CCTV-News / CNTV

 FancyEnglish       New year dinner       中国百科

January 22, 2012

　

New year dinner: An entree of tradition and celebration 01-22-2012 14:23 BJT Special Report:2012 Spring Festival | A reunion dinner with family members typically marks the beginning of Chinese New Year celebrations. The hustle and bustle in restaurants and home kitchens starts as China embraces the Year of Dragon. As CCTV reporter Zhang Nini finds out, New Year dinner is not just an event on the dining calendar, but a well-observed tradition over generations. Keeping the wok in action, chief chef Wang Rong starts a typical night by the stove. He’s cooking a variety of house specials, including a fish skin soup, fried duck meat, and a medley of vegetable and meat minces. Wang also gets the kitchen staff rolling. Hours before the evening rush, the heat is on. Wang said, "We have received more than sixty group bookings, or around six hundred guests on New Year’s Eve, and more individuals are coming. They will be treated to three different banquet menus celebrating the year of the Dragon. The courses include one soup, assorted appetizers and six entrees, and the famous roast duck. " The bustling activity in the restaurant starts from as early as January the first, culminating on the Spring Festival period, and ebbs after the Lantern Festival, on Feburary 6th this year. For Beijing’s top roast duck restaurant chain - Quanjude, business is roaring all year long. Even so, the pace quickens in the days prior to the Spring Fesitival. "We are from Ningbo city in east China. We usually eat at home, with seafood and sticky dumpling on the menu. This year, I’ve taken my family to Beijing, and the food here is nice." "We usually dine out before the festival, and reserve the night for a family reunion at home. All my children will come back, and we will prepare dinner at home. " Home beckons wherever you are. With 3 billion trips expected during the Spring Festival period, the whole country seems to be on the move. No matter how cold or how far home is, going back is the perennial theme. And one thing people can’t afford to miss: a family dinner on new year’s eve. It’s more sumptuous than your every day meal. Fish, pork, vegetables are on a menu that symbolizes auspiciousness and affluence in the coming year. And dumplings to celebrate the turn of a new page on the lunar calendar. Sending out good wishes is at the heart of the meal, whether eating in or dining out. "I wish longevity for my parents, and in laws, better scores for my daughter, and good fortune for everyone." Related stories Expats embrace Year of Dragon in China 2012-01-22 San Francisco flower fair welcomes China's Lunar New Year 2012-01-22 Lunar New Year: Guangzhou city of huge flower market 2012-01-22 Spring Festival celebrations in N.W China 2012-01-22 CCTV-News / CNTV