Happy Chinese ahem, Lunar New Year!
These are just some of the random snacks that we usually have over the new year. Not sure how some of these came to be Chinese tradition - as far as I know, pistachios aren't native to China - but I ain't complaining. Chocolate coins were (and are!) my favorites, with pistachios a close second. Except for those pesky nuts that won't crack. As a kid, my go-to methods were to bite down until either the hull or my teeth gave way (luckily no major casualties), or just whack it with a hammer. Not once did I think to use a nutcracker.
