Bringing in the Chinese New Year 2013
at The Corner House, Ozanköy
Saturday 9th February was the start of the Chinese New Year and 
one of our local restaurants, the Corner House in Ozanköy did something different and had a Chinese evening to celebrate this event which this year is the Year of the Snake.
We arrived at the Corner House and decided to firstly have a drink in the bar area and we were welcomed by a crowd of people watching the France v Wales Rugby Match on the large TV screen. There was much delight from the Welsh supporters when Wales won the match with a chant of “Oggy Oggy Oggy” and most people joined in with “Oi, Oi, Oi”. Of course, this was nothing to do with the Chinese New Year, but was very enjoyable and having lived in Wales for a great many years I felt I could feel proud along with the other Welsh supporters.
We then went to the restaurant to start our 3-course Chinese meal and found a leaflet with various zodiac 
calendar horoscopes on the table. My birth year is the Year of the Tiger and Chris was born in the Year of the Monkey. Someone did my Chinese horoscope for me many years ago and although I can’t now remember all of it, I do remember him saying I was born in the year of the Earth Tiger and the fact that I love cats and the countryside seems to fit. There was also a lantern per couple which we were to send off from the restaurant garden later in the evening.
The food started arriving with prawn crackers and an assortment of 
dips then came soup and a spring roll followed by the main course of a huge helping of noodles, chicken, meat and fish dishes and rice as well as a special dish of vegetables which Mark kindly prepared as I do not eat meat. There was so much on the table it was hard to know where to start but everything was delicious and very well presented. We were so full it was hard to get ourselves out of our seats to go to the garden for the lantern launching.
Outside it was a fairly still night and we settled
into getting our lanterns set up ready to light and send off into the night sky. Off they went one by one and some reached extraordinary heights, it was a lovely sight to see the lanterns glowing in the sky and you could imagine perhaps a large number being launched in China which would be a spectacular display. But our half a dozen or so lanterns we felt was a mark of our celebration of the Chinese New Year which most of us had never done before so it was a “first” for many of us.
Back in the restaurant would you believe a dessert of lightly battered banana with a delicious sauce arrived and oh how the 
stomach groaned at yet more food but again it was delicious. Mark and his staff worked so hard that evening and we would like to give them all our thanks for making it a special occasion.
As we had walked to the Corner House, not being too far from home, we at least had a nice walk back and hopefully worked off some of the extra pounds we had put on with all of that lovely Chinese food. It was a great ending to a very enjoyable evening.
By Margaret Sheard
