[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
He counted out five one-dollar bills for Stella. I shot him the
evil eye, which he ignored. She triumphantly held up the money,
not knowing exactly what it was, other than the fact that it was
good. Her parents remained stiff. The rest of the aunts and uncles
followed in suit and doled out all their singles. Stella grabbed a
fistful of dollars and squealed. My aunts and uncles asked what
she wanted to buy and she started naming off dolls and toys. She
wanted to go to Toys R Us immediately and buy everything. In
under an hour, the adults unleashed the consumer inside Stella.
Yoonmi threw up her hands.
Sorry, I whispered, my dad started it all.
Suddenly I smelled something glorious from the kitchen. A waft
of heaven floated into my nostrils and I felt, for the first time that
230
Ne w Ye ar s Game s
day, completely relaxed. Coffee. Regular coffee. Real coffee. Not
instant. Not with vanilla or hazelnut or fudge or mint raspberry
pumpkin spice. Just coffee. Simple, black, mine. My aunt poured
me a cup, and I took a few euphoric sips, feeling caffeine slowly
trickle through my veins. I stood next to the fireplace silently, with
my eyes closed, enjoying a brief moment of bliss, just Juan Valdez
and me. Yoon-chong s hand on my elbow woke me up. She asked
me to help prepare the yut board. I set my coffee down on the
mantle.
The traditional Korean board game of yut is played on a home-
made board. I think back in the day the board was drawn in the
dirt. Every board is a little different, and the one at my uncle s
house is drawn with colorful marker on poster board. The spaces
form a square and there are two diagonal lines that run across the
middle to connect the four corners a shortcut. The board looks
like the one used in Sorry! Each player or team has three or four
markers, and the goal is to get all the markers to the finish line,
either by going around the board or cutting across the middle.
Instead of dice to determine the number of spaces each marker can
advance, yut uses four sticks. The sticks have Chinese characters
on one side, but I don t know what they mean. A player throws
all four sticks into the air and the way they land determines the
number of spaces a marker can move. If one stick lands face-down,
the player can move one space. This is called do (pig). If two sticks
land face-down, the player can move two spaces. This is called gae
(dog). If three sticks land face-down, the player can move three
spaces. This is called geol (chicken). If all the sticks land face-down,
the player can move four spaces. This is called yut (cow). If all
sticks land face-up, the player can move a marathon of five spaces.
This is called mo (horse). Throwing a mo also allows the player to
toss the sticks again. I think the animals are ranked according to
231
happy birthday or whatever
speed. The horse is the fastest, so it gets the most spaces attributed
to it. But I ve always thought a dog was faster than a chicken, so
maybe I m wrong.
There are a few twists to the game. If a player s marker lands
on a space occupied by an opponent s marker, the opponent has to
start over from the beginning of the board, and the player gets to
throw again, just like in Sorry! If a player s marker lands on a space
occupied by their own marker, the markers become connected and
move as one piece. This is dangerous because if someone else lands
on you, you ll get screwed. On my uncle s board, there s a special
space that allows the marker that lands on it to move directly to
the finish line.
After I helped my cousin set up the board on the floor, I went
back to the mantle to retrieve my coffee, only to find it was gone.
My aunt had cleared my cup in the five minutes I was gone. She
was fluttering around the dining room and living room furiously
cleaning up after guests. I poured myself another cup, took a few
sips, and set it down on the coffee table. The teams were divided
by family and each paid five dollars to the pot. The winning family
would receive fifteen dollars. I suggested mixing up the teams I
wanted to play with Tina or Stella, not with my mother. She s a
fiercely competitive person.
You ready, Anne? You ready for win?
My mother threw a few warm-up tosses with the sticks. I could
see the aggression in her eyes; she was in it to win it. My father
watched my mother and laughed. The men in the family, though
technically playing the game, sat on the couches and chatted
amongst themselves. The rest of us gathered on the floor around
the yut board. Tina threw first for her team and got a mo. She
advanced her marker five spaces and got to toss again a terrific
way to open the game. Her mother cheered a little too loudly.
232
Ne w Ye ar s Game s
Tina s going to win this for us! Right Tina?
They high-fived enthusiastically and passed the sticks onto
Yoon-chong s family. Stella threw for her team first and got a geol,
advancing their marker three spaces. Everyone cheered; this was
her first yut game. The oldest aunt, the wife of my father s old-
est brother, tossed the sticks and advanced on the board quietly.
All of her children were in Seoul, so she played alone with little
fanfare. When the sticks came around to us, my mother looked
at me intensely. The game had barely begun and she was already
feverish.
OK Anne. You throw big. Get mo like Tina! Get big number
so we can win! GO!
I tossed the sticks and got a do, one space.
Agh, Anne, why only do?
Mom, relax. We just started.
But you not throw good. You have throw better. Use arm,
like this.
She demonstrated with her arm, curling it forward, then thrust-
ing her wrist, and finally releasing her fingers.
Throwing has nothing to do with it. It s luck.
You make Mommy lose.
What are you talking about? We just started the game!
I looked at the board and hoped that whoever beat us would do
it swiftly. I reached for my cup of coffee, only to find it was gone
again. I grunted out of frustration. My anal-compulsive aunt was
going over the line. I got up for another coffee.
Anne, where you go? You have play game!
To get coffee, can you just chill out, please?
I poured myself a third cup and tried to guzzle it, but it was too
hot. Determined to finish it, I hid the cup behind the poker for the
fireplace. Tina s mother was up. She held the sticks tightly and flung
233
happy birthday or whatever
them to the floor. They advanced a new marker onto the board.
When it became our team s turn to toss again, my mother picked up
the sticks. She tossed a yut and landed on Tina s marker, sending
it back to the starting line. My aunt yelped loudly like a wounded
animal, and Tina consoled her. She explained that they were still in
good shape. My mother grinned triumphantly and clapped.
That how you throw, Anne. See how good Mommy play?
But it s based on luck.
No Anne, it skill.
Skill? There s no skill involved here. Zero. It s like dice.
I looked at Tina for help and she smiled sympathetically. If my
brother were here, he would ve agreed with me.
The game continued and Yoon-chong s marker landed in a space [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
He counted out five one-dollar bills for Stella. I shot him the
evil eye, which he ignored. She triumphantly held up the money,
not knowing exactly what it was, other than the fact that it was
good. Her parents remained stiff. The rest of the aunts and uncles
followed in suit and doled out all their singles. Stella grabbed a
fistful of dollars and squealed. My aunts and uncles asked what
she wanted to buy and she started naming off dolls and toys. She
wanted to go to Toys R Us immediately and buy everything. In
under an hour, the adults unleashed the consumer inside Stella.
Yoonmi threw up her hands.
Sorry, I whispered, my dad started it all.
Suddenly I smelled something glorious from the kitchen. A waft
of heaven floated into my nostrils and I felt, for the first time that
230
Ne w Ye ar s Game s
day, completely relaxed. Coffee. Regular coffee. Real coffee. Not
instant. Not with vanilla or hazelnut or fudge or mint raspberry
pumpkin spice. Just coffee. Simple, black, mine. My aunt poured
me a cup, and I took a few euphoric sips, feeling caffeine slowly
trickle through my veins. I stood next to the fireplace silently, with
my eyes closed, enjoying a brief moment of bliss, just Juan Valdez
and me. Yoon-chong s hand on my elbow woke me up. She asked
me to help prepare the yut board. I set my coffee down on the
mantle.
The traditional Korean board game of yut is played on a home-
made board. I think back in the day the board was drawn in the
dirt. Every board is a little different, and the one at my uncle s
house is drawn with colorful marker on poster board. The spaces
form a square and there are two diagonal lines that run across the
middle to connect the four corners a shortcut. The board looks
like the one used in Sorry! Each player or team has three or four
markers, and the goal is to get all the markers to the finish line,
either by going around the board or cutting across the middle.
Instead of dice to determine the number of spaces each marker can
advance, yut uses four sticks. The sticks have Chinese characters
on one side, but I don t know what they mean. A player throws
all four sticks into the air and the way they land determines the
number of spaces a marker can move. If one stick lands face-down,
the player can move one space. This is called do (pig). If two sticks
land face-down, the player can move two spaces. This is called gae
(dog). If three sticks land face-down, the player can move three
spaces. This is called geol (chicken). If all the sticks land face-down,
the player can move four spaces. This is called yut (cow). If all
sticks land face-up, the player can move a marathon of five spaces.
This is called mo (horse). Throwing a mo also allows the player to
toss the sticks again. I think the animals are ranked according to
231
happy birthday or whatever
speed. The horse is the fastest, so it gets the most spaces attributed
to it. But I ve always thought a dog was faster than a chicken, so
maybe I m wrong.
There are a few twists to the game. If a player s marker lands
on a space occupied by an opponent s marker, the opponent has to
start over from the beginning of the board, and the player gets to
throw again, just like in Sorry! If a player s marker lands on a space
occupied by their own marker, the markers become connected and
move as one piece. This is dangerous because if someone else lands
on you, you ll get screwed. On my uncle s board, there s a special
space that allows the marker that lands on it to move directly to
the finish line.
After I helped my cousin set up the board on the floor, I went
back to the mantle to retrieve my coffee, only to find it was gone.
My aunt had cleared my cup in the five minutes I was gone. She
was fluttering around the dining room and living room furiously
cleaning up after guests. I poured myself another cup, took a few
sips, and set it down on the coffee table. The teams were divided
by family and each paid five dollars to the pot. The winning family
would receive fifteen dollars. I suggested mixing up the teams I
wanted to play with Tina or Stella, not with my mother. She s a
fiercely competitive person.
You ready, Anne? You ready for win?
My mother threw a few warm-up tosses with the sticks. I could
see the aggression in her eyes; she was in it to win it. My father
watched my mother and laughed. The men in the family, though
technically playing the game, sat on the couches and chatted
amongst themselves. The rest of us gathered on the floor around
the yut board. Tina threw first for her team and got a mo. She
advanced her marker five spaces and got to toss again a terrific
way to open the game. Her mother cheered a little too loudly.
232
Ne w Ye ar s Game s
Tina s going to win this for us! Right Tina?
They high-fived enthusiastically and passed the sticks onto
Yoon-chong s family. Stella threw for her team first and got a geol,
advancing their marker three spaces. Everyone cheered; this was
her first yut game. The oldest aunt, the wife of my father s old-
est brother, tossed the sticks and advanced on the board quietly.
All of her children were in Seoul, so she played alone with little
fanfare. When the sticks came around to us, my mother looked
at me intensely. The game had barely begun and she was already
feverish.
OK Anne. You throw big. Get mo like Tina! Get big number
so we can win! GO!
I tossed the sticks and got a do, one space.
Agh, Anne, why only do?
Mom, relax. We just started.
But you not throw good. You have throw better. Use arm,
like this.
She demonstrated with her arm, curling it forward, then thrust-
ing her wrist, and finally releasing her fingers.
Throwing has nothing to do with it. It s luck.
You make Mommy lose.
What are you talking about? We just started the game!
I looked at the board and hoped that whoever beat us would do
it swiftly. I reached for my cup of coffee, only to find it was gone
again. I grunted out of frustration. My anal-compulsive aunt was
going over the line. I got up for another coffee.
Anne, where you go? You have play game!
To get coffee, can you just chill out, please?
I poured myself a third cup and tried to guzzle it, but it was too
hot. Determined to finish it, I hid the cup behind the poker for the
fireplace. Tina s mother was up. She held the sticks tightly and flung
233
happy birthday or whatever
them to the floor. They advanced a new marker onto the board.
When it became our team s turn to toss again, my mother picked up
the sticks. She tossed a yut and landed on Tina s marker, sending
it back to the starting line. My aunt yelped loudly like a wounded
animal, and Tina consoled her. She explained that they were still in
good shape. My mother grinned triumphantly and clapped.
That how you throw, Anne. See how good Mommy play?
But it s based on luck.
No Anne, it skill.
Skill? There s no skill involved here. Zero. It s like dice.
I looked at Tina for help and she smiled sympathetically. If my
brother were here, he would ve agreed with me.
The game continued and Yoon-chong s marker landed in a space [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]