Happy Lunar New Year! This photo is the front archway from the San Diego Tết Festival last year. The neat thing about this festival was that they had miniature displays of various places in Viet Nam, including an incredible model of the Cathedral of Saigon. I took a lot of photos for my mom, who grew up in Saigon. I watched the lion dance and ate plenty of food, and of course I had to have sugar cane juice! Here’s my look of the day from last year’s festival — red and gold!
My husband and I got free admission to the festival last year because it was the year of the rooster, and we are both roosters! This year is the year of the dog. When I was little, I thought I was a dog until I realized that since my birthday in mid-January is before the Lunar New Year, I am actually a rooster! …. Ahem, a chicken. 😉 I was actually happy about it, because I’ve never liked dogs. I don’t know if it’s a subconscious fear from having been chased by a big dog as a small child, but I find myself uncomfortable around them. I’ve always been a cat person. By the way, my mom told me that in Viet Nam, the year of the rabbit is actually the year of the cat!
My husband and I were born in the year of the metal rooster. Since my Vietnamese name Kim means gold, I guess that means I’m a golden hen. 😉 This photo is from 2012, when I went to San Francisco Chinatown. Of course I just had to get a picture with the giant golden rooster!
Yesterday I happened to pass by a Vietnamese market, and they had one of my favorite Vietnamese treats, sweet sticky rice! I haven’t had it in so long! It’s kind of hard to find down here in San Diego. I also love the kind with mung bean sandwiched in the middle. Ahh… I made myself hungry just looking at this….
Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you all joy and good health in the coming year! ♥