It began yesterday, the Chinese Year of the Dragon, one of the strongest signs of the Chinese calendar. But if you’re a Dragon yourself, or are closely acquainted with a Dragon, you already know that.

Bombastic, self-centered, magnificent, charming, flamboyant, obnoxious, ambitious, intelligent, arrogant, impulsive, aggressive, tyrannical, snobbish, loyal, brash, outspoken, curious, as well as a few other characteristics I’ve probably left out, are all adjectives that apply to a Dragon person. It’s very exciting to know and interact with a Dragon; it’s also time consuming and can even be exhausting. Dragons, unfortunately, can be very demanding.

Dragons are leaders, rulers, CEOs, only happy if they are in charge of whatever endeavor they take on.

If you need someone to revitalize a cause, organize a “movement,” lead a march for “rights,” get “the job” done whatever it is, find yourself a Dragon, male or female. There is a reason some women are often referred to as “The Dragon Lady.” Figuratively breathing smoke and fire, Dragons are not to be deterred and will pursue their own interests with no worry about risks or rewards.

As always, however, there is another side to every story, and that’s also true of fire-breathing Dragons. Beneath the tough, flamboyant exterior may be the soul of a poet, the heart of a tender lover, and a strong desire to be cherished and appreciated by family and close friends. Dragons pretend to be too strong to need others, too independent to seek assistance, but if a Dragon meets the right mate and decides to have a family, there is no equal to the devotion from a Dragon to his or her cherished ones.

As you may surmise, there is a major drawback to being a Dragon, and it has to do with aging. Dragons, usually in superb health, do not age well. The idea of losing power, the feeling that their strength is ebbing, is totally unacceptable to Dragons, and if a Dragon suffers a debilitating injury or ailment, leaving him or her reliant upon others for daily living, severe depression and thoughts of suicide will be virtually inevitable. The Dragon lives on his own terms and wants to die on his own terms.

My first husband was a Dragon, although I wasn’t aware of that until I studied Chinese astrology for a writing assignment several years after the wedding, and I’ve known and worked with at least two other Dragon men.

But, I’ve known, admired and loved only one (that I’m aware of) Dragon Lady, for whom I worked, many years ago. She was an exciting, extremely intelligent, creative, vibrant woman very much in charge of a group of lively, unruly writers, and she taught me a great deal. She was ultimately shot to death by her retired third husband, who put five bullets into her, then one into himself, as she was packing her suitcases to leave him because he threatened to find a way to get her fired if she didn’t quit her job and stay home to play retired housewife with him.

Life with a Dragon may never be easy, may even be dangerous, but will almost certainly never be dull.

RECIPES

I don’t know about the China of today, but in the past, one of their most revered Gods (and my personal favorite) was the Kitchen God, who played an important role in the pageantry of the Chinese New Year.

Each New Year, a small replica statue or picture of the Kitchen God is ceremoniously burned and sent to heaven to report on the deeds of the family (presumably all good), and a new Kitchen God is installed at the Feast of the New Year. Along with the new Kitchen God, there must be three “meats,” one of which must be fish (good fortune), the

other two pork, duck or chicken, with vegetables, rice and soup. It’s not too late to celebrate Chinese New Year with any or all of these dishes.

EGG DROP SOUP WITH MUSTARD GREENS

¼ lb. boned pork loin, fat-trimmed

2 stalks fresh lemon grass (or 6 strips lemon peel)

8 cups chicken broth (fat-skimmed homemade or low-sodium purchased)

1 lb. fresh mustard greens

¼ lb. Chinese rice noodles

6-10 (depending upon size; approx. ¼ lb.) shrimp, shelled, de-veined, rinsed and drained

2 large eggs

Asian fish sauce

Chopped green onions

Asian red chili sauce or hot sauce

Cut pork into ¼-inch thick slices, then cut slices into pieces about 2-inches long. Put pork pieces into a 4-5 qt. saucepan over high heat; sauté and stir pork until most of the pink is gone, 2-3 min. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

Trim and discard root ends and coarse outer leaves from the lemon grass; crush lemon grass a bit. Add lemon grass and broth to the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 15 min.

While lemon grass is simmering, rinse and drain mustard greens, discard tough stems and cut greens into 2-3 inch pieces.

Add mustard greens, noodles and shrimp to the broth mixture. Simmer just until noodles are tender to bite and shrimp are pink and opaque but still moist and tender, 4-6 min. depending upon size of shrimp. DON’T OVERCOOK SHRIMP. With a slotted spoon, lift out and discard lemon grass, then return pork and its juices to the pan.

Break eggs into the broth mixture and stir gently, breaking the yolks, until eggs are set, about 1 min. Ladle the soup into warmed, wide bowls. Add fish sauce, green onions and chili sauce to taste. Serves 4.

Traditionally, a whole fish, usually carp, would have been served for the Feast of the New Year; now, any seafood can qualify as the necessary fish dish, such as this risotto, which satisfies both fish and rice requirements.

KUNG PAO SHRIMP RISOTTO

1 lb. shelled, de-veined shrimp, rinsed and drained

½ cup diced red bell pepper

1 T. minced fresh ginger

4 dried hot chilies (approx. 3-inch)

1 t. salad oil

1 cup Arborio rice

1 cup dry sherry

3½ cups chicken broth

1 t. Asian sesame oil

½ cup chopped or slivered green and/or red bell pepper

2 T. chopped salted roasted peanuts(optional, obviously certainly if you’re allergic)

Soy sauce

In a 12-inch nonstick frying pan over high heat, stir the shrimp until pink, about 2 min. Remove from pan; set aside

Add diced red bell pepper, ginger, chilies and salad oil to pan; stir until vegetables are limp, about 3 min. Add rice to pan and stir until opaque, 1-2 min. Add sherry and broth. Bring to a boil over med. to med.-high heat and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender to bite (about 15 min.). Add shrimp and stir just until hot, 1-2 min. Stir in sesame oil.

Ladle risotto into wide bowls or mound on plates. Sprinkle with chopped bell pepper and peanuts. Add soy sauce to taste.

And one of my favorite Asian fish dishes, this delicious, simple but elegant salmon with pasta is a treat on any winter night, especially if you like wasabi.

SALMON FETTUCCINE WITH WASABI SAUCE

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

½ lb. dried spinach fettuccine (or fettuccine of your choice)

¼ cup fresh salmon caviar (available in Asian section and/or stores, or use canned salmon caviar)

1 T. cornstarch

¾ cup plain nonfat yogurt (I use Greek; use what you like)

3 T. wasabi paste (in Asian foods section)

¾ lb. sliced smoked salmon, cut into ½-inch strips

In a 5-6 qt. pan over high heat, bring broth, water and fettuccine to a boil; cook, stirring often, until pasta is tender to bite, about 7 min.

Meanwhile, rinse caviar in cold water and drain well in a fine strainer.

Blend cornstarch with 3 T. water until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture, yogurt and wasabi into the pasta, then stir until boiling again. Add salmon and stir gently just until hot, about 1-2 min. Serve pasta in bowls, garnished with salmon caviar.