What Chinese Words Can Teach Us about Culture - Upside Down Signs and Dumplings

The Chinese love play on words and especially for the Chinese New Year Holiday. Many Chinese traditions can be explained using word play and since we're celebrating Chinese New Year with the last couple of posts, let's look at the following examples:

1) Upside-Down Signs: I have always wondered why the signs on the doors/windows of houses and stores were upside down. Did someone drink too much the night before when they were putting up the signs? After some quick research, it appears that a play on words is the reason for all this madness.

The most common sign you'll see upside down is the one containing the character "福" which means fortune in Chinese ("fu" in Mandarin and "fook" in Cantonese - that's why you see fu and fook in many restaurants in US Chinatowns). Anyways, the reason to hang this sign upside down is because the Chinese word for upside down ("dao" in Mandarin and "dou" in Cantonese) sounds like the Chinese word for arrive so when you hang the 福 sign upside down it signifies that "Fortune has Arrived". For the same reason, sometimes you'll see the Chinese character for the season Spring "春" ("chun" in Mandarin and "choon" in Cantonese) upside down.

Looks like a Chinese ingot to me

2) Dumplings "饺子":
It is a well known tradition that Chinese people make and eat dumplings for Chinese New Year. As with long standing traditions, the reason behind the tradition is probably forgotten. There are a few reasons besides the obvious camaraderie and fun of a family getting together to make and to eat dumplings.

The first is that dumplings look like Chinese gold ingots which symbolize wealth. The second reason which is a word play is that "饺子" ("jiao zi" in Mandarin) sounds like "sleep and have sons" which is a traditional blessing despite the sexist connotations. I think the word play only exists in Mandarin which may explain why some of the southern parts of China where Cantonese is more prevalent might not have the same tradition. Also, dumplings are very popular in Northern China.

Chinese Ingot

So there you have it. Two of Chinese New Year's mysteries explained! Stay tuned for other posts providing clarity for things you've always seen or done but couldn't figure out why.

Feel free to leave your comments or to suggest alternate explanations!       　

How to Eat on a Budget - Hong Kong Mini Cakes

With food prices rising so quickly, it is hard to find anything for a dollar. Even the "dollar menu" at McDonalds has become the $1.39 menu with a few exceptions (like my favorite 2 for $1 apple pie super deal). Anyways, I digress. Having grown up in New York City, I've always had a thing for Hong Kong Mini Cakes. I'm not sure if they're sold anywhere else but I can only assume that they have them in Hong Kong. For the longest time, the mini cake cart on the intersection of Grand St. and Bowery St. had what seemed like exclusive rights to these easy-to-make yet delicious-to-eat snacks. I remember having to constantly wait on line for these cakes. Even now, there is only one other rival cart on Pell St. and Bowery St., who in my opinion, makes inferior mini cakes. Perhaps Hong Kong mini cakes are just not a lucrative business.

Anyways these mini cakes deserve recognition since they are popular among all Chinese people, young and old. They are not only light, tasty and seemingly healthy but also so damn cheap. Right now, they go for, I think, 15 for $1 (feel free to correct me in the comments section) but with rising food and oil prices I wouldn't be surprised if its 10 for $1. Still these snacks can't be beat. The key to enjoying these cakes is to eat them while they're hot. If you let them get cold, they pretty much taste like crap, so eat them while they're hot.

Hong Kong Mini Cakes- Perfect Recession Snack!

Chinese People in the NBA - Yo! Yao...

If you haven't heard by now, then you're probably not a fan but China's most beloved international sports star, Yao Ming, has been sidelined for the rest of the NBA regular and post season due to a stress fracture. Although this is a heartbreak for the fans of both Yao and the stampeding Houston Rockets, bigger concerns are coming from China as Yao's status for the 2008 Olympic Games is in question.

No other Chinese sports player is more widely known or more loved by Chinese people than 7'6" Yao Ming. If it wasn't for Yao, basketball would be to the Chinese as soccer is to the Americans. Despite being the 3rd Chinese basketball player in the NBA, the first being Wang Zhi Zhi and the second being Mengke Bateer (who knew?), Yao Ming is by far the most visible and popular, not to mention he was first pick in the 2002 NBA draft. He not only exudes a sense of innocence, humility and honesty but he can actually play some ball as well (6 time NBA All-Star). Since we're talking about Chinese basketball players in the NBA, it is only fair to also mention newcomer Yi Jianlian. He was the overall 6th pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and is one of the most athletic 7 footers out there today; so don't sleep on this guy.

A national hero in China and a basketball icon in America, Yao Ming is one of the most famous Chinese things out there. If he does not play in the Olympic Games, Chinese all around the world will feel the pain Houston feels now.