Mah Jong Memory
SohoNYC Magazine|Issue 61

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

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.”

This story is from the Issue 61 edition of SohoNYC Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Issue 61 edition of SohoNYC Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SOHONYC MAGAZINEView All
SohoNYC Magazine

The Heirs

Eleanor belonged to that class of New Yorker whose bloodlines were traced in the manner of racehorses: she was Phipps (sire) out of Deering (dam), by Livingston (sire’s dam) and Porter (dam’s dam).

time-read
5 mins  |
Issue 61
SohoNYC Magazine

We Can End America's Addiction Crisis... But Only Together

I had a horrible feeling that late October Friday in 2012.

time-read
6 mins  |
Issue 61
SohoNYC 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
SohoNYC 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
SohoNYC Magazine

Truth Or Consequence

History In The Digital Age.

time-read
9 mins  |
Issue 60
SohoNYC Magazine

Our Little Racket

Our Little Racket.

time-read
10 mins  |
Issue 60
SohoNYC 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
SohoNYC Magazine

Statue Of Limitations

Statue Of Limitations.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 60
SohoNYC Magazine

Hamptons International Film Festival’s Silver Anniversary

Hamptons International Film Festival's Silver Anniversary.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 60
SohoNYC Magazine

A Medal Of Honor For Sargent William Shemin…a Century Long Odyssey

A Medal Of Honor For Sargent William Shemin…a Century Long Odyssey.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 60