过年How?: Fighting Spring Festival Cravings With Krav Maga Self-Defense Instructor Yonina Chan

We quiz some long-term Beijingers on how they intend to spend this year's Chinese New Year and hopefully uncover some horror stories along the way. 过年 How, y'all?

Yonina Chan is the general manager and women's division head of self-defense and fighting discipline, Krav Maga in China. Though Krav Maga is a serious pastime, a fighting system that was developed by the Israeli Defense Forces and combines techniques from boxing, wrestling, aikido, and judo, Chan puts her fists aside to recount some of her silliest Spring Festival stories accrued from her past nine years in China.

What's your full name and where are you from?
My name is Yonina Chan. I'm from the Philippines.

What does your average CNY entail? Where are you headed this year?
Typically I'd be back in my hot and humid home country, out on the range or soaking up the sun in a deserted beach. This year, however, we have mandatory training scheduled a few days into the new year, so I am stuck here, freezing my butt off in the Beijing cold. We'll be at the Huddler Training Center (it's open all throughout Spring Festival), punching stuff and pumping iron through the entire holiday.

Tell us about a particular CNY nightmare that you've encountered.
Missing my flight (to the beach) because I misread the departure time. Then sitting in the airport for hours, waitlisted and half-drunk on vending machine beers, trying to get another flight that wouldn't require me to sell a kidney.

Which dishes do you particularly look forward to gorging on every year?
I love eating southern-style nian gao (glutinous rice cake) when I go home for the holidays (we call it tikoy over there, from southern Chinese Hokkien minority language). The type we eat has brown sugar baked into it. It's perfectly good to eat as is, but of course, we dip the thing in an egg mixture and fry it. It's sickly sweet, way too oily, and a total cholesterol nightmare. I love it.

What are three tips for avoiding the excesses of eating and drinking that CNY is defined by?
Don't go home for your annual force feeding/parental grilling session. Be broke. And throw out all your stretchy pants. After all, self-loathing, disposable income, and comfortable clothing are a bad combination.

How do you deflect awkward family questions?
Be married and have kids before going home for New Year.

When are you getting married?
Already married (so there's one less awkward family question to deal with).

What are you going to spend your hongbao haul on?
Stretchy pants.

Do you think this year's New Year Gala will include: racism, sexism, ageism, or all of the above?
I should hope for all of the above. Or else where's the fun...?

What do you predict the Year of the Pig holds for you?
Not having to wear red underwear anymore.

You can find the Krav Maga studio Yonina Chan teaches on WeChat at: KMG_CHINA

READ: Self Defense Q&A with Von Ng of Krav Maga Global China

More by this author here.
Email: tautviledaugelaite@thebeijinger.com

Images: Yonina Chan