FOOD AND FORTUNE
Ring in Chinese New Year with a feast
People around the world will ring in the Year of the Rooster on Jan. 28. Chinese New Year is one of the world’s most significant annual events, during which an estimated one-sixth of the planet’s population travel home to celebrate.
“Chinese New Year is all about family time, and the whole process is pretty much non-stop eating. Then in between eating, we talk about food,” chef Jeremy Pang of London’s School of Wok laughs.
The festivities, a.k.a. Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, involve foods symbolic of good fortune, harmony, happiness and longevity. For many families, a New Year’s Eve feast is the main event, with dishes and customs varying by region.
“It’s like Christmas and New Year’s and Thanksgiving and every- thing rolled into one,” food writer, artist and professional Mandarin interpreter Carolyn Phillips says.
She married into a Chinese family more than 30 years ago and shares upward of 300 recipes from the 35 cuisines of China in her comprehensive cookbook, All Under Heaven (Ten Speed Press, 2016).
“We like to have a jiaozi party — a dumpling party — where we invite all our friends over and I make different coloured dough wrappers that signify the different kinds of fillings.
“It’s a communal thing where we gather around the kitchen, kicking back and wrapping dumplings, eating appetizers, having a little bit to drink, tea or beer, and just spending the day very casually enjoying each other. It’s really wonderful,” she says.
Chinese New Year is all about family time, and the whole process is pretty much non-stop eating. Then in between eating, we talk about food. — Jeremy Pang