Happy New Year....

Happy Chinese New Year!
It's the year of the rooster, so all of you born in 1969 are in for a year of good fortune and prosperity. I'm a dog, but I have a good inside track with a rooster ...now there's a thing you'd find hard to explain out of context.

Nice to see the celebrations here in Dublin and the interest in Chinese traditions, when not that long ago all most people in Ireland knew about anything Chinese was imitation sweet and sour chicken. I really can't abide the plastic in gloop that still passes for food from a lot of Chinese restaurants in Dublin; feels like a joke at our expense. The first time I saw some Chinese people at a nearby table order from a completely different menu as I struggled with my stringy chow mein, I knew there was an inside track.
My friend's husband Ron, with his Chinese heritage, gave us some inspiration with a dim sum lunch locally some years ago, and while I 've had some great stuff since, I'm still ignorant when it comes to the huge scope & range of Asian food. I still love to eat with someone who knows what they're at so I don't feel like I'm stuck with the tourist menu. Lots of real Chinese food to check out this week.

My favourite short film last year was Daniel O'Hara's Yu Ming Is Anim Dom produced 'as gaeilge' with TG4 and Filmbase, and it's being shown as part of the 5 day festival at Collins Barracks...really funny and sensitive film.