Mah Jong Memory
Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine|Issue 61

I remember mah jong through a haze of memory and my mother’s Benson & Hedges cigarette smoke.

Bonnie Adler
Mah Jong Memory

The mysterious ivory tiles, abundant in number and exotic in design took center stage on a card table in our living room, set on long, sleek wooden racks with surplus tiles stacked in rows and others spilling into the table’s center. Four ladies perched around the table, while one ethereal “floater” flitted around them, positioned behind any player she wished to observe. As the ladies played they talked and laughed, filling ashtrays with lipstick-stained cigarette butts, munching on Planter’s Peanuts and M&Ms, which were offered in candy dishes set on nearby side tables.

These ladies who visited for mah jong were not part of my mother’s usual crowd, which was made up of immigrant Polish Jews who lapsed from English to Yiddish to Polish in one sentence, who were always with their husbands. These ladies were American. They went out on this night without their men and enjoyed the company of women, risqué enough even to gamble, albeit for pennies. Politely, they said hello to me, but they really just wanted to play the game, not waste time with my sister or me. We were dismissed, unable to watch our customary shows on the living room TV, and sent to bed where we listened to the cracking of the tiles, the excited tones of the voices of the players, and the most mysterious of all, their incantations, one bam, two crack, three dot, east, west, dragon, and finally, victory, mah jong!.

The ladies were bold, going out at night and leaving their own husbands and children, crossing occidental world barriers by playing an Oriental game.

ONE BAM,TWO CRAK,MAH JONG IS BACK!

For those who have not yet become exposed to its enticing powers, mah jong (also spelled mah jongg) is a fast-moving game of skill, played by four people who compete against each other to create a very specific combination of tiles to make a “hand.”

Denne historien er fra Issue 61-utgaven av Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Issue 61-utgaven av Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA LITCHFIELD COUNTY COUNTRY CAPITALIST MAGAZINESe alt
Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine

Black Edge

The Fall of SAC Capital.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 60
Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine

Brain Fitness - It’s All In Your Mind

Frozen in mid-sentence, you forget a name. With your pen poised over a check, you cannot recall the date. You’ve gone into the kitchen, but you can no longer remember what for. And where is that damned cell phone? Are you one of the worried well? Many of us are anxious to live a long life, but fearful of our potential for the humiliation and debilitation of dementia. What to do? Should you try a computer game? Magnesium tablets? A week at an expensive brain training center? Brain fitness is the new buzzword and wealthy aging baby boomers are eager to buy a healthier brain.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 60
Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine

Our Little Racket

Our Little Racket.

time-read
10 mins  |
Issue 60
Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine

Test of the Champion: The Story of the Belmont Dynasty

Test of the Champion: The Story of the Belmont Dynasty.

time-read
6 mins  |
Issue 60
Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine

Statue Of Limitations

Statue Of Limitations.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 60
Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine

Hamptons International Film Festival’s Silver Anniversary

Hamptons International Film Festival's Silver Anniversary.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 60
Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine

Saint In The City

Seeking the star man on the streets of soho.

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 61
Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine

Mah Jong Memory

I remember mah jong through a haze of memory and my mother’s Benson & Hedges cigarette smoke.

time-read
6 mins  |
Issue 61
Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine

Scott Swimming Pools

Scott Swimming Pools, Inc. is a luxury design-build swimming pool company celebrating its 80th year in business this year.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 61
Rye's Megyn Kelly, in the Spotlight
Litchfield County Country Capitalist Magazine

Rye's Megyn Kelly, in the Spotlight

SUDDENLY, Megyn Kelly is everywhere. Her tell-all memoir, “Settle for More,” from Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins, came out in November and immediately hit the best seller list.

time-read
6 mins  |
Issue 59