Chinese New Year Traditions and Acitivities 1 - the Reunion Dinner and Typical Snacks

The Reunion Dinner 

      Typically held on the eve of the Reunion Dinner is a must-do for all Chinese families. The eldest of the family, sister, brother, mother, father who is the eldest traditionally opens his house or apartment to all his relatives and friends to come a visiting. There will be a Reunion dinner where all the younger siblings and their families would gather. People have known to fly back cross continents to attend this once a year must do activity. Of course all the generations will be present, so it is common to have grandparents, greatgrandparents, granduncles, grandaunts, parents,1st, 2nd 3rd, 4th, uncles and aunts present for this dinner.

In China, traditionally everyone would head home, which may be thousands of kilometres away in a different province and take hours even several days just to reach home. Hence, the Chinese New Year is the period traditionallt where all factories and Government offices shut for 2 - 3 weeks. It is a once a year event and the rest of the year the factories hum and churn out everything from IPhones to cars to military equipment. 

     The host in the old days would 'whip up a storm' to cook for this once in a year event. When China was poor, the peasants would put all their catch into a pot called 'pun choy' and steam it. So in it would be some Chinese sausage, some meat,vegetables, eggs thats all. Now with 20 - 25 odd years of rapid GDP growth, there are easily 500 million middle class Chinese. So the 'pun choy' is very filled with the best abalone, prawns, scallops and all the Chinese delicacies.  

Friends come a visiting from far 

         One special dish created for the 'Loh Hei' or 'tossing for prosperity' is called Yu Sheng. Created in Singapore, the base is raw salmon slices, and the rest is shredded fresh vegetables like lettuce, carrots, beetroot and assortment of Chinese sweets. The significance of tossing for prosperity and getting all your friends and colleagues to join in is one of the 'traditions' of Singapore's Chinese New Year 'dos'. There is also a recital of all the good wishes for everyone ranging  from good health "shen ti jian kang", happy family, "nian nian you yu" (every year there is abundance), "bu bu gao shen" (step by step improvement), "wan shi ru yi" and "sheng yi xing rong"(business success) and the like. See the video from one Reunion dinner at our house in 2013.

Yu Sheng dish, the traditional tossing of the ingredients for luck

While it is customary to wish everyone well and say nice things, do not bring the oranges and expect red packets (prosperity money) on the Reunion dinner or eve of Chinese New Year just yet. This is only given out on the 1st day of the New Year onwards. As far as the goodies and eats, here are the list of items which you and I would sample on the new year period (typically lasting for up to 15 days). 

and near

Bak Kwa (Barbecued Pork)

Spring Rolls (fried)

Pineapple Tarts

Love letters

Chinese sweets

Kweh Chi (water melon seeds)

Kum or small mandarin oranges

Old friends from Sydney James and Shirley Goh.

Much as I love Chinese New Year, I am fortunately not a big fan of the sweets and snacks. Finally, on the First Day of the new year, one should not clean the house (all this is done in the days before - I did it once and was admonished for my ignorance), cut your hair in advance and wear new clothes to symbolise the rejuvenation process and new luck and money flowing in.

Also, in our household, we eat the Nian Gao or the new year cake without fail every New Year's Day. 

Top Quality Cantonese Porridge - Xian Ji at Eng Hoon Street

Best  Cantonese Porridge I have tasted 

     Situated at the coffee shop at Block 75 Eng Hoon Street (opposite Tiong Bahru Bakery) is a fabulous Cantonese style porridge stall serving the best porridge I have tasted in a long time. The porridge is painstakingly cooked and stirred in pots for several hours before it is ready to serve. Run by a pair of sisters, they operate only in the mornings 6 days a week (closed on Monday) - however they have a big fan in me.

    Opening hours are only 3 each day ; from 7am until the porridge runs out of stock most days by 10 am ! Such is the demand for this great tasting porridge that most days if you come by 9am, they are into their final few bowls !! 

    

Xian Ji Pork Porridge 

   The porridge is very smooth, I cannot feel any grain or uneveness in the porridge, Neither is it watery or too thick. That determines the quality of the porridge.  The pot used to prepare the porridge is hidden from view, only the ones to stir and serve.  The porridge is neither too salty not is the condiments too overpowering. It is served just the way I like it, with the pork meat very fresh and add a bit of sesame and pepper and I am like Goldilocks in the Aesops fable ; not too hot, not too cold but just nicely satisfied.

   I have tried the firsh porridge and again the fish slices they use are porperly interspersed into the porridge just before serving. I never was a porridge fan till recently. They in my opinion serve the BEST Cantonese porridge I have ever tasted.

  Fish Porridge 

Price per bowl is approx. $ 5 ; not cheap and $ 6.00 for one with egg. It is a simple luxury I can have every time I crave for porridge. 

Xian Ji ; you have my vote !   4.8 out of 5  stars.  

  

    

Randy Meisner - 70 seriously ??

Randy Meisner and wife Lana Rey Meisner - 2016

     In an earlier post I had the song "Take it to the Limit" sung by Randy Meisner, lead bassist of the Eagles in 1977. He looked so youthful then, he must have been 30 or 31 then. In March 2016 there was this shocking news that his wife had accidently shot and killed herself . Then I had another shock, Randy looks so old in the photo. Time and tide waits for no man.  Aging gracefully is God's gift, looking younger than your years is a tremendous blessing and staying healthy is the best gift you can give to yourself.   

Parc Guell - a second look

At the hilltop there is this tree... 

         Here are more pictures of our visit to Parc Guell. The part of the park which is free leads us up the hilltop and one gets a panoramic view of Barcelona to the south.To get there take the Metro to either Vallcacra (no disabled ramps, so its impossible for people requiring assistance) or Lesseps. Once there follow the signs which are in both Spanish and English. A funny anecdote I can relate, when we reached near the top of the hill, we saw signs directing us to either the hilltop or Parc Guell. There was a cartoon picture of the Donald Trump with the words "idioto" (idiot) below it ! His name has spread far and wide and creating all kinds of new emotions and outlooks, possibly aspirations. Love him or hate him, he is now the new POTUS (President Of The US).   

The steep road leading up to Parc Guell

      The view from the top of Parc Guell is simply stunning, the city is well laid out and you can view Mount Montjuic in the distance. To the south there is Barcelona beach and the Mediterranean sea. I would say that Barcelona is fascinating for many reasons. The famous architectural works of Gaudi and Miro, plus works from Picasso (there is the Picasso Museum) and  the fabulous tapas. (Wacth your waistlines folks ! I ran 2 times in the early morning just to burn off all the added kilo). The latin spirit and culture is very strong as reflected by their Flamenco dance as well as their football (tika tika ; Barcelona football club is amongst the world's best). 

View from the top of the hill at Parc Guell

      Spain is still recovering from the 2008 world financial crisis while there are homeless people and plenty of petty thieves, the ordinary folk still have a strong resolve to carry on with life. Catalonians are famous for their business industry mainly in F and B. The leather goods industry is still humming for Spain and some of their boutique designs have become global brands (Camper, Zara and Desigual to name a few). The typical Catalonian is very proud of his heritage, and the welcome is very hospitable. 

      Regarding the petty thefts, I was the victim of a phone pickpocket, and tourists like us stand out like beacons so visitors are well advised to a) separate their money and credit cards to several places, perhaps keeping threequarters in the hotel safe  and carry only a little and 1 card like I did  b) bring along your old phone (if it is still working). Youtube is  full of videos and stories of 25 to 30% of all tourists having their phones and wallets lifted by professional thieves. c) Wear a waist pouch and keep it hidden under your vest at all times. 

d) where possible, stay clear of Al Fresco (open air) dining where my phone was swiped from under my nose after I placed it on the table for only 2 minutes !  e) Never put your wallet at the back pocket or carry a handbag ; these are open invitations to thieves to come and take it ! f) Keep your passport, most cash and most credit cards in the hotel.  g) Always be vigilant ; if you drink, drink in moderation as they can spot a tipsy tourist a mile off and then you are targetted. The thieves work in teams of 2 to 5 so be warned. 

Washerwoman motif in Parc Guell 

     I personally saw 2 incidents where the victim was chasing after the thief, 1 pair ran right next to me just one feet away. And the next night I became the victim.  

    So, in a nutshell, Barcelona is beautiful and charming. But watch your valuables 110%.

With the new US President - welcome to the new normal

      

The  'Bubble Man' at Hotel de Ville. The 'bubble' pops in no time

        4 days ago, the 45th US President, Donald Trump was sworn in at Capitol Hill.  There have been numerous articles and posts on the disruptive President who capitalised on the US citizen's anger at the effects that globalization has on US workers and how standards of living has dropped over the last few decades for the American citizen. The so-called American dream has become a nightmare for many, and Mr. Trump has promised to "Make America Great Again MAGA"

     Such talk has alarmed the world's political leaders. References of Trump's administration to the Nazi Germany National Socialist party are uncalled for. One great switch in outlook in my humble opinion, is that the US President appears to be inward looking and talking trade protectionism whilst President Xi Jing Ping has now started championing globalization (at the Davos World Economic Forum ; tagline : to make the world a better place)  and its good effects in alleviating poverty worldwide. 

    We truly live in uncertain times. Populist Governments pursuing populist policies for short term benefits will be detrimental in the long run. I am just a small fry but the New World Order or whatever it is evolving into is not comforting to me and many hundreds of millions of people in US and all over the world.

   May 2017 be a watershed year. Sacred cows will be slaughtered, the international press may not be independent after all. 

Super Talented Ed Sheeran - Castle on the Hill.

What more can I write that has not been written about this young man. He is class personified. True genius. I hope he stays true to his musical gifts which he is so blessed with and continues to enthrall us mere mortals with songs such as these.

Bodega La Puntual - El Born, Barcelona

The rather unassuming entrance to Bodega la Puntual 

Carrer de Montcada 22,

08003 El Born

Barcelona

Tucked away in the El Born district lies the gem of a tapas bar and restaurant, the Bodega La  Puntual. I can wax lyrical about this all day, but the food there is simply, excellent. For the price of about EU 40 for 2 persons, you can dine very comfortably with 5 tapas and a couple of vermouths. 

We tried the following 'house specials' which were in a word fantastic. We came back for a 2nd round the following night, it was that good !. Spain is famous for its Iberico 'black pig' (they take about 2 years to rear, and then they are slaughtered and the meat is cured for up to 5 years! ) and the ham is really exceptional. Do try the following specials :

* Bellota cured ham hand cut   EU 16.70 for about a dozen slices

* Iberian cured ham croquette  EU 2.00 (for 2)

* Rice with Iberian pork

* Vermouth 

* Bodega Salad

* Coca bread with tomato 

Coca Bread with tomato and the Croquette 

Dinner is anytime from 7pm onwards although the Catalans like to dine later. I would rate this 4.5 stars out of 5 for the taste, 4 stars for the service, 4.5 stars for the ambience and overall satisfaction 4.5 stars out of 5.

Fried potatoes with spicy sauce

Will we go there if we are ever next in Barcelona, definately ! The vermouth while very dry is sweet and the Rice with Iberian Pork dish is something to remind us of home. Salt content is definately on the high side, so it is best to treat ourselves to gems like these only once every few years.