Happy (Belated) Year of the Pig!

So as I'm sure you must all be aware (this being SF, home to a very large contingent of Asians), this past weekend witnessed city-wide Chinese New Year's festivities that culminated in the ushering of the Year of the Pig. Now, since the Chinese New Year system is based on the zodiac signs, a pig year wouldn't be that uncommon in of itself (happens every few years ). However, this year is different from past pig years in one important respect: it's the Year of the GOLDEN Pig!

While to you and I, laymen, this might not seem like that big of a deal, it appeals tremendously to the superstitious nature of some Chinese families that believe (rightly or wrongly) that giving birth to a child this year will ensure them prosperity and future success. Apparently the golden pig year only comes around every 60 or 600 years (depending on whose mythology you consult) so being able to have a child during such a year brings serious bragging rights.

Which brings me to a related side story. I have an aunt who lives in Fremont (former UCSF pharm student actually) who is pregnant and planning on having her first child (yay!) sometime in early June. Since she has never been the superstitious type, she was as surprised as I was to learn of the implications of birthing her child in the Year of the Golden Pig. After attending a baby shower and having all of her friends enviously compliment her on having her child this year (assuring her she now had all the signs of greatness), she turned to my uncle (a deliciously cynical and sarcastic man, though very kind and giving) to tell him the good news.

He, even more than most of us, has always been suspicious of religion and superstition and has always made it a point to eloquently and convincingly present his views. Him being an economic history professor at Berkeley, I knew his argument would adopt some sort of economic/free market bent. Indeed, his point was that their daughter would actually be born at a bad time because she would end up facing more competition in the job market and when applying to college because so many women were planning on having their babies this year.

All right, so that had nothing to do with dentistry and probably sounded very janked to your ears. Well, no matter, because I found it absolutely priceless.