Forget about International Year of the Reef for just one day. I'm going to be ringing in the lunar Year of the Rat tomorrow with a dim sum lunch with my program team. I promise it will be sustainable... so no shrimp gow or shark fin, thank you very much. In China it is believed that those born in a rat year share the positive attributes of the animal. What then are positive ratty attributes? People under this sign believe themselves to be clever, ambitious, hard-working, quick and sociable. As a year of the bunny, I'd like to think I have a few of those attributes as well. Damn rats, hogging all the great attributes! Wait a minute... Bunny? Rat? Hog? I'm confused.Some have suggested that the Year of the Rat is a misnomer and should properly be called the Year of the Mouse. In Chinese, the character (above) used to refer to the animal is “shu,” a word that is applicable to a mouse and a rat. Regardless of such distinctions, in China the popularity of rodents in general has suddenly spiked. Supermarkets and malls are filled with rat/mouse-themed jewelry, apparel, and knick-knacks. Pet stores are also reporting record sales of hamsters and mice. Which means that in a few weeks, as the new year glow fades, there will be many a gorged and fattened house cat in China as well.
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