Gastro888
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Posts posted by Gastro888
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Also, do you want a posh or casual atmosphere?
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Thanks, Ben!!! I forwarded that site to my friends to share my roots with them. I'm going to see about the Lee/Wong clan. Hopefully I can get some info.
edited to add this: So I asked my parents tonight about Toisan. My dad's from the east, mom's from the south. My dad said he's from the area known as 49 and my mom said she's from the area known as 50.
I don't know if my parents were pulling my leg or giving me a hard time for being a nosy "jook-sing". (Which by the way, when I learned what that truly meant, I was really offended when people called me that.)My dad remembers the Japanese invasion. My mom grew up extremely poor and didn't have new clothes to wear and only "ham ha" to eat once a week. Wow.
Will find out more!
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Ah yes!!! "Kwa". Completely forgot about that as well. Only one person I knew wore it for her wedding and that's cause she didn't like the collar of the cheongsam. One girl I knew wore a mini-cheongsam for her wedding. Scandal!
Well, it's either Philly's CT 'cause it's driveable or NYC's CT 'cause I can take the cheapy bus. I ordered my cheongsam online already. I did price shopping and it worked out the best to order it online. Hopefully I'll get it by the end of the month....
Uncle Ben would still need a big ol' mole on his face. I remember the mui yan in the movies had moles. Ew.
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This is what I always thought a Kay Po was. Am I incorrect? If so, break out the "gai mo sow"!
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9 suckling pigs are way better than 6 or 8.
When my mom talks about Kay Po, she's talking about the really old style Chinese dress where it's a loose jacket over a loose skirt. You know, the traditional Chinese wedding outfit where the brides wears the huge crown with the veil on her head? Let me find a link. OK, I'm hecka confused. Either my mom's been using the wrong words or we're just stuck in a Toisan warp.
If this was a Chinese serial, I'd be tettering around in my heels and sighing as I place my hand to my forehead. Funny, just a few days ago my friends and I were making fun of all the "helpless princesses" in Chinese soap operas. My guy friend was telling me that he actually found that attractive. *quietly gags*
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Since Cantonese has alot of slang, I guess cheongsam is the common term for the dress and kay po is the "offical" word. But then what about the old fashioned two piece? What's that called?
8! What is this 6 thing? No! Only 8 or possibly 9. hee hee.
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Hopefully the conversation will go well. You told the waiters and they STILL did that? Ai ya. I'm so sorry. The only thing I can think of is that they're ignorant, stupid or they were thinking since you were a "lo-fan" (American) you wouldn't want leftovers. I apologize.
If it makes you feel any better, my people treat me badly as well....
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Lo paw baang I know. I was thrown by the "ho" in front.
"Ho" - Toisanese word for get. "Lwoah" in Cantonese.
Herby looses Cantonese points!
j/k! -
My friend and I will be adding another authentic touch by wearing cheongsams. Speaking of which, I need to get one!
Wait, wait, wait...
Are you really a Dudette or a Dude?
CheongSam (long cloth) is worn by males.
The traditional cloth worn by females is called Kay Po [Cantonese]. Those one piece suit from neck to slightly above the knees, with an inverted V opening one on each side. You may have seen Nancy Kwan wearing it in "The World of Suzie Wong (1960)". Or Drew Berrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz at the beginning of "Charlie's Angels", disguisted as waitresses in a Chinese restaurant).
As for games, how about doing gift exchanges like those you do during Christmas at work? The twist is the gifts are in the hung bao (red pockets). And they can steal from each other, max twice for any gift.
Read my posts carefully. In one I talk about my fear of the old traditions that are done after childbirth. So, what do you think I am? 
No Cantonese here I know calls it that. It's always been called cheongsam where I grew up. In my Cantonese community, Kay Po is the old fashioned two piece dress that's alot more loose fitting. I know Kay Po is the Cantonese translation of Qi Pao however, this may be a regional/Toisanese thing. I grew up understanding the cheongsam is the tight dress with the mandarin collar. Oh gosh, a Yankee gift exchange? Ai ya...we did that at work.
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Hmm. Maybe try the Yahoo site in Chinese and search there? Someone's gotta have a recipe.
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Only 2 suckling pigs? Wah, I was thinking at minimum 8. Organic, please.
Hey, if anyone's SEEN DC's Chinatown, you'd know why I need to go out of state for favors and a cheongsam. We're deprived here.
I could always do the online thing...depends how lazy I am!
I do like the guessing game!!! That's great!!! Very original. Too bad my name's easy to remember. Drat. Couldn't I have gotten a complex name - like Rising Shining Golden Star of the Family? *snort* hee hee
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"ho lowh po bang" -literally "get wife cookies". Wife cookies...someone step in here. This Toisan mui needs a lil' help. We just give out Maria's bakery gift certificates!
If it is "lowh po bang" then it means "wife biscuit". It is not really a biscuit, more like a round disk of winter melon paste wrapped with some flaky pastry. They are so good hot out of the oven..... It is not to be given during weddings, it got its name from other places.
I guess it's a regional thing. In Maryland biscuits are what's served with fried chicken! I know that biscuits in the UK are cookies over here.
I thought "bang" is the general all purpose term for cooky. If it's not, then I'm teaching a bunch of kids the wrong thing when I ask them, "Neigh sick bang bang mah?" (You want to eat a cooky?)
Oh my gosh. That's the story? I'm sorry but if I had to sell myself for my father's health and all my husband could do was make a COOKY to buy me back I'd kok him for sure. Dude, go borrow some money!!! Sell an organ, lah!
edited to say: For my father-IN-LAW? Oh he'd better go rob a bank instead...
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Hiya Pan, welcome to the wonderful world of Chinese dating...here we go:
"mui geen" - matchmaker
"pang tay" - Hand out sweets. Did I get this one right?
"ho lowh po bang" -literally "get wife cookies". Wife cookies...someone step in here. This Toisan mui needs a lil' help. We just give out Maria's bakery gift certificates!
"ga nui bang"- literally "marrying off the daughter cookies".
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Glad you like the photos! I'll be taking more pics soon.
Gnoh lahn yuen? What's that?
Hey spaghetttti, you're now officially a girl from "da village". Toisan's country, from what I've learned from others. Hey, country's all good. Keep it real, keep it true! Southern China's got the best of everything!
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Well, let's see. Last year for fun, we celebrate a Robbie Burns/Chinese New Year. We dined on Chinese food and each got up to read a Robbie Burns poem. I copied a sampling of poems so everyone could read it in an old english voice. It was fun!!
To put a spin on this, depending on if the restaurant allows it or maybe they have one in the back. Bring in a karoake machine with a monitor so the table guests can sing along. You could spin the bottle(bottle of soya sauce), the person chosen has to belt out a song for their dinner.
Oooh, cool. Corny karaoke. I like it!!!
Nah, I don't think there's a time limit. Besides, if we have 4 tables like we did last year, I don't think they'll mind!
Higher calling? You mean the voices in your head, right? Ai ya...
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Only if he has a big ol' mole on the side of his face like they do in the movies.
I got a hung bao with a gold ingot chocolate on Saturday night. *opens packet and chews*
I think I just broke my tooth. It tastes like cheap Tootsie Rolls. *phtooey*
Hey, don't forget the suckling pig!!! My bridal price ain't cheap, ya know!!!
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Oh, great idea, thanks!!! Never thought to do that.
Any suggestions for games?
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Chow - stir fry. You chow in a wok.
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Menu hasn't been done yet. Ai ya!
Going traditional with the menu.
You can come if you're here!!!! Awww....
Oh, jo-mel, that's a great idea.
I was thinking of doing a road trip to Philly's Chinatown to buy party favors and look at cheongsams.
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Ai ya! You people must be in cahoots with my dragon boat team. They're trying to sell me, too!
Uncle Ben, Auntie spaghettti, I beg forgiveness! *kowtows*
I will post a picture from the dinner. Mostly of the food and a few shots of the people. I'll let y'all guess which one I am.
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OK, after wrestling with my digital camera and trying to figure out how to post pics on eG, here we go! (Or as spaghetttti says, "Whee hee!")
Woon jai goh in Cantonse or buot doi goh in Toisanese. My mom looked at me weird when I asked her to make these and she's like why are you asking about them now? What prompted you? I said, oh, I saw it on the computer. These were the best yet - took 5 tries to get 'em soft and smooth. Yum. Had 3 today.
Gai loong in Toisanese. I don't know if there is a word for this in Cantonese. My mom made them today with some of her friends. This is not her handiwork. I mean, she made them but I don't think made the filling or the dough. It is not as good as mom's from scratch. She flutes the edges and stuffs them just to the point of bursting. Filling this time was pork, black mushrooms, scallions and water chestnuts. My mom's filling's more generous with alot of "lieu" and not as finely chopped. Oily as heck but yum, yum, yum.
I asked my mom where in Toisan she was from and she's like South of Guangzhou, southern part, Toisan. I said yes, but WHERE? Response in Toisanese:
"Toisan mah hai Toisan-lah!"
("Toisan is where I'm from and Toisan is Toisan." Lah is the universal expression of exasperation for us Cantonese folks)
And I asked her about her old cheongsams. "Don't have them! If I did, you're too fat for them anyways!"
I think she was crabby 'cause I interrupted her Jade TV show.
Ai ya, I'll try another day.
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Ai ya. Outcast cousin. Dude, that's my role.
Candied fruit! Fantastic! I could wrap it up in red netting.
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I'm really annoyed now. So what do you think they did with all that food?
*sighs*
Apologizes on behalf of my people but I think they either threw it out. They probably thought that since you're not Asian (um, never having met you I was taking a wild guess here
) they figured you may not do leftovers so they just cleared the table. In my personal experience, I've noticed alot of non-Asians who don't believe in leftovers. I got razzed all the time by my friend in college for taking home leftovers. Shoot, I still get razzed!If they gave it to the staff as staff meal, I wouldn't want to work there. If they repackaged it, I sure as hell wouldn't want to eat there. Ai ya! That's so nasty.
I've never been to a banquet where they don't let you take the food home. My only thing is that they might have made a honest mistake in that since no one said, "Oh, please wrap that up for me to take home." when they cleared the table they assumed you didn't want it.
I'm sorry this happened. If you are truly bothered by this, perhaps talking it over with the manager may help?
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If you have an old/used bookstore in the area (our public library here has a bookstore) try to find the Time/Life Food of the World series. The Food of Japan, Food of China and Southeast Asian food books will give you a good background.
An idea: why not try to make pandan flavor tulies filled with matcha white chocolate mousse with a berry couli? I was assisting a cooking class and they make regular tulie with white chocolate mousse and I thought of this Asian twist as I was burning my fingers on the cooky sheet. (Inspiration, I suppose...)
From one of my favorite hangouts in DC, Teaism - jasmine creme brulee and chocolate torte with green tea ice cream as a "basic" dessert for those guests who may not want to get out of their safety zone. Chocolate and matcha (green tea) go very well together.
Also, ube (purple yam) or sweet potatoes could be used in a dessert. Corn is very Asian as well. Why, I don't know but we treat it as a sweet more so than a savory. For a Southeast Asian twist, try palm sugar.
Oh, I just thought of this - passionfruit "dan tat" or egg tarts. Hmm.
Chinese New Year
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Hey Sartain, make sure you clean that tongue well or else you'll have "saang may". I think you're supposed to take the top layer of membrane off.
Tomorrow night is our reunion dinner. We won't have much 'cause it's only 3 of us. I wish I could have huge dinners like other families.