Photo by Godiva
A few years ago, I was in China right before Lunar New Year and watched all the festive decorations go up across Guangzhou and Beijing. I was particularly impressed by how "Western" businesses got in the spirit — the way they gussied up their storefronts, rolled out exclusive products, etc. — and also surprised that many of them had yet to tap into the Chinese market back at home.
As I learned growing up, Lunar New Year was one of the rare times when my sweets-avoiding parents would stock up on towers of Ferrero Rocher and Almond Roca as gifts for friends and family. So even though this is a bit pricey, it's nice to see Godiva bring their Lunar New Year chocolates to New York City for the first time, especially in flavors that were obviously well-thought-out. All three contain auspicious ingredients — pear, almond, pineapple — and if there's anything that matters to (and therefore, sells to) the Chinese, it's good luck.
L.A. Burdick has also gotten in the game with some equally delicious-sounding confections — in green tea, plum wine brandy and lemongrass — though I bet my family would more likely munch on their cocoa-dipped fruit. It'll be interesting to see if more sweets-makers will debut their exclusives stateside — I, for one, am crossing my fingers for Ladurée's stunning New Year's box.