use real butter

Yesterday was such a teaser. Today the temps were down (a little) and the winds were up and snow is in the forecast. Not that I’m complaining, because I am a ski whore… just that the muddy melting of spring felt nice. Trust me – I am definitely torn up about leaving during the month of March because March is when you get those amazing springtime dumps. Then again, I’d be off my rocker to turn down a chance to see amazing rock formations in The Middle of Bloody Australia, cook and dine with Kell and Chef Jerad in Sydney, and to tramp, paddle, and play in New Zealand. There are far worse choices to make in life (elections come to mind), so I’ll shut up now.

The US postal service gets a big fat Effingham F. My dad sent me a priority package last Wednesday which only just arrived today – 9 days later. We go through this with the post office every damn year. My mom thinks to make this special vegetable dish: 10 ingredient lucky vegetables, which you eat for good luck at the start of the Chinese New Year. And every year it arrives too late and the food poisoning potential is very high, but my superstitious Chinese upbringing makes me nervous for fear that if I don’t eat it, I’m screwed. The dish translates into “as you wish”. I tasted some and it was slightly sour. But it’s made with some pickled vegetables – so I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be that way or not. My mom would never overnight anything. She stresses about the vegetables calling me every day to see if it has arrived. And so, it stresses me out. Then when it arrives, I’m stressed some more. I’m just going to make it myself from now on since I have achieved Chinese Cooking Competency. She called this afternoon and said to just stir-fry it on high heat for several minutes.

**Jump for more butter**

Tonight is Chinese New Year’s eve! It is the most important holiday to me because of the traditional foods, the symbolism, the superstitions, and the ties to family. I’ve been thinking of Kris a lot lately. Normally, you set out plates for your ancestors at your celebration table, but I realized that traditionally, children go home to their parents’ house for the new year. Kris wouldn’t come to my table, but to Mom and Dad’s – so I will let them set a place for her at dinner. Instead, I will celebrate with traditional foods and remember Kris in my own ways.

I spent all afternoon and some of the evening preparing for dinner tonight.

**Jump for more butter**

Every time the power goes out and we must light candles, I think of what it must have been like in the days predating electricity. Candlelight is romantic, but it sucks when you want to read without eye strain. Our power went out last night around 7:30. At first, the electric company said it would restored by 10 pm. Jeremy was hoping so since his observation runs began around 10 pm. We lit candles and gathered ourselves into the office, which remains warmer than the rest of the house with the door shut. We were prepared to spend the night there anyway due to the racket caused by the windstorm. I used my headlamp for reading up on sights to see in Australia.