Chinatown

Happy Chinese New Year! Apparently it's the Year of the Dragon, which has everyone who cares about these things more than usually excited. I celebrated this morning by attending Mass with Claire and Danielle at St. Therese's Chinese Catholic Church. This Mass was made of awesome.

A very, very dedicated Chinese dragon opened the ceremony. The two dancers inside sashayed up and down the aisles with precision and intensity. Claire and I had been joking about finding Asian husbands (she's very good at attracting the Asians) and she leaned over to whisper to me, "I found my husband. He's the dragon's butt."

Another highlight was the Offertory Dance where more boring people usually just have the Offering of the Gifts. Nope, the Chinese Catholic ceremony involved a procession of brightly garbed dancers waltzing up the aisle with slow grace and incredible synchronization. They brought other gifts besides bread and wine - fruit, rice cakes, and other symbolic items representing thanksgiving for a plentiful year.

We were also regaled by a children's choir and young dancers who twirled bright scarves. The Mass closed with a special Chinese Veneration of the Ancestors, meant to recall the unity of the Communion of Saints. It was very cool and very cultural and made me wish that I'd ever spent more time in Chinatown. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Then we headed to a Notre Dame Alum brunch at Cai, a huge, fancy, and 100% amazing dim sum restaurant. We ate our weight in Chinese dumplings, veggies, and desserts. A few highlights - we sampled cooked chicken feet and jellyfish. We also tried mango mochi ice cream and a papaya cake too good to describe. I loved chatting with the friendly older alums at our table.

Definitely going back to Chinatown and its deliciousness SOON.