I don’t know if it is the New Year or my new approach to this New Year, or is it that I am in a good spirit at the moment. But everything seems so fresh, vibrant and motivating. It makes me feel good and happy. I get extremely positive vibes and I absolutely loving it.
Lots of interesting things have happened, lots of targets have been achieved, and I feel like I am coming out of my shell. I am surprising myself. It feels like a really good start.
Lots of interesting things have happened, lots of targets have been achieved, and I feel like I am coming out of my shell. I am surprising myself. It feels like a really good start.
So, today I had my first official Chinese New year lunch and it was very interesting. Lo Hei and an authentic 7 course Chinese meal with a bunch of very interesting people over some very interesting conversations.
Lo Hei also known as Yusheng is a Teochew-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance", Yúshēng is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor.
Yusheng is often served as part of a multi-dish dinner, usually as the appetizer due to its symbolism of "good luck" for the New Year. Some would consume it on Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, although in practice it may be eaten on any convenient day.
So the huge plate of Yusheng was placed on our table. One of the restaurant staff members read out the meaning of all the ingredients while the server began to add ingredients such as the fish, the crackers and the sauces while the "auspicious wishes" were being said.
Everybody had these really long set of chop sticks, about 2 feet, by their plates and I was wondering what that was for. After the ingredients were mixed, everybody at the table stood up and started to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying various "auspicious wishes" out loud. I was slightly baffled initially and I followed them. They made it very messy. Later I was explained the meaning behind it, and it means they mix all the good wishes for a better new year. It is believed that the height of the toss reflects the height of the diner's growth in fortunes, thus diners are expected to toss enthusiastically.
Yusheng is often served as part of a multi-dish dinner, usually as the appetizer due to its symbolism of "good luck" for the New Year. Some would consume it on Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, although in practice it may be eaten on any convenient day.
So the huge plate of Yusheng was placed on our table. One of the restaurant staff members read out the meaning of all the ingredients while the server began to add ingredients such as the fish, the crackers and the sauces while the "auspicious wishes" were being said.
Everybody had these really long set of chop sticks, about 2 feet, by their plates and I was wondering what that was for. After the ingredients were mixed, everybody at the table stood up and started to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying various "auspicious wishes" out loud. I was slightly baffled initially and I followed them. They made it very messy. Later I was explained the meaning behind it, and it means they mix all the good wishes for a better new year. It is believed that the height of the toss reflects the height of the diner's growth in fortunes, thus diners are expected to toss enthusiastically.
The meals that followed after this were some usual Chinese dishes.
On the whole, it was a lovely and a memorable meal. I was super stuffed, but i made sure that i tried everything.
(images captured by my celphone: Samsung Galaxy S)
(images captured by my celphone: Samsung Galaxy S)