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!
As we already know, the Chinese New Year is steeped with tradition, and lucky
for us at Slashfood, many of those traditions are associated with food. If you
plan to celebrate this weekend (we wag in the Year of the Dog this
Sunday, January 29, 2006), or want to learn a little bit more about the culture, here are what some of the
traditional New Year foods symbolize, mostly health, wealth, and togetherness, based on some research I've done around
the web:
Dumplings - Good luck, fortune, and family togetherness
Lettuce - Prosperity
Noodles - When noodles are served, they are never cut because long noodles represent
long-life.
Oysters - Receptivity to good fortune
Seaweed - Specifically, the black moss seaweed is the Chinese word for it also means
"wealth"
Whole fish - The Chinese word for fish "yu," is the same word
for "success" or "abundance." Serving the fish whole is a symbol of togetherness of the
family.
Turnips - "Cai tou," the word for turnip, also means "good
omen."
Meat balls - Symbolize reunion because the Chinese word "rou wan" is the same for
both
Chicken - Like fish, chickens are served whole to symbolizing togetherness of the family.
Lotus seed - Is a symbol (or wish) of having many male offspring
Ginkgo nuts - Represent wealth
Dried bean curd - Like many of the foods that are served because the Chinese word for it also
means something else, dried bean curd (tofu) symbolizes wealth and happiness
Bamboo shoots - The word for bamboo shoots also sounds like the phrase for "wishing that
everything would be well"
With the Chinese New Year goings on around
the world this weekend, it's no better time to stock your kitchen with commonly used Asian ingredients both in the
pantry and in the refrigerator (right after you've purged it of all those
useless gadgets). A lot of Asian foods are healthy and delicious, so if you haven't done much Asian cooking at
home, let the new Year of the
Dog be the year you try it.
I do a lot of Asian cooking at home, so these are a few things I like to have on hand:
Soy sauce - I actually have a giant 1-gallon container in my refrigerator. Yes, keep soy
sauce in the refrigerator. Also, if you are wary of gluten or carbs, there is wheat in soy sauce (who knew?)
Sesame seeds - I have both regular and black sesame seeds. They taste the same to me, but the
black ones add some
contrast for presentation. However, there is a difference in taste between regular and toasted sesame
seeds. If you buy regular sesame seeds, toast them yourself in a dry pan over medium high heat.
Sesame oil - It's rarely used as a cooking oil, but rather, as a seasoning in
marinades or added to a dish like a condiment just before serving for its fragrance.
Rice - Short grain rice that is "sticky" when it is steamed.
While some of us may have already broken our 2006 New Year's resolutions, we do have
a chance to start over, as this weekend marks the beginning of the new lunar year. Year 4703 is the Year
of the Dog, and New Year's Day is Sunday, January 29, 2006.
Everyone knows it's the Year of the Dog, but do we really know what that means? The Dog is a
symbol of loyalty, warmth and caring, so hopefully, we can expect a year of harmony, relative to the clamor that
was the Year of the Rooster last year. Chinese astrology goes even deeper, though.
We won't go into all the element and animal combinations, but if you want to know the detail, 4703 is actually the
Year of the Fire Dog! Like a hot dog? Yes, but don't jut go to LA's Pink's or Chicago's Portillo's and have a
chili cheese dog to celebrate the new year!
There are a lot of traditions associated with Chinese New Year, and so many of them have to do with food! Between
now and Sunday, expect a few posts with restaurants, recipes, and other ideas to celebrate the new
year...again!