If Episode 7 - These Tiles Really Could Talk: The Stories Our Mahjong Tiles Carry

There's something about old tiles.

If you've played with a lot of different Mahjong sets, you already know.

Tiles have personalities.

They just do.

Pick one up and the tiles are light and crisp.

Pick up another and they're heavier and substantial.

Some are smooth.

Some have edges you can really feel.

Some have a glide that glide across the table.

And vintage tiles, there's just something about them.

Maybe the edges aren't quite so sharp anymore.

Maybe there's a little discoloration or a scratch.

a mark, a tiny imperfection.

It tells you these tiles haven't spent their entire lives tucked into a case.

They've been played.

And I love that.

There's something neat about holding a tile and realizing that the material you're feeling was manufactured 50, 60, maybe even 70 years ago.

You're literally holding a little piece of another time.

And then there's the sound.

If you're a Mahjong person, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

That click, that clap.

That wonderful little racket when everybody starts washing the tiles across the table.

Different materials sound different.

Different sizes sound different.

Some sets have light, almost delicate clicks.