Free On the Back Burner by Diane Muldrow Page A

friends.
    Amanda

Chapter 9
    I nstead of cooking at Shawn’s house on Saturday, Peichi was in Chinatown, standing on the corner of Mott and Canal streets with her mom, dad, Ah-mah, and Ah-yeh. With her parents video camera raised to her eye, she filmed the Lion Dance parade that was part of the opening celebrations for Chinese New Year. Mr. D. had approved her project and now she was working on it every chance she had.

    Even though Peichi had seen the parade many times before, she was still amazed at the colors and sounds around her. A chill went down her spine as she watched men in a long, elaborate gold-and-red lion costume, each holding up a different section of it, dance down the street as they pretended to be the mythical lion. Peichi knew that before it was finished, the parade would wind its way all through the narrow streets of Chinatown and end at Chatham Square in the heart of the neighborhood. The streets were packed with thousands of people. She felt so tiny surrounded by the huge crowd and was glad to have her family nearby. Besides spectators, the sidewalks were crowded with news vans, reporters, and camera crews. In a clearing in the street, Peichi watched the golden lion gracefully dance over upside-down rice bowls. Mr. Cheng held the camera high above his head to capture the entire scene for her video. The shopkeepers presented the lion dancers with elaborate puzzles. If the dancers could solve the puzzle, they were rewarded with money as the shopkeepers bought good luck for their stores for the coming year.
    When the parade finally passed out of sight and the crowd began to thin, Peichi turned her lens to Ah-mah and Ah-yeh. Her grandparents spoke in Chinese, and her parents took turns translating their words into English. “Is this what Chinese New Year was like when you lived in China?” she asked, still filming.
    Ah-yeh laughed lightly and spoke. “Ah, that was many years ago.” Mr. Cheng translated.
    “Many, many years,” Mrs. Cheng added for Ah-mah. “Here in America the holiday isn’t really celebrated for the full fifteen days, the way it was done in China. Here in Chinatown there is more celebration than in the rest of America, but even here it is shorter.”
    “Can you tell us some of the things people do to celebrate Chinese New Year?” Peichi asked. She knew the answer to this, but she thought it would be more interesting in her movie if her grandparents told it in their own words.
    This time Ah-yeh spoke, and Mr. Cheng quickly translated: “During the Chinese New Year celebrations, there are parades like the one you just saw. When I was a boy, people lit bamboo stalks because they believed the flames would frighten evil spirits. The fireworks that we light during the celebrations are also to frighten away evil with fire.”

    “One of my favorite parts of Chinese New Year is the lantern festival,” Ah-mah said through Mrs. Cheng. This happens on the last day of the celebration. People hang beautiful lanterns everywhere and they carry them on poles in an evening parade under the light of the full moon. I loved to see that as a child and I love it still. And during the lantern festival there is always a dragon dance. The dragon is a big, colorful puppet that is sometimes one hundred feet long. Young men carry it along on poles as they dance through the streets. The dragon dancers light fireworks, too, to scare away evil spirits from the shop owners, who reward them with ly-cee—just like the lion dancers.”
    Peichi switched off the camera. “Thanks. That was great!”
    “You’re welcome,” her mother said. “Now, are you ready to eat some real Chinese food? Ah-mah’s cooking tonight.”
    “Definitely. Could I film you cooking it?” Peichi asked her grandmother.
    Ah-mah shrugged. “Why not?” she asked with a smile. “I always wanted to be a movie star!”

    When the girls returned to school on Monday, Amanda was hoping to talk with Shawn at lunch. Amanda had been a little