Chinese New Year is upon us, and it’s the Year of the Rat. Or, in my case, the Year of the Pack Rat, making me glad for once that my filing cabinet bulges with menus from memorable dinners such as the three New Year’s banquets at three different restaurants that sent us out into the night with good wishes filling our hearts in the same way the food had filled our bellies. One year, the deep-fried crab claws symbolized “lucky stars shining on all”, and the next, “houseful of gold”. Fried glutinous rice, depending on the restaurant, stood for a “houseful of gold and silver” or “harmony and prosperity”. A dish of stuffed chicken wings was poetically translated as “the dragon dances with the phoenix”. There are minor differences in translation, but essentially the menus follow the same pattern.
In Vancouver, people celebrate the New Year in various ways. Like many Canadians born elsewhere, Conrad Leung has embraced the food of his adopted country. Although he is head of the Asian culinary arts department at Vancouver Community College and the author of a Chinese-food textbook, he doesn’t cook Chinese fare at home. Last night, he says, he made spaghetti with meat sauce.
Recent Comments