Wallet full of wang
> There are many enterprising souls who have sniffed out money-spinning ideas to make it a truly prosperous year
spinners are restaurants serving the rip-roaring yee sang dishes that have a few slivers of fish on top of a mountain of shredded carrots, turnips, coloured chips and crackers.
Some toss the condiments sky-high in the belief that the higher they toss, the higher their rewards.
It’s claimed that yee sang’s humble roots originated in Seremban after WWII, thanks to Loke Ching Fatt, a caterer who wanted a dish to spice things up after the drudgery of the war.
It’s also been claimed that it was in fact a quartet of chefs at Singapore’s Lai Wah Restaurant who concocted it in the 1960s.
Since there is no solid proof, this debate will continue until the fish come home!
This year, I joined a special yee sang session and reunion dinner, right after my own reunion dinner at home.
It was in Kelana Jaya, where I visited ex-journo Ainuddin Dahlan, who was married to a Chinese lady, Karen. It was quite a big gathering of about 20, as his cousin Shamsuddin Basri is also married to a Chinese!
A really 1Malaysia gathering: harmonious, respectful, and fully aware that our nation’s strength and uniqueness lie in our diversity.
Speaking about our diversity, I must commend one of the security personnel at KLIA.
On the first day of Chinese New Year, after my body check, he wished me “Gong Xi Fa Cai and Happy New Year”!
It meant a lot to me that a stranger from another ethnic group was doing this.
When one of the busy cabin crew on Flight MH1140 didn’t include festive greetings in his welcoming statement, I felt something was amiss about ‘Malaysian hospitality’.
Luckily, the pilot saved the day, when he said: “Xin Nian Kwai Ler” (Happy New Year) in his remarks prior to landing!
Let’s build on this 1Malaysia spirit irrespective of our race and religion.
Jeff Yong, after making his mark in the twisty maze of mainstream journalism, has finally decided to enjoy what he does best – observing the unusual and recounting the gleeful. He can be contacted at lifestyle.borak@gmail.com.