To celebrate Chinese New Year, my family went to Chinatown to eat shabu shabu. The owner of the restaurant we ate at was a friendly, old Taiwanese man who only spoke Mandarin. He came by our table often to check up with us even though neither of us could understand each other. He kept offering us free wine (which my dad gladly took) and at one point he made a toast to the entire restaurant, shouting out "Happy New Year!" Amazing. While we were there we could also hear a Chinese Lion dance group practicing in the building next door. The rhythmic beating of the drums was a nice touch to a night of celebrating our heritage. I hope the new year brings everyone love, happiness, and good health!
