Yesterday was the 5th day of the 5th lunar calendar month aka the “Double Five” — Dragon Boat Festival Day! Here in the US, it’s more like the kickoff for the Dragon Boat season. Men and women that get out in the boat, roast in the hot sun, and paddle their azz’s off. Trust me, I’ve done it and it’s hard azz work. I spent a day out with the Shanghai Expat Dragon Boat crowd, came home exhausted and woke up Monday hurting. Respect to the Dragon Boaters!

I suggest celebrating Double Five (Duan Wu Jie / 端午节) the more leisurely way with some zongzi (粽子)! Yes, for the less athletic, Dragon Boat Festival Day is also known as Dumpling Day. It’s a perfect excuse to overeat on yummy rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. The fattier the pork the better!

If you think you’ve got what it takes to get on the Dragon Boat, check out a local team across the US (even in Texas!). Here’s a few American Dragon Boat organizations:
New York City’s Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival (Aug 8 & 9) — http://www.hkdbf-ny.org/
Boston’s Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival ( 30th Anniversary this year! June 6 & 7) — http://www.bostondragonboat.org/
San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival (Sept 26 & 27) — http://www.sfdragonboat.com/
The Texas Dragon Boat Association — http://www.texasdragonboat.com/
And Canadians! — http://dragonboatbc.ca/

Dragon Boat photo is of the Dragon Slayers Team from Miami who are competing in Boston this year.
Zongzi photo by Allen Timothy Chang