Onigiri and Dragons

Chinese New Year tags the traditional holidays with fervor and I welcome the injection this time of year when there's more dark than daylight and more inside days than out due to cooler temperatures in the Lowcountry.  Truth be told I started thinking about Year of the Dragon thanks to a tickle from the LA Times Daily Dish about an onigiri contest transpiring at the Japanese American National Museum.  Rice Balls come in a wide range of options and some varieties should not be confused with onigiri~our friends over at Just Bento provide a easy to digest primer for beginners. I especially appreciated the tips for purchasing rice alternatives as there are times when our Lowcountry grocers fail to deliver on products outside the usual consumption. [Admittedly in the last few years several Asian grocers have made their way across the river (Savannah)]. Once again bringing the holiday closer to the hearts of youth, the process of shaping (and decorating) rice balls makes for an enjoyable afternoon in the kitchen.  We're adding a twist to plating our onigiri....each individual rice ball streaming together to form a dragon along a platter, wondering just how the "dragon fire breathing new life" into the affair will play out, but that's to be appreciated...as with any astrological projection it is the assumption of what is to be that inspires the path to reality.