WHY WE EAT FRIED PEANUTS

A young child learns about a Lunar New Year dish with family significance.

Fried peanuts always make an appearance at Meng’s family’s New Year celebrations. Dad mentions that the food has an extra-special meaning because of Meng’s great-grandmother, or tài nǎi nǎi: “When she spoke, everyone listened.” He tells Meng about the time that Tài Nǎi Nǎi noticed an unfamiliar pregnant woman wandering the neighborhood. Days later, Tài Nǎi Nǎi discovered the woman, who had recently given birth, with her head in her hands; the baby was cold and crying. Tài Nǎi Nǎi respectfully bowed to the mother, asking if she could adopt the little one. The woman agreed, and eventually, the child—Meng’s great-uncle—was given the nickname of Little Peanut, in the hopes he would be as hardy as the peanut plant. Traditions, rituals, and history are deftly explained within the dialogue and in small captions with Mandarin words and their meanings; when Meng expresses dismay at the idea of a mother neglecting her own child, Dad replies that the woman was alone, her husband having left to serve in the Chinese Civil War. James fills every inch of the page with appealing cartoon portrayals of characters surrounded by textured scenes in a warm palette. More information about Lunar New Year and Chinese culture follows, along with a recipe for fried peanuts.

An exploration of a traditional holiday, richly layered with family history.