"The secret to my grandmother's talent, of course, is that she is always playing mahjong, even when she isn't. I see the doodles of Chinese characters adorning shopping lists. I've noticed the books on mahjong strategy that used to, but no longer, appear in her library book basket. I've even heard her mumble 'East' in her sleep. I can recognize obsession when I see it. But more than that, mahjong carries into other aspects of her life. I even know why her stories make no sense. She Charlestons with words, thinking several discards ahead before she speaks, which confuses anyone who converses with logic or a consistent timeline. But not me. I know her secret. She doesn't ramble; she speaks in Maajh."
Lara Crigger shares a tale of three generations of gamers and one game in "Maajh, Ladies."