It's a sound you hear often enough this time of year in almost every Chinese household in the world. Well, all except mine.
You see, my late grandfather for reasons unbeknownst always had a curious distaste for gambling. Actually distaste would be putting it mildly - which is why we never had any cards, dice or games in the household. Certainly no mahjong tiles! Far from the typical Chinaman, even the very mention of gambling would have him frowning his displeasure. You can imagine how he tsked each time the 4D fella came calling to receive bets. Though we never dared ask, we all have our own theories of course - the prevailing one being that he must have been a sore loser during a prolonged game on the junk from China.
Fittingly ( and ironically ) enough, the rest of my generation only started learning this time-honoured game at his funeral. A kindly uncle from another branch of the family offered lessons to keep the younger folk from turning rambunctious during the dull hours of mourning. Yet we remain true to his creed and few of us gamble.
Sometimes you do lose your shirt after all!
I can confess that gambling has never really been a sin of mine. Even a thousand dollar stake fails to raise my heartbeat. Slot machines. Poker games. Mahjong. Get bored far too easily after a while. Especially when the stakes aren't high enough.
And seriously I don't enjoy playing for cash. Play me for something far more deliciously sinful such as blackmail information. Or a hot guy's pants ( nothing like a litte strip poker ). Maybe I could get Pretty Phillip to play the night away.
But what's the point?
Even now in my family we only bet a tiny pittance, usually a few cents at the most. Measly amount for some of the gambling gods out there. Usually we play for our family's version of Chinese Water Torture. Yeah, we drink green tea till we burst - and in a coffeeshop, you can be assured of an near-endless supply of drinks.
Bet grandpa would be pleased :)
9 comments:
how cuuuuuuuute... :P
ur granpa did a good job educating y'all away from gambling. :P
You granddad must have been playing with my paternal grandparents on their trip from China. Both of them were mahjong addicts. One uncle is a pathological gambler. He goes to mahjong for days on end. Inhaling second hand smoke from other players does not keep my dad (who has emphysema) from the game either. My younger brother is so into chook fight. I am a mama's boy so I was raised like an angel. I have other vices so all I have now is a rusty halo.
Is that video clip an extraction from Peony Pavilion, the lesbian drama starrign Joey Wong and Daniel Wu?
Don't really like the poor fella to strip. Prefer to see the 2 gilrs engaging in lesbian love.
i lost 13 bucks in black jack. i'm never ever gambling again.
though i'm pretty good with mah jong. it's the only ching chong trait i posses.
Ching chong trait indeed. :D I won 20 in Blackjack once but that was years ago. Nowadays, nobody's around to play Blackjack anymore - and the only bets we make are how much ang pow we can get. :D
I'm pleased to hear there are others out there that do not enjoy cards and other gambling rites either. I've often thought I may be the only person upon the face of Earth that doesn't play cards.
-C
Deal me in Boys! Mahjong might not be my 'cup of green tea' but I'll surely play quite a few hands of poker or blackjack. Just be ready to go 'all in'.
Yeah, ah bong, he actually did. And surprisingly that lesson stuck with us.
True enough, I already have enough vices without gambling to add to the lot, quentin.
But didn't you love that cute guy in the clip, dave?
GASP. I am amazed you play mahjong. We shall see you in a cheongsam yet, adrien.
We all have almost the same amount, sam so it doesn't matter.
You're not the only one, chris!
I would just watch, tjay!
paul
Yeah, the gambling thing doesn't run in my family, either. It must be genetic...
Oh, and that guy was HOT in the vid ;)
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