Our Sunday jaunt coincided with the Chinese Lunar New Year 2023 celebration. This is the year of the Rabit.
Since my 6 months in Shanghai (journey highlights in another blog I created) this Asian celebration has more meaning. I was in China during their Lunar New Year and was able to view be a closer observer. More on that at the bottom. There were some key points that some may not aware.
~Celebrated by 20% of the world and is the most important holiday in China.
~Also called Spring Festival and causes the largest migration in the world as family reunions are most important.
~First night are the most fireworks set off in the world, which is supposed to scare off monsters and bad luck.
One of the first things you hear about is the animal associated with the new year. As seen above, this is the year of the rabbit. There is info on the internet where you can research your birth year that lines up with the zodiac animal.
I was born in the year of the Rat. Foreshadowing my future employment – Ha! Something I just learned was certain ‘elements’ are aligned with the animals. My element is water. Who knew.
I was curious when the Chinese Lunar New Year originated and research discovered it is thought to date back to the Shang Dynasty in the 14th century B.C. Wow.
All of this was honored by having our Sunday jaunt to Mamak, Asian Street Food restaurant. While it was a repeat, their menu is so extensive, something new will always be added when ordering.
An easy first pick(s) are the golden wontons and mamak fries. Alas, they were out of fries and we substituted spicey tator tots. They were good, but really, really like their fries. Connor requested an order of their buns or asian bao to try. The protein inside was pork belly.
The sauce topping the tator tots was G.R.E.A.T. Connor requested more of the sriracha aioli for the rest of his meal. I’m told the bao buns were okay – lots of fluffy dough surrounding the pork belly. These may not be a repeat. The taste was fine, but other selections have received higher merits from our group.
The trick was to space out your ordering so the dishes arrive throughout the meal.
Otherwise, you guessed it, everything comes at once. Next up: mamak nasi goreng, traditional fried rice with shrimp, chicken and eggs with a few other aromatics.
Last two dishes ordered were satay skewers, served with a sweet & spicy satay sauce and the hokkien char mee noodle dish on the right. It is Singapore’s signature dish: egg noodles with shrimp, chicken, bbq roast pork and veggies wok-fried in a dark brown gravy. Oh, my goodness – delicious!
We topped it off at a nearby brewery. Yep, there was beer drunk but most importantly, there’s this dessert pretzel with cream cheese dip. This is one of the absolutely best pretzels that we keep coming back for!
Earlier I teased about my time in Shanghai (2016). It was a very special part of my working life. Looking back I still can’t believe I was there, opening my third Disney Park. If you want to read that blog, type in the brower ginnyinshanghai.wordpress.com and it should come up.
I found a few photos to share from that blog.
The lantern festival honors deceased ancestors on the 15th day of the lunar calendar. The holiday marks the first full moon of the new year and end of the Chinese New Year.
During the day, this street leads into the Yuyan Garden………
Come a little later and the street changes drastically………
Another set of day versus evening photos……..
Much more dynamic and waaaaaay more crowded.
There were many other amazing lanterns, but I’m closing with this one since fishing continues to be a big part of my adult life.
A lot of things going on in China at the moment, but sometime in the future, I hope to make it back.
Darden Travels 