief chefs visited tables for photo ops.
People born under the sign of the rabbit enjoy learning about other cultures and other peoples but are most comfortable at home. For us, that meant a long ride.
the truck mastiff was peeking out.
Snow kept falling.
By 8, the ranch looked like any northern site.
The snow fell so gently it stuck to fence wires, twigs,
the reflector by the mail box,
sheep,
weathervane.
Bogie really enjoyed the Oregon spring weather.
