Chinese New Year 2016

My family (as in the Yap family) has never been big on celebrations. We don't make a big fuss out of birthdays, what more festivals like Chinese New Year. Being 80% introverts (dad's really the only true extrovert), we've always been happy to celebrate it on a tiny scale meaning we buy the tidbits for our own consumption. =P We didn't get new clothes during Chinese New Year either, mainly because shopping during that period was a nightmare. Just to clarify, even the slightest congestion is a nightmare by our standards, and that's why we hardly ever go to malls on weekends. In addition to that, mum's philosophy was "Why limit yourself to new clothes now when we can buy them all year round?" I must say I agree with that philosophy wholeheartedly. =P

Given how blasé we were about CNY in Malaysia, being here in the States where CNY isn't a holiday isn't a huge deal to me. I do miss the tidbits, though, and the family. Rene's back home with mum and dad and 11 dogs (one day dogs will take over our house) and I find myself wishing I was back home chomping on some snacks and laughing over silly jokes with them. Yesterday night, Jia Wern and I were talking about our favourite CNY snacks and that inspired me to write a post about them. Some have changed over the years, but still. Brings back the memories. =)

Whenever we'd visit anyone, I'd be super excited to see a tub of freshly fried keropok (fish flavour over shrimp any day!). That was hands-down my favourite CNY snack ever. Was, is and shall ever be. =P Mum knew how much I loved keropok, so she occasionally fried Boon Ting fish keropok for me throughout the year. =D I remember the perpetual dilemma of how many times I could open the host's keropok tub without seeming impolite and gluttonous - it was so hard to stop once I got started. =P

Fish keropok (source : http://www.recipies.50webs.com/Keropok.htm)

But not all families served that, being labour-intensive and a hassle to store in air-tight containers that were huge enough. So in second place would be sour plums! Now, every kid who likes sour plums know that not all sour plums are created equal even if they look similar. Sometimes, the preserved fruits would be chopped up into smaller bits which made them even harder to identify without the original shape. And I never really knew the names of these things because I was really the only one in my family who was fanatical about sour plums. Come to think of it, I might have been adopted. =P So anyway, it was always a whole process of trial and error when it came to picking out THE exact sour plum I liked from other people's coffee tables, but when I finally found it, totally worth it. Here's a picture of MY sour plum (it's sweet and sour without any weird ginger or ginseng aftertaste). Still don't know the name, though, sorry. xD

Sour plums (source;http://www.aliexpress.com/promotion/promotion_date-plum-fruit-promotion.html)

Okay,  next we have cookies. Now, cookies are a tough one. I've never liked the cookies that melted in your mouth which was a popular feature in many homes, mainly because I feel that all I taste is a mouthful of flour. Momo biscuits, meh. Never a favourite. I would, however, zero in on homemade crispy chocolate cookies. I LOVE those. I'm weird because I don't particularly like Famous Amos prepackaged cookies with their chocolate chips, but can't get enough of "cheap" chocolate cookies made from cocoa powder. I know. My taste buds are so weird.

Something like this. MMMM. (Source: https://www.pinterest.com/Daplinsky/event-cny-chinese-new-year/)

Last but definitely not least, one staple in my family is pineapple jam tarts. Every CNY, we would get a few containers of these from a seller (mum usually gets the ones shaped like rolls) because it is a family favourite. I used to like them a lot but over the years, I kinda grew a little tired of them. Perhaps I'm just not big on the tart pastry (melts in the mouth, remember?). Just last week, though, a Taiwanese friend of mine brought some back from Taiwan and I found myself relishing every bite. It's true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. =P Or maybe I can only take it in small doses, unlike Ray who is capable of wolfing down an entire container.

Pineapple tarts (source:http://www.dishmaps.com/pineapple-tarts/25819)

There are many more snacks that I haven't touched on, like chocolate sticks and dried cuttlefish and probably some I've forgotten since I haven't been very active on the CNY visiting scene in the past few years. But writing this post made me reminisce fondly, and that'll be enough to tide me through Chinese New Year here in the States. 

That, and pigging out with the husband, of course. ;)