In the living room of her condo, Sifu grabs six Mandarin oranges from a pile in a silver platter on a rosewood bureau, moves to sit on a leopard-skin ottoman across me. “Here, catch!” She tosses an orange to me, leaving the rest on the ottoman between her legs. “This is Lukan orange.” She sinks a thumb into the rind of the Lukan and tears it away. “You wanna talk about flowers?”
Sitting up straight across Sifu Sabrina three strides away, I peel the wrinkled skin of the Lukan. “What flowers to decorate your home during CNY?” My eyes widen as the sweet taste of the Lukan segment bites into my tongue.
Silence veils between us for a while as we snarf our oranges.
“Flowers, eh?” Sifu Sabrina tosses me another orange. “Try this Ponkan, a mandarin-pomelo hybrid.” It hits me in the crotch and Sifu Sabrina unleashes a giggle. “Oops, sorry.” Her gaze holds mine hostage for several ticks. “The most auspicious flowers for CNY are flamingo lily, pussy willow, peach blossom, chrysanthemum, narcissus, plum blossom, peony, and orchid. Aww… you should know that they symbolize good stuff like good luck, prosperity, growth, harmony, success. Pussy willow is very popular as it has a life span of almost two months.”
I peel my orange. “I see that Ponkan has smooth skin.” I pop a segment into my mouth. “What’s pussy willow?”
[Pix: Yin Liu]
“Called yin liu in Mandarin.” Sifu Sabrina’s cheeks bulge as she stuffs a few segments of the Ponkan into her mouth.
“You sure some of these flowers are sold here?”
Sifu Sabrina throws me another orange. “This is Swatow.” She licks her lips. “Regarding availability, I’ve checked a few online florists. For instance, Pudu Ria Florist offers cut pussy willow and narcissus. There’re other florists which offer CNY-themed floral arrangements. All accessorized with red or golden trinkets and knot-work. But fresh flowers are better than artificial.”
I flick my gaze back and forth from the Swatow I’m peeling to Sifu Sabrina’s legs. Holy cow. They’re killer legs. “Why artificial’s no good?” I eat a piece of the Swatow. “Hmm, not so sweet.”
“Swatow’s from Guangdong but it can be kept for two weeks.” The Swatow comes apart under Sifu Sabrina’s ripping fingers. “There’re only five elements in feng shui: wood, fire, earth, water, and metal. Fresh flowers represent the wood element. Artificial flowers are often made of plastic. But there’s no plastic element in feng shui. So, artificial flowers have nopositive feng shui impact on your home, no boosting of vital chi.” Sifu Sabrina pauses as she takes a swallow. “Anyway, you can use fake flowers to dress up your home during CNY--you know, for symbolic meanings--but once CNY is over, discard them.”
[Pix: yellow narcissus]
I spit out some seeds onto my palm. “I read somewhere that fresh flowers are taboo during CNY as they are used for funerals.” I put the seeds on a table beside me.
Sifu Sabrina gathers the orange rinds on her ottoman. “Not true.” She rises, moves to a nearby waste basket and throws them inside. “Only white flowers—fresh and faux— are taboo,” she says over her shoulder. I would also discourage using a white vase.” She returns to the ottoman. “You told me earlier you want to discuss the Kitchen God next week.” A ghost of a smile shadows her lips. “Bring me a packet of yoke kon.”
I jerk my chin up in question. “When have I visited you empty-handed?”
[Pix: peach blosom]
/end
