Hello San Diego!

We hope everyone has had a good week and is up for cultural adventures! Here's the low-down on local events . . .

Today (Friday), there will be a three-day Lunar New Year Festival at Henwood Memorial Park. In honor of the Lunar New Year there will be a Lion Dance performance at the College/Rolando Library. The Ephrat Asherie Dance Company is performing at UCSD's Mandeville Auditorium. The Center for World Music's Music of an African Kingdom: The Kora of Senegal concert at the Mingei is sold out, but there will be two more concerts in the series, one in March and another in May. These concerts always sell out, so get your tickets early!

Saturday and Sunday, the House of China will hold its annual Chinese New Year Festival.

Saturday, the Chinese Historical Museum will host an online talk on the Story of Lim Lip Hong, who was a local Chinese railroad contractor, mine owner, rancher, butcher and venture capitalist during the early 1900s. You can learn about Food in the Arabian Nights at the Central Library. The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci will open at the Old Globe. The Mexican comedy duo La Cotorrisa will perform at Balboa Theater. Several chapters of the United Nations Association (including our own San Diego chapter) will be hosting an online Iran | Women, Life, Freedom discussion about the ongoing social justice struggles in Iran. McGregor's Grill will be hosting their 37th Annual Smilin' Irishman Contest.

Next Wednesday, a "filmed live" National Theatre production of Much Ado About Nothing will screen at the Digital Gym. There will be a repeat showing the following Sunday.

Next Thursday, the Timken Museum will hold an online talk on The Beauty of Manuscript Illumination. At UCSD there will be an opening for Beyond the Metaverse with OurWorlds: Indigenous Stories are All Around You art exhibition.

Next Friday, the 3-day San Diego Tet Festival (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) will get underway in Mira Mesa. We have attended in years past, and it was illuminating and fun! At Sparks Gallery, there will be an opening reception for their new Paisanos Mexico exhibit which will run through February 19th. Acclaimed Mexican singer Paquita la del Barrio will perform at Viejas Arena.

Next Saturday and Sunday, at Art on 30th they will have a Workshop Inspired by German Abstractionism. The House of China will hold its annual Chinese New Year Celebration in Balboa Park.

Next Saturday, there will be a Crafting Culture: Traditions of the Chinese Lunar New Year workshop at College/Rolando Library. The Splendors of the Guelaguetza program at the Museum of Art will celebrate indigenous Oaxacan arts and culture. The House of China will hold a Year of the Rabbit Banquet at the Diamond Palace Restaurant. You can enjoy a dinner and concert at Kusina: A Taste of the Pacific restaurant with Filipino-American singer Nievera performing.

Local theatrical offerings include the musical Blues in the Night at North Coast Rep, Hamlet at the JCC, The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci at the Old Globe (opens 1/21), The Ferryman at New Village Arts Theater in Carlsbad, El Huracán at the Old Town Theatre

And if you are an avid and adventuresome reader, visit our www.multiculturalbooks.org site to browse our compendious collection and buy something that you can curl up on the couch with!

Everyone here at the San Diego Participant Observer and the Worldview Project wish you fulfilling, illuminating, and culturally-rich experiences in the days ahead. See you next week!

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Our Recipe of the Month is for All-American Turkey Tetrazzini, a classic American dish that is the perfect solution for using up leftover turkey after the holidays. It is easy to make, with minimal ingredients, and is a comforting and satisfying meal.