Lau Sang 撈 生

"Yee Sang"

"捞 生' (鱼生) - 里 面 有 鱼 等 等, 象 征 吉 祥, 如 意. 是 广 东 人 的 吃 法

Lau Sang is unique in the technicolor array of ingredients and the distinctively interactive way it is prepared

 The dish known as "Yee Sang" very much occupies the same role amongst the Malaysian and Singaporean Chinese as the proverbial Christmas pudding or Thanksgiving turkey in the West.

Yee Sang, or raw fish salad, is an entree that is served during Chinese New Year as a prelude to a Chinese family dinner.

This exotic salad consists of a variety of pickled and shredded vegetables, plum sauce, roasted sesame seeds, finely crushed peanuts, shredded pomeloes and thinly sliced slivers of raw fish, with each ingredient neatly and separately heaped on a large flat dish. Others substitute the fish with slices of abalone, lobster or other exotic seafood, though the dish can be enjoyed by vegetarians with little loss in flavor by omitting the seafood.

When the dish is served on the table, all the diners stand up, hold their chopsticks and then start mixing the ingredients with gusto by tossing them as high as possible while uttering "loh hei" - meaning to "lift up" - to usher in the coming new year with prosperity, longevity and success. This is the only time that children are encouraged to play with their food, and even the adults do it, since the higher you toss the "Yee Sang", the better your luck is believed to be. Combined together, the various ingredients form a sweet piquant flavor with a crisp bite.

Its origins are obscure, but Yee Sang is believed to be a practiced started amongst Chinese in the southern provinces of China who comprise many of the migrants in Malaysia and Singapore. Today, Yee Sang is primarily enjoyed in these two countries, though it is fairly unknown elsewhere. However, revelers In Hong Kong and parts of China are beginning to enjoy a resurgence of this New Year delicacy.

In the old days, it was commonly served only on the seventh day of Chinese New Year, or what Chinese believe to be Mankind's universal birthday, when everyone turns one year older. This practice has waned, and it is now enjoyed throughout the Chinese New Year period - sometimes everyday by those who can't get enough of the stuff!

Chopsticks

Chopsticks are made of various materials that include bone, wood, bamboo, plastic, metal and ceramic. Besides Malaysia, chopsticks are used in Mongolia, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Laos, Philippines and Indonesia.

Chopsticks were usually sold in packets of 10 and there was a meaning to this. It is easy to break one pair of chopstick, but difficult to break 10 pairs at once. This means unity and when people share a meal together using these chopsticks, they are united.