This traditional little mandarin tree with red gift envelopes was at the entrance of the Dameisha Sheraton on Friday night. During Chinese New Year, mandarin oranges and tangerines are considered traditional symbols of abundance and good fortune. I had my usual beer but some of us had a gin and tonic. The back of the little bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin with the 10 ‘exotic’ ingredients generated some discussion. (How exotic can almond and lemon peel be?). The gin was introduced in 1987 by Bacardi. And of course after that Bombay became Mumbai (in 1995). I ran into the Nestlé dragon display in the local grocery store on the way back. I wonder if I would have gotten in trouble if I had taken down those yellow price signs so the dragons’ faces could be seen clearly!
