Food and Festivity
As the current Lunar Year of the Boar draws to a close, preparations are being made to welcome the next twelve year cycle in the zodiac. Festivities begin.
It has been ironic that in summer here, I realise that the lore and custom of the Lunar New Year relate to practices which mostly originate in a freezing cold northern hemisphere environment, for this time of the calendar. This came to me while partaking dumplings in a place specialising in north-eastern Chinese food. I had presumed that dishes from northern China are usually plain and unassuming, short of the Beijing duck and the accompanying wraps. Instead, the dozen or so of us eating at this round table could actually feel the kick of some dishes that had an underlying spicy current. Such food heat, even if subtle, was hidden in the gravy and sauces. It would have been perfect for a snow -laden night in Harbin or Tianjin, but here we were eating all these under a heavy air of thirty degrees, coupled with high humidity. The restaurant's air conditioning was so ineffective it did not matter.
Dumplings signify a good omen to start the New Year in northern parts of China.
My group of diners shared another China favourite - pork knuckle, bathed and braised in a tasty marinade. The eggplants served were not as refreshing as that eaten recently at a nearby competitor shop. I was impressed by the lightness of the lightly tossed black seaweed, served with another vegetable, in another dish. Small bits of pork, stir fried in a hot wok, were eaten with a thin wheat based wrap. Squares of flat glass noodles were mixed in a vinegary mix as the entree. The so-called "north-east chicken" looked tempting on another dining table, but when served to us, turned out to be cured smoked chicken, a bit dry to my southern Chinese preferences.
Two weeks ago, I also had the opportunity to join some close friends in Artarmon to savour the Straits Chinese cuisine of my home island. The chicken curry flavours were the outcomes of a confluence of Indian, Malay, Burmese, Thai, Sumatran and Chinese influences. Other dishes on the table reminded me of what a favourite aunt cooked on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Such soul food brought up sentiments to me that dumplings conjure in the heart and eyes of northern Chinese.
Let the festivities commence!
It has been ironic that in summer here, I realise that the lore and custom of the Lunar New Year relate to practices which mostly originate in a freezing cold northern hemisphere environment, for this time of the calendar. This came to me while partaking dumplings in a place specialising in north-eastern Chinese food. I had presumed that dishes from northern China are usually plain and unassuming, short of the Beijing duck and the accompanying wraps. Instead, the dozen or so of us eating at this round table could actually feel the kick of some dishes that had an underlying spicy current. Such food heat, even if subtle, was hidden in the gravy and sauces. It would have been perfect for a snow -laden night in Harbin or Tianjin, but here we were eating all these under a heavy air of thirty degrees, coupled with high humidity. The restaurant's air conditioning was so ineffective it did not matter.
Dumplings signify a good omen to start the New Year in northern parts of China.
My group of diners shared another China favourite - pork knuckle, bathed and braised in a tasty marinade. The eggplants served were not as refreshing as that eaten recently at a nearby competitor shop. I was impressed by the lightness of the lightly tossed black seaweed, served with another vegetable, in another dish. Small bits of pork, stir fried in a hot wok, were eaten with a thin wheat based wrap. Squares of flat glass noodles were mixed in a vinegary mix as the entree. The so-called "north-east chicken" looked tempting on another dining table, but when served to us, turned out to be cured smoked chicken, a bit dry to my southern Chinese preferences.
Two weeks ago, I also had the opportunity to join some close friends in Artarmon to savour the Straits Chinese cuisine of my home island. The chicken curry flavours were the outcomes of a confluence of Indian, Malay, Burmese, Thai, Sumatran and Chinese influences. Other dishes on the table reminded me of what a favourite aunt cooked on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Such soul food brought up sentiments to me that dumplings conjure in the heart and eyes of northern Chinese.
Let the festivities commence!
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