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The Year of the Rabbit

liuzhou

By liuzhou
in Food Traditions & Culture

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted (edited)

Sunday (22nd January) will be Chinese New Year's Day and the start of the 15-day Spring Festival that it prompts. The city is closing down in preparation.

 

I was  chatting with a friend earlier and joked that I had ordered my rabbit for dinner, pretending that I thought the animals that lend their names to the years were what were traditionally eaten that year.

She pointed out that at least three of them can't be eaten.

 

The animals, in order are tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, chicken, dog, pig, rat and ox. I've marked the three she thought I couldn't eat in red. I replied that I have eaten 龙虾 (lóng xiā) which literally means 'dragon shrimp' and is lobster and I've often eaten 老虎菜 (lǎo hǔ cài), literally tiger salad as well as 虎皮青椒 (hǔ pí qīng jiāo), tiger skin peppers, so they count!

 

569785010_LobsterandChips.thumb.jpg.718ed6d64ebcd18b5d95730c828d9b98.jpg

Dragon Shrimp and Chips

 

1576346157_shaanxitigersalad.thumb.jpg.22c838944e3a414669d3f85f2d3dad0a.jpg

Tiger Salad

 

834655176_tigerskinpeppersdriedfriedbeans.thumb.jpg.97445e4cfa8e0649118ed50ca9f64d11.jpg

Tiger Skin Green Beans and Peppers

 

1482576133_rhesusmonkey.thumb.JPG.d850821d13da072375f85d96f6272d1c.JPG

Rhesus Monkey

 

I have another four years to find a dish that includes the word monkey! There must be one.


新年快乐！

 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted

Since your dragon shrimp doesn't seem to be particularly Chinese in nature, if you get desperate enough, you could make yourself some monkey bread. 

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
15 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Since your dragon shrimp doesn't seem to be particularly Chinese in nature, if you get desperate enough, you could make yourself some monkey bread. 

 

HA.

I've eaten a lot of lobster Chinese style. Just didn't have a picture. That one is the only one I've cooked in China, though.

  • Like 2

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Sunday (22nd January) will be Chinese New Year's Day and the start of the 15-day Spring Festival that it prompts. The city is closing down in preparation.

 

I was  chatting with a friend earlier and joked that I had ordered my rabbit for dinner, pretending that I thought the animals that lend their names to the years were what were traditionally eaten that year.

She pointed out that at least three of them can't be eaten.

 

The animals, in order are tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, chicken, dog, pig, rat and ox. I've marked the three she thought I couldn't eat in red. I replied that I have eaten 龙虾 (lóng xiā) which literally means 'dragon shrimp' and is lobster and I've often eaten 老虎菜 (lǎo hǔ cài), literally tiger salad as well as 虎皮青椒 (hǔ pí qīng jiāo), tiger skin peppers, so they count!

 

569785010_LobsterandChips.thumb.jpg.718ed6d64ebcd18b5d95730c828d9b98.jpg

Dragon Shrimp and Chips

 

1576346157_shaanxitigersalad.thumb.jpg.22c838944e3a414669d3f85f2d3dad0a.jpg

Tiger Salad

 

834655176_tigerskinpeppersdriedfriedbeans.thumb.jpg.97445e4cfa8e0649118ed50ca9f64d11.jpg

Tiger Skin Green Beans and Peppers

 

1482576133_rhesusmonkey.thumb.JPG.d850821d13da072375f85d96f6272d1c.JPG

Rhesus Monkey

 

I have another four years to find a dish that includes the word monkey! There must be one.


新年快乐！

 

monkey bread

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
3 hours ago, gfweb said:

monkey bread

 

Already mentioned.

 

But, it has to be Chinese

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Duvel

Duvel

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I have another four years to find a dish that includes the word monkey! There must be one.


Not a dish, but an ingredient … 

 

猴頭菇

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
29 minutes ago, Duvel said:


Not a dish, but an ingredient … 

 

猴頭菇

 

Yes, I thought of 猴头菇 but really need a dish. I've got a team of researchers working on it.

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Monkey bread is only known here as the name of a tree, Adansonia digitata or the African Baobab.

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

chromedome

chromedome

Posted
Posted

I hadn't made the connection to the lunar New Year, but my plans for the 22nd included harvesting our latest batch of young rabbits (2 or 3 of the current 15 will be kept back as potential breeders). I'll have a (small) chest freezer pretty full of rabbit by spring, so I expect that this will indeed be the Year of the Rabbit chez Chrome.

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

haresfur

haresfur

Posted
Posted

One of my coffee places along with many other businesses makes a donation to our lion teams to come around and bless the store for the New Year. Haven't seen them this year but a nice tradition. 

 

There are celebrations in the Dai Gum precinct and out at the Great Stupa but it looks like the Stupa is featuring Indian food.

 

I'll see if I can talk the cat into catching another rabbit.

It's almost never bad to feed someone.

Amy D.

Amy D.

Posted
Posted

We bumped into this lion in Sheffield today when we went to get ingredients for our new year's feast. Does anyone know why the shop assistant is showing the lion around with a leek?

IMG_20230122_144631161.jpg

  • Like 3
haresfur

haresfur

Posted
Posted

Hmm, here the lions eat heads of lettuce then spit it out into the onlookers

It's almost never bad to feed someone.

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
4 hours ago, haresfur said:

Hmm, here the lions eat heads of lettuce then spit it out into the onlookers

 

That is traditional. Never heard of leeks being subbed though.

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Wikipedia is unusually on point regarding this.

 

Quote

During the Chinese New Year, lion dance troupes will visit the houses and shops of the Asian community to perform the traditional custom of "cai qing" (採青), literally meaning "plucking the greens", whereby the lion plucks the auspicious green lettuce either hung on a pole or placed on a table in front of the premises. The "greens" (qing) is tied together with a "red envelope" containing money and may also include auspicious fruit like oranges. In Chinese cǎi (採, pluck) also sounds like cài (菜, meaning vegetable) and cái (财, meaning fortune). The "lion" will dance and approach the "green" and "red envelope" like a curious cat, to "eat the green" and "spit" it out but keep the "red envelope" which is the reward for the lion troupe. The lion dance is believed to bring good luck and fortune to the business.

 

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted

Anybody seen the price of lettuce?

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Amy D.

Amy D.

Posted
Posted

Ah that explains why there was loads of greenery on the floor in front of the other supermarket. They had lots of greens for sale in this shop but no lettuce.

haresfur

haresfur

Posted
Posted

Here are some photos of the blessing of the take-away, just up the street from my primary coffee place.

 

image.thumb.jpeg.ff175d290b0fa4cc9750325962ba72dd.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.9bda762429243b69e9c2c95d7d6dfd54.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.1b13484396a83f064733d5553ab520d4.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.f768dfc9365e04b450551419594cc930.jpeg

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It's almost never bad to feed someone.

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

What is known in western countries as Chinese New Year is never called that in China. Instead it is called 春节 (chūn jié) or "Spring Festival". This lasts 15 day, starting on NewYear's Day and ending with the Lantern Festival. Each of the first ten days have some special significance as does the 15th.

 

The 5th day, Thursday was 破五 (pò wǔ) which is dedicated to the God Of Wealth on his birthday. This is the day to eat jiaozi (饺子) and observe some Taoist practices.

Here are some pictures from this year's po wu.

 

377310425__20230128180306.thumb.jpg.9a13203c5244b05cf06b705a42123fe3.jpg

 

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1053917388__20230128180340.thumb.jpg.c61f7794d4396585edc35fd1ebb33ead.jpg

 

979387369__20230128180332.thumb.jpg.3a788c7e9bd75a30e3fa868de6f2028e.jpg

 

355597521__20230128180347.thumb.jpg.ea1d5af1ebfa61ac109e223a6ea3e9ba.jpg

 

1913047085__20230128180353.thumb.jpg.cbeb9caf25eafa2b28fecc64abaca3d6.jpg

 

jiaozi.thumb.jpg.e26a5a020a836647efa292beabd450d1.jpg

 

718877137_jiaozibowls.thumb.jpg.f5ed5900e668cd59f6c26545428b78ee.jpg

 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, liuzhou said:

jiaozi (饺子

 

Are those the dumplings in the bottom photos? What are they filled with? What sauce would be used with them?

 

I love the costumes! You did a great job of capturing the energy of the dancers.

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

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Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

Posted
Posted

Fabulous fabulous fabulous!  I want dumplings AND one of those black and white stripy jobs that I could repurpose as loungewear after the celebration. So great!

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