The clack, clack, clack of tiles on racks fills the otherwise peaceful parlor. As four players place them on the table one by one, alternating between sips of cocktails, they call out names: “Green Dragon.” “Two Dot.” “One Dot.” “Bird Bam.” Although not everyone understands those terms, a growing number of Bay-area residents do. Thanks to a recent surge in popularity, mahjong has all but become a household staple across the United States. The Courtneys are a driving force behind the mahjong craze locally. Since learning the game last summer at their beach house on Ono Island, Sue Courtney and her daughters, Lauren Jackson, Susan Latham and Merritt Henry, have caught what they call the mahjong fever. “We play any time we’re all together,” says Lauren. That includes holidays, birthdays, free afternoons and weekends. “Whenever the kids are napping, basically,” says Susan.
The three sisters lead busy lives, which oftentimes extend in completely different directions from each other. Susan balances her work as a part-time civil engineer and part-time interior design assistant with raising her one-and-a-half-year-old; she has another baby on the way. Lauren is a full-time realtor with Courtney and Morris and mom to three kids, a 7-year-old, a 4-year-old and an 11-month-old. Merritt taught kindergarten and first grade for 12 years in Baldwin County before leaving the field this year. She spends much of her time as a bonus mom to fourth-grade twins, taking them to soccer games and the beach with her husband, and balancing her side job. “Our career paths and the stages of our lives are so different,” says Lauren. “Everyone is shocked that we are sisters because we don’t even look alike.” However active their lives get, they always love getting time to play mahjong, which happens most often at the Ono Island house. “At the beach, our grandparents had a house across from us, and we would go over there and play gin rummy and Scrabble with them,” says Susan.
Left to right Modern mahjong sets sport bright, fun colors. The Courtneys cheers their glasses when bird bam is called. Sue says bonding with her daughters and friends is the best part of the game.
Should they find time in their busy schedules to drop by for a game, they have a dedicated place to play behind Sue’s Spanish-style house just off Ashland Place. “We grew up two doors down from this house until we moved to Spring Hill when I was 10,” says Susan. “My parents moved back to Midtown and Woodlands Avenue about 10 years ago. It was fun that we grew up there and we moved back. It was our childhood street, and we were close with all our neighbors growing up and they are all still there.” From the historic avenue, complete with a majestic canopy of live oaks shading the pavement in a display of Midtown charm, the Courtneys’ driveway leads behind the house. Stepping stones trail into the backyard, leading to a quaint miniature cottage. Behind the sliding glass door lies Sue’s mahjong parlor.
The space used to be her now-retired husband’s office, but once she discovered mahjong madness, she converted it into a playing space. “There’s a lot of noise involved in playing mahjong because the tiles make noise and girls are sitting around talking and drinking,” says Sue. “It’s hard to play in people’s houses because their husbands and kids are there, too. The parlor is a quiet place we can play without bothering anyone, and we decorate because we just get so into it.” The parlor is furnished with a mahjong table, books on the game and decorations, with a Chinese lantern hanging from the ceiling. The transition from office to mahjong parlor happened over time. “Slowly, it was just a mahjong mat and then the mahjong tiles started showing up too,” laughs Merritt. “And then the office was the only place that they wanted to play, so it just eventually took over. And Dad was like, ‘What happened? Where’s my office?’ So yeah, he got pretty much kicked out, but he’s a good sport.” Sue proceeded to teach everyone she knew how to play, even reconnecting with high school friends eager to learn. She holds games several times a week with friends; they begin at 3 p.m. and sometimes play until 9 or 10 p.m. “You have to commit because once you buy the tiles and learn, you’ve invested your time and your money,” says Lauren. “It takes a solid two to three hours to learn, but once you get it, it’s easy if you keep playing.”
Mahjong isn’t a new game, but a renewed interest is thrusting it back into the spotlight. A longtime staple in China beginning in the 1700s, mahjong was only introduced to the United States after World War I by Joseph P. Babcock. It took off from there and became China’s sixth-largest export in the ’20s. However, ever-changing and hard-to-learn rules dissuaded players from continuing to play, and interest faded. That is, until 1937. Five women in New York City banded together to revive and standardize the game, forming the National Mah Jongg League and recruiting 32 original members. They also donated proceeds to charity. The combined socialization and philanthropy successfully attracted a new wave of players in the process.
From left to right Merritt takes stock of her tiles, a lone ranger in hand. Susan and Lauren talk tiles in front of the mahjong parlor after a game.
Flash forward to today. The National Mah Jongg League is alive and well, boasting over 350,000 members. The league comes out with the official rules for the American version of the game annually, issuing standard hands and rule cards that inform players of the winning combinations for that year. In keeping with their beginnings, they donate proceeds from the cards to a variety of charities. Mahjong sets have also come a long way aesthetically. Tiles and mats now available in a rainbow of colors and patterns are a far cry from the standard brown and ivory sets of years past. Today’s mahjong makers know that a vibrant mat with eye-catching tiles on display certainly does nothing to hurt a ladies’ game night. “I think some of the appeal for mahjong today has a lot to do with tablescape culture,” says Susan. “People love aesthetic things.”
With the on-theme decorations in Sue’s mahjong parlor come a few special traditions. The players clink their glasses in celebration when someone calls out bird bam. They ring a gong in the corner when someone gets a mahjong. “We have gotten just about every accessory you can because we love it,” says Sue. The player who sits in the easternmost chair is the dealer called Madame East. She begins the game with a customary “Good luck, ladies.” “We get very quirky in this room,” laughs Sue. The Courtneys have even developed a specific appetizer and cocktail menu they prepare when they host friends for mahjong. The appetizers are aptly inspired by the game’s three suits: seasoned crackers for craks, bamboo shrimp for bams and small cheese balls for dots. Flower cookies represent the flower tiles and artichoke leek squares round out the hors d’oeuvres. Food is served on cocktail napkins bearing the names of the three suits and kept bite-sized and mess-free so the tiles and mats remain clean as the game goes on. Ever on theme, Lauren developed a signature cocktail called the Lone Ranger, a nod to her cousin in Dallas who started the Courtneys’ love of the game. “We even have small little tables in the parlor that are lower where we can put our drinks so you don’t spill anything,” says Sue. They also serve palomas in martini glasses, which is a tradition in the Courtney household. “There’s something about a martini glass that makes everything a little bit more fun,” says Lauren.
Mahjong fever has extended beyond the petite parlor to both sides of the Bay. The Courtney daughters have contributed to the craze by introducing the game to their often-overlapping friend groups. “One of my friends has a back house and we call it the Maj-Mahal,” says Merritt, “and we go there when her kids are napping, rush through a game and get through as many games as we can until the baby wakes up.” Merritt even became a certified mahjong instructor, much to the surprise of everyone, including herself. “Mahjong was a little complex for Merritt at first, which is funny now that she’s the one who has taken it the farthest,” says Lauren. “She was the most hesitant to fully learn the rules. We’d be like, ‘You can’t do that.’” “I would be like, ‘That’s stupid. I don’t want to play this game. I’m going to drink wine and watch “Dateline” with Dad in the den. Y’all have fun with your rule game,’” chimes in Merritt. “But then I guess I just eventually saw how much fun they were having, and I was like, ‘All right, I’ll learn this game.’” Before long, she was hooked. She now runs Mahjong by the Bay, teaching players through events and classes. Her classes last about three hours on average. “People think that sounds long, but then they come, and we play,” says Merritt, “and then they say, ‘It’s over? It didn’t feel like three hours!’”
Mahjong meshes surprisingly well with the Southern woman’s way of life. The required four players mean that a mahjong gathering effortlessly doubles as a social one, too. “People want to get more connected and sit down without distractions,” says Merritt. “Everybody’s like, ‘Put away the devices, let’s sit and visit.’ And that’s what mahjong does.” The game has a code of etiquette, just as is expected at any Southern table. “Joker exchange, please,” says one of the girls holding out a tile. Sue takes the tile and hands her one from her rack. Etiquette rule number one: a player should not touch another player’s tiles. “I think because it’s such a fun game that if someone learns, other people want to be a part of that group that knows how to play,” says Lauren. “It’s the allure of being one of the ones who know how to play,” agrees Susan. Keeping players completely occupied is another drawing point. “You can’t think of anything else while playing,” says Merritt. “You have to focus. It washes away your to-do list and clears your brain. Mahjong is therapeutic.” It is also relationship-building. “It’s a great thing to do with my daughters,” says Sue. “It has brought us together.”
COCKTAILS
Paloma Served Up
Makes 1 cocktail
2 ounces blanco tequila
2 ounces grapefruit juice
Juice of half a lime
Lime slices, for garnish
1. Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake. Strain into a frozen martini glass and garnish with a lime.
Lone Rangers
Makes 1 cocktail
1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila
1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
2 ounces chilled sparkling rose
Lemon peel, for garnish
1. Add tequila, lemon juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake. Strain into a wine glass full of ice. Top with rose and serve with a lemon twist.
SNACKS
“Craks” Seasoned crackers
Serves 9
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 packet ranch dip mix
1 tablespoon garlic powder
3 Red pepper flakes, to taste
tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 11-ounce boxes mini saltines
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, add butter, seasonings and Worcestershire. Stir until butter is melted and seasonings are combined.
2. Spread crackers on a rimmed cookie sheet. Pour butter-seasoning mixture on top of crackers and mix all together in a messy layer (overlapping is fine).
3. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crackers are somewhat browned and crisp.
4. Cool and serve. Store leftovers in air-tight container at room temperature.
“Bam” Bamboo Shrimp
Makes 30 pieces
2 pounds cooked shrimp, chopped
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 8-ounce can chopped bamboo shoots
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped green onion
Celery salt to taste
Pepper to taste
30 phyllo pastry shells
1. Mix together all ingredients except the phyllo shells. Cover and keep mixture in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
2. In a 350-degree oven, crisp the pastry shells for 3-5 minutes. Fill the shells with cold shrimp mixture and serve.
Artichoke and Leek Squares
Makes 36 pieces
1 large leek
1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts
1 can plain artichoke hearts, chopped
Minced garlic, to taste
1/4 cup butter
4 eggs
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons parsley
Salt to taste
Dash of hot sauce
Paprika to taste
1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean the leek well and chop the tender green and white parts of the leek, discarding any tough outer stalks.
2. Saute the artichoke, leeks and garlic in butter until tender. Set aside.
3. Beat eggs, add breadcrumbs and seasonings. Stir in cheese and artichoke mixture. Place mixture in a 9 x 9 baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool in pan and cut into squares. Serve at room temperature.
“Dots” Cheese Balls
Makes 30 pieces
2 11-ounce cartons pimento cheese
6 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
30 pretzel sticks
1. Mix the cheeses together and form into 30 bite-sized balls. Roll in fresh chives, pecans or both, and place in fridge for a few hours.
2. Insert a pretzel stick into each ball for easy pick up and serve.