One of my students recently told me about his friend who won a Fulbright Scholarship to study mah jongg.  Why didn’t I think of that?  The lucky Fulbrighter is an anthropology guru who is studying mah jongg and Japanese culture.  The game is apparently a Japanese obsession.  He recently posted an interesting article discussing the reliance of Japanese mah jongg players on luck to what may seem to outsiders a ridiculous degree.  Read it here:

http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/777/lastword.asp

You can read the rest of his blog about mah jongg here:

www.mahjongfulbright.blogspot.com

One of the great things about teaching mah jongg and writing a mah jongg blog is that people tell me wonderful mah jongg anecdotes.  One of my students recently recounted a terrific one.  Her mother plays mah jongg at a retirement home in Florida.  A few years ago, one of her mother’s foursome (we’ll call her Mrs. M) had a stroke.  When Mrs. M returned to the home, she could not do much for herself, and she could not play mah jongg.  Mrs. M. had loving friends though, and they continued to have her sit in her spot at the mah jongg table.  While Mrs. M couldn’t participate, the other ladies played a three person game.  An early sign of Mrs. M’s recovery came when she joined in.  Although she could not feed or dress herself, she began to play mah jongg.  She even won a few times.  Her friends were surprised, but very happy to have her back!