"chinesenewyear" news and stories

If you're planning a fantastic Chinese feast this weekend for Chinese New Year, don't fret one bit if you're a little (or a lot) rusty with chopsticks. You could, of course, go the way of stabbing your dumplings and winding your noodles of long life with a fork, but we have a better idea. How about some chopsticks are a little easier to use?

Now, if you're a already a professional, then you might just need your own personal set of portable chopsticks. These aluminum chopsticks slide out of a fabric pouch and snap together. Not only are they pretty, but this keeps away the problem of disposable chopsticks creating waste! ThinkGeek also has a pair that screw together.

For an even more "green" Far East feast, the Bird's Eye Maple chopsticks are perfect, which are also fastened together with their very own chopstick rest. They are available from Porterhouse Crafts for $23 for two pairs.

Just in case you're wondering the stamp shown here has nothing to with the edible squid postcards I wrote about the other day.

It's not edible, but when you scratch the front it releases the tantalizing aroma of sweet and sour pork. Wait it gets better. When you lick the back, the stamp also tastes like the dish. I can safely say that this is the first time that thinking about a stamp has made my mouth water. Although ice-cream-flavored stamps are a close second.

China released the stamp last week to celebrate the Year of the Pig, which starts February 18. It's sure to thrill foodies, philatelists and lovers of all things cute. For some reason I feel like sending letters and eating bacon to ring in the Lunar New Year.

[via Boing Boing]

Source

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Year of the Dog! San Francisco's Chinatown is world reknown, and for the next two weeks, it will be packed with people celebrating the annual Spring Festival. SanFranciscoChinatown.com has plenty of information on Chinese New Year events over the coming weeks. The San Francisco Chinese New Year celebration "originated in the 1860's during the Gold Rush days, and is now the largest Asian event in North America. The celebration includes two major fairs, the Chinese New Year Flower Fair and Chinatown Community Street Fair." All the festivities culminate with Chinese New Year Parade, held on February 11 from 5:30pm until 8:30pm. "Named one of the world's top ten parades, Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is the largest celebration of its kind outside of Asia."

I kicked off my Chinese New Year celebrating a little early by planning a banquet with friends last week. We chose one of my favorite restaurants, San Tung on Irving Street, for our dinner.  We ate steamed shrimp and leek dumplings, veggie dumplings, ja jang mein, fiery chicken wings, salt and pepper calmari, cherry pork, tofu and veggies, and dry-fried green beans. The food was delicious, and twelve of us paid $15 each, including drinks.  That is one of the benefits of Chinese banquets, the more people you have, the cheaper it is.

If you will be in Chinatown for the festival, I highly recommend R&G Lounge for some of the tastiest Cantonese Chinese food in San Francisco.  The salt and pepper crab, drunken clam soup, and fried pork hash with salted fish are out of this world. Wherever you happen to be, why not seek out a Chinese meal this week and enjoy?

With LA's official Chinatown in downtown, and large Chinese populations in the San Gabriel Valley, Torrance, and the Rowland Heights area, there are options for Chinese food north, south, east, west, and central. Though Sunday, January 29, 2006 is the first day of the lunar new year, the celebration actually lasts for 15 days. What a great reason to have your fill of some dim sum all over LA!

Westside

• VIP Harbor Seafood, 11701 Wilshire Blvd (2nd floor), Los Angeles, CA
• (Both Royal Star Seafood and JR Seafood do not have dim sum)

South Bay

• Sea Empress, 1636 W Redondo Beach Blvd, Gardena, CA

Downtown

• ABC Seafood, 708 New High St, Los Angeles, CA
• Empress Pavilion, 988 N Hill St Ste 201, Los Angeles, CA
• Ocean Seafood, 747 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA

San Gabriel Valley

• 888 Seafood Restaurant 8450 Valley Blvd Ste 121, Rosemead, CA
• Capital Seafood , 8823 Garvey Ave, Rosemead, CA, (626) 572-8918
• Empress Harbor 111 N Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA
• Mission 261 261 S Mission Dr, San Gabriel, CA
• NBC Seafood 404 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA
• New Concept, 700 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA, (626) 282-6800
• Ocean Star 145 N Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA
• Sea Harbor 3939 Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, Ca
• Triumphal Palace, 500 W Main St, Alhambra, CA (626) 308-3222

Eastside

• Hong Kong Palace, 19101 Colima Road, Rowland Heights, CA (626) 854-9829
• Sam Woo, 18922 Gale Ave, Rowland Heights, CA, (626) 913-9933
• New Capital, 1330 Fullerton Rd, Rowland Heights, CA (626) 581-9813

The Times has compiled a list of the UK's top Chinese Restaurants. Someone must have told them it is the Chinese New Year tomorrow...

 

 

• Charlie Chan 14 Regent Street, Cambridge (01223 361763) "fairly unique to the region and very modestly priced"
• China Garden 88-91 Preston Street, Brighton (01273 325124) "a veritable Brighton institution"
• Chinese Experience 118 Shaftsbury Avenue, London (020 7437 0377) "the menu boasts unusual dishes in addition to the classics"
• Harbour City 46 Gerrard Street, London (020 7439 7859) "for a bit more adventure, ask the staff to translate the Chinese-language specials"
• Mandarin Palace 559-561 Cranbrook Road, Ilford (020 8550 7661) "this 20 year old veteran exudes real charm"
• Peninsula Bugsby's Way, SE10 (020 8858 2028) "near neighbour to the Millennium Dome but don't let the industrial bleakness of the surroundings put your off"
• Ping Pong 45 Great Marlborough Street, London (020 7851 6969) "The set menus for abut £10 a head offer an excellent introduction to dim sum"
• Royal China 13 Queensway, London (020 7221 2535) "most famous for its legendary daytime dim sum but the a la carte offerings... shouldn't be overlooked"
• Shanghai Blues 193-197 High Holborn, London (020 7494 1668) "wonderfully elegant and inviting"
• Yauatcha 15 Broadwick Steet, London (0870 7808265) "chef Cheong Wah Soon is supervising the dim sum which is quite possibly the best in London"

I can't seem to locate the details on the Times website but that maybe because it is a regional list that may alter depending on your location. What I have found though is a recommendation on where to drink to welcome in the new year, again it is in London.