In the lead up to the Lunar New Year, I have enjoyed reading about the increased role Maine lobster is playing in this Chinese holiday.
According to various articles, lobster is a festive delicacy and an emblem of prosperity. Lobster is also a symbol of good luck to the Chinese, given a cooked crustacean’s bright red color resembles that of a dragon.
It left me inspired to try cooking a popular Chinese dish – braised lobster with vermicelli noodles in garlic sauce – to celebrate the Lunar New Year. That inspiration sadly gave way to the realities of my life yesterday which included:
- leaving work late and having to race home to relieve the nanny, with no time to stop at the store for groceries
- arriving home to three tired, upset kiddies – one had fallen down some stairs, another had fallen over and hurt his lip, the third was teething – and spending until 9pm trying to get them completely settled in bed
- even then not being able to run to the store as my husband was working away and I was holding down the fort
But just when I thought the day had gotten the better of me, my husband returned from his business trip with what else but some microwave Chinese food and lobster potato chips (yes, they exist in the UK – more on that here). It was as if he had read my mind.
It wasn’t quite the Chinese New Year lobster fest I imagined but I did end the day feeling pretty lucky. Happy New Year everyone!