I learned something new yesterday – the ins and outs of the amazingly intricate game of mahjong. We had two very good teachers – two of my aunts – and had a great time.
As a child I used to watch my maternal grandmother, Ah Mah, play mahjong with her friends but I never learned – mahjong was serious business for Ah Mah so she never taught us – but the accoutrements of mahjong: the mahjong tiles, the chips, the square table, and the strange vocabulary and the sound of the mahjong tiles clacking together as they were being shuffled have always been familiar.
We kids used to play with the tiles and the chips (and get into trouble for dropping the tiles on the floor – they could chip), but I don’t really know why I never bothered to find out what was happening. Maybe it just always seemed like such an adult game, with the players all concentrating, and uttering strange words every now and again (pong! chi! kong!) or talking about their husbands/wives/children.
I can see now why some people get so hooked on the game – the rules are so complicated and the outcomes can vary so much, and it is a lot of fun. I was quite amused by my normally laidback Mum sighing and sighing over her hand. Or MT (Mum’s friend) screaming with joy when she found she had drawn a winning hand – before even the first tile had been exchanged. We did not play for money although we did use the chips to “pay” the winner of each hand – I wouldn’t like to play for real money, I think it would make the game far too serious (and I dislike the idea of gambling).
Now I wonder when we can play again…
tfp, it’s a pity you couldn’t make it! The whole afternoon was taken up by the game (and then we stayed for dinner) so I didn’t end up doing a few things I’d hoped to do before going back to work today. I still owe a few people emails but will get to them very soon, I promise!
Categories: mahjong
5 Comments
During uni I was addicted to playing Mahjong on the computer for a while! (before that I was addicted to Patience)
It sounds like it’s quite a different game ‘in real life’! Very interesting, I must check out the links!
We tried to buy a mahjong set here about five years ago and found that the cheapest we could find was $200.
Oh! I wish i could’ve been there. Sounds (looks*) like it was fun.
*i checked out the flickr pics, too.
Cherry
Damnit, CW. Stop blogging about things like hawker food and mahjong and bookcase libraries! The nostalgia pangs are nad enough, but it’s worse remembering that the old aunties who’d play mahjong -like having high tea in an Ipoh kopi shop, and watching Hong Kong action serials in Cantonese – are all long gone.
Still, I’m up for a game if anyone has a set. For old times’ sake 🙂
Simone, you’re right, it’s a different game altogether. The version you were playing is a solitaire-type game, but using mahjong tiles instead of playing cards. I like playing it from time to time. The Real Life version is much more complex! 🙂
Skribe yes it is expensive. I believe my aunts bought their set in Singapore…
Cherry, it was! Maybe we organise a game for when you’re here in August!
Toxic Purity, it would be good wouldn’t it! Only trouble is, we don’t have a set either… My Mum does, though.. hmm *ponders*