Early Memory

Both are about immigration and their life. Even though it was hard but with good memories. Like all Immigrant, they came to this country for better 2. Alice Walker “Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the self” 55-61 3. Annie Dullard An American Childhood” 110-116 Respond: Analyze Dullard’s character study of her mother – Indirectly, of herself 4. Exercise earlier memory – Chinese New Year Memories of Chinese New Year Growing up hap meant celebrating the Lunar New Year with my Chinese side of the family each winter.

My mom would pull out the silk Chicagoans and mandarin- larded coats she kept in a cedar chest that smelled of mothballs. Opening it up was like peering into a long lost past. Once dressed in our festive outfits, we’d pile into the family’s red Arrestor Van, drive downtown on the winding 110 Pasadena Freeway, taking the off ramp that exits directly onto Hill Street, and park in the cool concrete structure beneath our destination: Empress Pavilion, the largest, most cacophonous dim sum hall you’re ever likely to see. There we’d meet up with the Gee clan?Grandpa wearing his favorite trucker hat,

Grandma in her finest red sweatshirt, and the rest of my many aunts and uncles? and together we’d wait patiently for the hostess to call our paper number over the loud speaker, first in Chinese, then in English. Grandma Gee would greet my brother and I with lucky red envelopes or handbag stuffed with $20 bills (these and the special Chinese New Year candles we got were some of the many reasons I looked forward to the holiday). Then wed fill up on dim sum favorites: ha gag (shrimp dumplings small, egg custard tarts, bamboo-wrapped bundles of glutinous rice and lapsing, and perhaps mom Chinese broccoli for good measure.

The trick to getting what you want at dim sum (as In life) Is all about body language, regardless of whether you know the names of the dishes. Want those freshly steamed chaw slug ABA (BBC pork buns) In your belly? Don’t be shy. Throw that dim sum punch card in the air and flag down that cart as if the cart with dishes that no one wants?Just shake your head and give her the “no thank you” wave. As a little girl I accepted these festivities as par for the course, not quite realizing that most American families did not celebrate Chinese New Year.

As an adult, and as someone who has many Chinese and Chinese American friends, the tradition has become a conscious and well-cemented part of my life. And I never miss an occasion for gathering friends and family around a table filled with good food and good times. After all, dim sum translates literally to mean “a little bit of heart. ” Memories of Chinese New Year in old times In my memory, the Chinese New Year was always the time when we ate good food, wore new clothes and visited relatives. Those things never seem to change, but hinging back through my memories of growing up in China I see that actually a lot has changed.

I grew up in Beijing in a not very tradition-oriented family during the Cultural Revolution. At that time, although we did celebrate the Chinese New Year, some traditions were not followed as much as they used to be ? and as they are now. I remember the Chinese New Year was the only time when we could eat dumplings, lots of meat, and other good food. My parents’ work units (Dan wet, that’s how Chinese call their companies or institutions they work at) give them free or low ricer food. We could store them for a whole month.

Before the New Year, we shopped to buy new clothes for everyone. I was so happy that I could wear new clothes again! We also cleaned up our small apartment and did all the laundry prior to the arrival of the New Year. We didn’t decorate our home that much except for putting up revolution couplets such as “Follow Chairman Mao, Always Go Forward”. On New Year’s Eve, we all sat together and made dumplings. I learned to make dumplings before I went to primary school. While making dumplings, we chatted about everything. My uncles and aunts who were single also spent time with us.

It was so much fun. Besides the dumplings, we only had one or two other side dishes. We didn’t have a TV, so we entertained ourselves. After eating dumplings, we went out to set off firecrackers. Especially at midnight, all firecrackers went off at the same time. It was loud! Children enjoyed them so much! During the New Year, I wore new clothes to visit relatives and ate good food at their houses. They came to visit us and ate good food at our home too. What was the good food? Pork, chicken, fish, which we didn’t eat so often during the year.

We ate, chat, played, and had lots of fun! There were envelopes for children at that time and one dollar is big money for us. Since the asses, the Chinese living standard has improved a lot. Nowadays, we do not have to wait for the Chinese New Year to eat dumplings and meat. We eat good food and wear new clothes all year around. We also follow more traditions, such as decorating our doors or windows with paper-cuts and couplets with the very popular theme of greeting cards to relatives, friends, and even colleagues!

During the Chinese New Year, we eat even better good food ? lots of seafood, vegetables, and we also drink imported liquors. For the New Year’s Eve dumpling dinner, we have ten or more dishes on the table. While making dumplings and having dinner, we chat less than in the old times because we all watch the Chinese New Year show on TV? it is one of the biggest shows in the year, Just like the Super Bowl in the U. S. Children cannot enjoy the fun of firecrackers anymore because fireworks and firecrackers are banned in the urban areas of major cities.

But they have television! We still visit our relatives, but only the closest ones. Nowadays, with the development of telecommunication, those door-to-door visits are replaced by phone calls or pager greetings. Children do get red envelopes now, which sometimes consists of 100 to 500 Yuan ($12 – $60). It was lots of money for our time. My parents didn’t make that much money in a month! Like everything else, the New Year celebration has changed lots since I was little. But no matter what has changed, Chinese New Year is the happiest time for children, then and now!