The day has arrived, and the Year of the Horse has officially begun. It was a pretty casual New Year here in Beijing. After a Skype session with Kaitlin in the morning, we made dumplings, ate peanuts, cooked a chicken (recipe posting in a couple days!), and watched American Hustle, during which Christian Bale’s 40-pound beer belly was disturbing to all and the sight of Bradley Cooper in curling rods was predictably hilarious. Notwithstanding, their acting was pretty on par, as always.
There were also fireworks going on all day. Here in China, you’re pretty much allowed to go out, buy a box of fireworks and/or firecrackers, and set them off on any sidewalk, street corner, or parking lot you like. There are people lighting fuses all across the city, which makes for a very lively–and loud–week. But if you’re lucky, you’ll get a front-row seat to fireworks free of charge, courtesy of the people on the street in front of your apartment building. Last night, people were setting off fireworks that went off right in front of our living room window. Check it out below.
For other Chinese New Year recipes, including our dumpling recipe, check out this Chinese new year post. For a feel-good-about-the-future dessert, try this Apple Cream Cheese Tart I made two days ago.
Happy Year of the Horse, everyone!
