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Mahjong Girls Night

Last week I hosted some girlfriends over for a mahjong lesson and it was such a fun night!

The lesson takes about 2 hours so we kept the food simple so we didn’t waste any time playing! I served my favorite spinach dip from Publix for an appetizer, Abby brought a delicious panzanella salad for dinner and McKinsey brought dessert! Just before the lesson we quickly scarfed our food down while standing around the kitchen island before heading into the dining room to play mahjong!!

So What is Mahjong?

The game of mahjong dates all the way back to the Qing dynasty, where its popularity spread throughout East and Southeast Asia, with a number of distinct rulesets emerging in different regions, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. The game is played, usually with four players seated around a table, with 144 tiles that are etched with unique symbols and designs that players draw and discard to create sets. The first player to match a hand of 14 tiles wins the game!

Ashley of Mahj In The City taught our lesson and we learned to play with her gorgeous tile set. This was the first lesson for most of the group and the second lesson for two of us. During my first lesson I was told that it really clicks after the second lesson — and that was spot on! 

We were able to play two rounds of Mahjong after our lesson and Cristina/McKinsey (they played as a team) won the first round and Abby won the second!

The night was seriously SO MUCH FUN and we all had a blast learning together and playing. After my first lesson I was hooked and after my second lesson I am addicted! I’ve been playing online for a few months now (in the “practice mode”) and absolutely love this game. It is definitely challenging to learn at first but the more you play the easier it becomes.

Local Friends: If you’re interested in learning how to play mahjong, I highly recommend reaching out to Mahj In The City where you can message them to find out available classes or to schedule a private lesson with friends.

However I wanted to give a special plug for their 4 part lesson series they are teaching at my church during the month of May (perfect for those who have never played or need a refresher): May 3 at 6:15 pm, May 10 at 9 am, May 17 at 6:15 pm and May 24 at 9 am. The lessons are $30 each and a percentage of the fees will be used to support Mission Funding at Christ Church. The lessons are 90 minutes long and are taught on The Mahjong Line Tiles (you can also bring your own set to play with if you have one)! You can learn more info and register HERE.

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