First day of spring!

star yee sang

Today is the first day of spring according to the Lunar calendar. I know, we only have two seasons here – hot and rainy, just trying to be true to our Chinese roots. I only heard about this first day of spring thing from Jasmine – apparently we’re supposed to wear red and everything you do today is a premonition of things to come next year.

star yee sang dinner

Anyway, I just came back from the first of many scheduled lou sang dinners. Yee sang is a Malaysian and Singaporean concoction – basically it’s a toast to good luck (correct me if I’m wrong since I’m not exactly very familiar with Chinese culture).

star lou sang

You use chopsticks to toss a salad (?) consisting of crunchy bits, salmon, vegetables (varies according to outlets) while chanting Prosperous Phrases (TM).

star ang pow

…and I got my first ang pow of the year too! w00t!

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26 thoughts on “First day of spring!”

  1. aud: Haha! RM 10 voucher – can buy a pack of cigarettes. πŸ™‚
    I didn’t just wish for West Ham United winning, I also wished for more financially skewed stuff and other arenas like romance. I thought you can make a lot of wishes on lou sang, or only one like birthday cakes? πŸ™‚

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  2. Dude, did the restaurant staff wiped the bottom of the little sauce jug with a clean rag before placing them on the yeesang salad ?..just wondering.

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  3. e: Heh! I don’t know, didn’t check. πŸ™‚
    You guys having yee sang over in the US? Hey, now you have to give out ang pows! Haha!
    ah nel: Yeah, I didn’t know too until Jasmine told me. Anyway, Kuching has changed a lot – many new malls springing up (pun intended). πŸ™‚
    Kelvin Tan: Yup, one of many yee sang dinners to come. I’ve always wondered – do you get one wish per lou sang or as many wishes as you want? πŸ™‚
    ahlost: Ang pow? I’m not married wor. Unless you want to marry me? πŸ˜‰
    Then we’ll BOTH have to give out ang pows. πŸ™‚

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  4. HB, having this Yu Sheng fish salad at home using smoke salmon. Family like to try new things from Southeast Asia in San Francisco. Last year you wrote of watermelon chicken having that also.

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  5. Matey….this toss business is NOT Chinese tradition. if you have watched Wok of Life, they story was an important guest was going to this restaurant but they had nothing left, so the young kicthen apprentice got the kitchen scraps and serve to the customer. The dude liked it and the rest is history.
    Did you meet any homey and intellegent chicks at dinner?
    I am not so sure about the intelligent bit. I bet she will be a control freak and you can even fart without her permission.

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  6. oooo, what a lucky man you ( and we) are. sorry to put that tune in your head… but this has been a great day… no I was not hired at alot of money, in fact, still the same. but I helped some persons today, and that is enough. still ok. this is round three in wnc, 14 inches of snow fall each time. it gets tiresome. but the good thing is how people work together to make sure everyone is ok. a good day, indeed. and I, myself, got dressed down. bad fashion. for turning my phone off. there is no mayonise in ireland. What? no man is an island… I donno.. but I had a pretty good day today… wondermous, in fact ( no, not a real word). helped some others. just neighbors. excuse me, its snowing again. ( ps…ramen nodles – the water + a table spoon of bottled con queseso ( chillie and chesse dip) is good. but I
    like that last photo… like a dogwood.. soon enough it will be springtime… then summer and we will all say, jezze… wish it were cooler… but for a moment.., just a little while be happy… ow.. quite your bitchen, and quit hoging the blanket…

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  7. thanks HB. you reminded me of what is important, several years ago. On company time, on the night shift, no less. bored to death at 0300 gmt. typed in ” camel meat” that company is gone now, though the friendship remains. God Bless HB. half a world away. ( but though I speak french ( somewhat) escargot will always be snails too me. ( yuck– like raw oysters… fried is ok though… wtf). tom

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  8. no matter where you are, some things resonaste, even in the hardest or siffest of strings. where is middle c. histotry, medicine, physics ( learned at pool table my self, tought by Mrs florence warren, who could have done great things) but instead, chose to teach,) you chose. ignorance is folly. read. period. those that will deny you that right, deny othrers freedom. it is very simpllr but well. i got threse feilds. lead by xmrplar. and sometimse it aint so nice. so be it

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  9. Erica: Yeah, the watermelon chicken is a specialty at New Paris in SS2. Very good stuff. πŸ™‚
    fish fish: Haha! Where got? Eh, you know ah lost too? πŸ™‚
    rocket: Interesting history behind yee sang. I know it’s a Malaysian and Singaporean invention, most places don’t even know about it.
    Anyway, yes, intelligence is good – at least you can have a proper conversation with her. πŸ™‚
    Intelligence does not always mean domineering. πŸ˜‰
    tom: Hey my friend, it’s good to hear from you again. There is no mayonaise in Ireland – I love this phrase. Heh! It’s supposed to be spring but you seem to have a lot of snow over there at your place.
    God bless my friend, it’s good to hear you’re having a good day. πŸ™‚
    gypsy-on-the-move: Haha! Yeah, unless you get married, then you have to give out ang pow dy. πŸ˜‰
    DYMM Tuanku: Happy New Year bro! πŸ™‚

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  10. It’s a Singaporean thing. Get yourself a copy of Wok of Life.
    What’s the go in M’sia these days? Try before you buy or have to walk down the aisle first?
    Where is Princess? Haven’t seen her for a while. is she peeved because you stained her sisters dress?

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  11. fish fish: Haha! Okay, yeah since you’re from Kuching too! πŸ™‚
    rocket: It’s always try before you buy anywhere in the world mate. πŸ˜‰
    Princess is alive and well. Heh!

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  12. stephen: Heh! Well, I’m Heng Hua and we’ve started doing this when I was 12 or so coz an aunty of mine used to work in Singapore and thus brought this back during the reunion dinner. πŸ™‚
    ciki: Happy CNY! Yeah, amen to that! More health, wealth and everything else! =D
    Eriku: Happy CNY Eriku! πŸ™‚
    Charles: Well, it coincides with CNY this year so no worries there. πŸ˜‰

    Reply

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