Black and Gold

I am hosting an early CNY dinner party tonight and it was all last minute. Half of the guys I know are not in town so I was going to postpone it then decided to do it anyway.

The CNY card I sent out this year looked like this.

 

The chinese character is pronounced as { jiu } and it is the number 9. The word also sounds like word - a long time, and the number 9 is the largest of the single digits so as a whole, it stands for longevity and power. 

 I liked the gold pattern so have repeated the design for this party.

  

I got some storebought BBQ pork and stuffed them in chinese flower buns with some fresh cucumber, it was ridiculously yummy. The wontons were black pepper prawn-filled and were not as great as the wrappers got bit soggy after sitting on the counter for a few hours. The rest of the items were purchased at Hakka restaurant, a really nice seafood joint nearby. 

We did the lou-hei tossing and people were gettng really into it and the salad just got tossed everywhere. After filling up with food and wine, the serious business of gambling started. I learnt tonight that S. Africans are just like the Chinese, they love a gamble. 

We were up most of the night drinking and shouting insults as each other as bad cards or good cards were dealt. It was a whole lotta fun.