Peek…

a…

boo!

Its official name is the Fragrant pear, but I like to call it the Peekaboo pear. Crisp, juicy, and subtly sweet, the Fragrant pear fits easily into the palm of my hand (and is smaller than several varieties of pear commonly found in American supermarkets, like the Bartlett). I find it elegant in appearance, and delicate in smell as well. (If the Fragrant pear’s scent was bottled as a perfume, it’d be one you’d want to keep sniffing instead of washing off at the first opportunity.)

I ate a Fragrant pear a few weeks ago (not the one pictured) that was one of the best pieces of fruit I’ve ever eaten. I’m about to repeat myself, but that pear was crisp and juicy, and delicately sweet in taste and smell, and something more. A lot more.

I really like floral patterns, so maybe it’s just me, but isn’t this pair of chopsticks pretty? I bought them at the same Japanese supermarket as the ox.

Despite being proficient at eating with chopsticks, I prefer using forks. They make more sense to me sometimes. Take, for instance, fried rice. Eating it with chopsticks baffles me. When I’m dining at an Asian restaurant and been given a pair of chopsticks, I’ll usually ask a server for a fork. Sacrilege, I know! What do you prefer using at Asian restaurants?

Red envelopes/lucky envelopes (lai see) filled with money are traditionally given to children and unmarried adults on Chinese New Year (and special occasions). Although what’s inside the envelopes is always great, the envelopes themselves can be attractive with their festive colors and designs.

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The red color of the seeds symbolizes good luck, and the seeds mean fertility. I hulled some seeds since I’m a little superstitious. However, I stopped after a few. I know that technically, the seeds are real food. But they’re not my definition of real food.