HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!!

It’s the year of the Pig! While every new year’s is special, the year of the pig is especially important.

1. It’s the last animal on the zodiac rotation, so we’ll really get a fresh start after a very tumultuous 11 years. Why is the pig last? Well, according to legend, the Jade Emperor held a race to decide  the order of zodiacs and the pig, being fat and lazy, fell asleep on the road a couple of times. Side note: The cat isn’t on the list because the rat gave him the wrong date. This also explains the cat/mouse rivalry!
2. Pigs are one of the biggest symbol of Chinese economic success within the last few decades. Meat consumption is a big indicator of development level and in just the last 30 years or so, pork went from a luxury to a dinner table must have for a majority of Chinese citizens. In fact, China now produces and consumes 1/2 of the world’s hogs!

Normally, Chinese New Year means family and feasting, but this year’s a bit different. First, my brother’s boarding school had a nice little parent weekend/long weekend, so my mom decided to go visit him for the holiday. Since both my dad and I had lengthy breaks, we decided to pop by so at least our immediate family could be together. It’s also the perfect opportunity to see if I can tolerate East Coast winters.

More importantly, I came upon an AMAZING opportunity. While looking for more resources for my research project, I came across Prof. Schecter- a highly regarded professor whose most recent research is on the material culture of the Red Army. What was  my latest research fascination? The significance of spades in battle. I took the opportunity to contact him for a discussion. HE AGREED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! What a rant right?! Needless to say, I’m looking forward to this phenomenal CNY break. I hope everyone has a great Year of the Pig! Happy New Years! Happy Eating!

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