OH ME, OH MY, MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg is all the rage these days. The current craze. The “with-it” game to play. 

It’s ancient in its origin and I do quite enjoy seeing “old” things enjoy well-deserved revivals.

Unfortunately, the Mah Jongg train left the station many years ago without me on board. The question remains as to whether or not I can still hitch a ride.

Both of my daughters-in-law are Mah Jongg instructors.  They have each generously offered to teach me how to play the game.  Because I quite like our relationships as they are right now, I’m a bit concerned about accepting their offers.  In my ignorance about the game, I could seriously damage that equation.

‘Through the years, I’ve been a bridge player. I’ve also enjoyed the occasional gin rummy game. Any attempt to learn Mah Jongg is going to suffer from my primal urge to make comparisons to those games which I already know. 

I greatly admire the “physicality” of Mah Jongg.  The beautiful tiles and handsome table cloths! To say nothing of the lovely clinking noises those tiles make when they hit the table. 

But most importantly, those who play Mah Jongg tell me how much FUN they have.  One cannot always say that about bridge games.  Or even gin rummy.  I know that from personal experience.

So, what’s an old card-player to do?  It’s very hard to know.