the MA diaries

being Chinese in Portland

so this is where we went yesterday, since our Chinese nature called out to us to celebrate the lunar new year.  The garden was pleasant, i mean, it was a tourist trap ($15 for 2 adults???? com’on!) but it was a wonderful chinese stamp on our others Pacific North West American existence.  

the reason for our Han-gene take over was because we spent some of the morning ‘bai-leen’ over facetime.  it wasn’t really at all what we normally do, but it was my brothers showing me the great food iwas missing out on, and then ethan’s cousins all watching him play with his tremendous train set.  it was great to connect through another facetime machine with Amy, while she was in Brazil for her job.  pic below:

so this is us facetime with brandon who was facetime with amy… connecting Hong Kong, Brazil and Portland… amazing stuff.

anyways, back to being chinese.  

i realise that it is way too easy to just give up my heritage.  well, actually, that’s a strange concept.  i grew up as white as i can be in a suburb of New Jersey… i didn’t even speak Canto!  and yet here I am, living in Portland trying to preserve something of my culture.

i guess the point really is that i miss Char Siu Fan, and all the craziness that comes along with Chinese New Year.  the food, the kneeling before your parents while wearing new red underwear (i swear a small part of me misses this), and just… well.. all of it.

but one small recompense that i have is that i’m going to my first superbowl party in over a decade.  take that Hong Kong!