Out & About #525 | Chinese New Year Visuals

Happy Year of the Pig!

​I do admit that while I identify a little less with pigs than dogs, traditions are closely adhered to regardless. (I'll have you know: I almost pulled a muscle tackling dust purgation of the entire house unaccompanied.)

As with other years, we made our annual visit to the Chinese New Year Market. This time around, we arrived early enough that parking was not an issue. Thank goodness.

​Due to sheer forgetfulness, bottle water had been omitted from the bag, consequently resulting in the need to obtain a cup of Guava juice for thirst-quenching.
We then made our brief rounds about the stalls, took note of any new additions to the festival, then proceeded to hang wishes near the New Year display.

Departing just as more crowds began to flood inwards for the Lion Dance, we headed for lunch at our dim sum establishment of choice - Summit Garden.

Amongst our picks were pan-fried tofu curd roll-ups, marinated chicken feet, steamed dumplings, and shrimp rice noodles.

​In last place was the 上海小籠包 (aka "Shanghai-style" Soup Dumplings), whose profile couldn't be further from the authentic rendition; a thick, starchy wrapper and complete absence of meaty juices were two factors that resulted in great deductions. Another disappointing order were the Chive Dumplings: it contained more pasty shrimp than chives and featured a glassy wrapper thicker than that of the supposed soup dumpling.

However, all hope was not lost. The highlight of the meal was probably the trio of 糯米糍. It was the single sweet dish of the afternoon, featuring (cooked) custard encased within a glutinous rice flour shell rolled in dessicated coconut. Blanched gai lan and rice noodles weren't bad either.

​A poorly scheduled T&T run took place afterwards, followed by mall errands and a necessary pit stop at CoCo.

Last but not least, here are some snippets of the New Year Dinner, plus homemade 年糕.

Here's wishing a strong and prosperous year to all!
Be mindful that monetary wealth and health go hand-in-hand, so it's crucial that one does not neglect the latter in favour of the former.