Christmas is not about eating, but… |
| I file this story as I stare at a snowstorm raining down on a cold Manhattan in New York. I’ve been to this corner of the world a few times before and have only ever had encounters with soothing snow flurries, like weightless specks of snowy ice kachang falling from the sky. But this time, it came down like as if I was standing below a giant ice kachang machine as the as the auntie hit the “on” button.
Then it dawned on me. All those chestnuts roasting on an open fire, jackfrost nipping on your nose, the shiny silver bells, city sidewalks dressed in holiday style and everyone dreaming of a white Christmas…it all doesn’t make any sense unless you have been possessed by the spirit of the Christmas de jevu. Chestnuts roasting on a vendors cart along 42nd street actually smells like burning charcoal, frostbite on your nose is no fun (it numbs and stings), city sidewalks all dressed in glitter and brightly lit can distract you from the slushy and slippery walkways even as you slip and fall. The electric and white snowy city Christmas, can be a nightmare. Manhattan can be like a bowl of ice kachang – towards the end, when it becomes all watery, slushy and muddied. But when I actually slipped and the environmentally friendly Macy’s department store paper bag tore through and saw my presents strewn all over 34th St, strangers, even before I could swipe the slush off my ass, immediately helped me picked it up and asked if I was ok and egged me on with a “happy holidays” (the year end holidays here is celebrated by both the Jews and the Christians so they discouraged the “Merry Christmas” greeting a few years back so as to stay religiously correct). The off-season racks at another clothing store had bargain hunters furiously digging in on stuff that went from $10, amidst it all, a smiley sales staff walked up and raised a “can I be of help to anyone here please?”. It was priceless. On seeing a group of volunteers fidgeting about in the snowstorm, trying to keep warm while raising money for the Salvation Army Kettlers, it felt right to give and I did. And in that cold, they belted a warm “bless your heart sir and have great holiday” instead or the cursory “thanks”. They smiled and looked you in the eyes, happy and as proud as you were in giving. Those volunteers were thinking about you and your hard earned moolah too.
Christmas isn’t about my money, my work, my house, my decorations or my livelihood. It’s really about the other person’s welfare, time, life and folks at the edge of society and their happiness. So, a turkey, no matter how well you roast it with rosemary and thyme or with lemongrass and galangal with a crispy shiny skin slathered in fruit chutney or even sambal, can only be good if someone else you shared it with felt so too. I was so honoured to be able to have a private dinner with the Zagats, the folks behind the wildly popular food and lifestyle guides. Our prime Angus steaks at the Porterhouse Restaurant in Time Warner Centre was better than any in Singapore, though not the best in New York (Peter Luger still hold that distinction) yet Nina and Tim, the founders, surprised with a little belated birthday cake for me. I could only return a toast to them honestly announcing, “Zagats, the folks that made life less unbearable for many here.”. All that, over our very first meeting which set the tone for a great Christmas ahead. Even the scampi linguine at an unrated Italian eatery in town was memorable as the Singapore friends we had it with, could all reminisce warmly and concur “it’s ok but cannot compare with fried Hokkien prawn mee la, of course”. That’s the spirit of belongingness at work. So, even if you are having crappy ha cheong kai or burnt hot plate tofu this week, remember, the best ingredient you can add to enhance it, is Christmas, whatever you perceive it to be. And have it with friends and family, and if you can, even with strangers and first time friends. Anything will taste meaningful and even the economic crunch ahead can be crispy. A crunchy Christmas and a crispy New Year to all. |
