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December 25, 2005

Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra

CNN is reporting that Chinese food is becoming a popular Christmas dish:

It's not exactly chestnuts roasting on an open fire. But for many people, Moo Goo Gai Pan or maybe even the Pu Pu Platter are traditional dishes for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and throughout the holidays, Chinese restaurants do some of their briskest business of the year.

"As the years went on, we became busier and busier during the holidays," said Stanley Wong, whose family has owned the Kowloon restaurant in Saugus for more than a half century.

I think this would be an obvious and inescapable trend to anyone who has watched, with heartfelt joy, once or more each year, the neo-traditional classic movie "A Christmas Story."

Who can forget when the family ends up having Christmas dinner at the Chop Suey Palace, entertained by waiters singing "Deck the Harrs with Barrs of Horry, Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra, Ra Ra Ra Ra...?" A holiday masterpiece, that movie.

I can't wait to make the kids watch it every year as they grow older.

Of course, I probably won't mention the career path taken by Scott Schwartz, who portrayed Flick, in an oddly foreshadowing scene in which he puts his tongue on a pole. He doesn't much like it the first time, but then I didn't really like beer at first and we all know how that turned out.