Chinese communities around the world will celebrate the Chinese New Year on 26 January 2009 this year. And it is said that this new lunar year will be the year of the Golden Bull.
Locally, it has been reported that our shopping malls are coming to live again with lovely decorations of cherry blossoms and bright red lanterns.
On the gastronomy side, Chinese folks are gearing up to have "lou sang" or "yee sang" which is raw fish salad. This dish is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor, which usually consists of strips of raw fish (popularly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients.
To dress the yee sang, sweet sour plum sauce with a drizzle of oil, lime juice, five spice powder and a dash of white pepper will be used to pour over the Yee Sang. Each and every of this exquisite ingredients has a special meaning or a symbol of good meaning -
1) crackers represents happiness
2) peanuts and sesame seeds signify harvest
3) oil represents wealth
4) pamelo stands for good luck
The concoction of red, orange, green, gold, white and brown colour of the Yee Sang makes the dish a colourful feast for everyone to savour.
Then everyone is expected to "lou" high, high and shouting out good things and wishes. Mummy's favorite phrase has "less work and more pay" ... hmmm, would that materialize this year as she has been on salary cut ?
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