CNY Reunion Dinner

Every trip back home involves food. Lots of food.

Especially so during the Lunar New Year period, which involves putting any sort of diet on hold, pigging out on New Year goodies like pineapple tarts and bak-kwa (the 2 most sinful and fattening snacks ever known to man) and attempting to eat your way into good luck for the year, by way of yu sheng, the raw fish salad with loads of auspicious trimmings thrown into the dish, for good measure (and good fortune).

For reunion dinner, mum made sure that everyone's favourite dish was represented on the table. There was deep fried prawns for sister no.2, and pork chop for sister no.3. I had requested for my egg rolls with minced meat, a childhood favourite.

For a balanced meal, mum also served stir-fried green veggies with sliced abalone and lotus root and pork rib soup.

Traditional first day of Chinese New Year dessert was a sweet clear soup with healthy stuff like white fungus/Jew's ear, red dates, gingko nuts, sweet potatoes and dried longans.

Eating well is a sign of prosperity, the Chinese believe. With this great start, I'm sure we will be having a bountiful Year of the Golden Rat - with an abundance of good health, peace, love and joy all round.