Posted to Facebook - Sin Fong Chan - The Teacher on 28/1/2012 at 11:44 AM
Title: Lesson on Chinese Culture - Ren Ri (人日), Seven Jewel Soup (七宝羹) and Yu Sang (鱼生)
According to Chinese mythology, Nuwa (女娲) was the goddess of creation who created all the living things in seven days. The major creations include the roaster, dog, goat, pig, ox, horse and human beings.
She created the Roaster on day one, and therefore, the first day of the year is known as the Roaster day. The second day is the Dog day, third the Goat day, fourth the Pig day, fifth the Ox day, sixth the Horse day, and last but not least, she created human beings on the seventh day. This special day is called the People day or Ren Ri (人日).
Nuwa used earth to create the human beings to her own image. She did not expect her creation to live forever, so she decided to create separate batches of men and women. She established the institution of marriage; young women and men mated with each other, produced offspring to populate the planet. Nuwa is also known as the Goddess of Marriage.
Ren Ri is commonly refer to as the "birthday of all people" by Guangzhou people (Cantonese). On this day, a special thick soup known as the Seven Jewel Soup (七宝羹) consisting of seven vegetables is consumed. The types of vegetables may vary from region to region; however, the choice of vegetables is important so that the names of the vegetables are contextually auspicious. Typical vegetables are celery (芹菜Kan Choy) a symbol of hardworking, mustard green (芥菜Kai Choy) a symbol of longevity, leek spinach (韭菜Gau Choy) a symbol of vitality, spinach (菠菜Bo Choy) a symbol of robustness, spring onion (葱Choong) a symbol of intelligence, garlic (蒜Shun) a symbol of being good in mathematics and Chinese parsley (more for flavour). Consuming this soup could help dispel evils and cure all sorts of diseases.
The tradition of eating Yu Sang 鱼生or raw sliced fish dates back to Qin Dynasty. The practice reached its peak during Tang Dynasty. Yu Sang is a dish consists of raw fish slices, complemented with julienne vegetables of a various colours – green vegetables, orange carrot, yellow ginger, and white Chinese carrot. When mixed with sesame oil, flavoursome sauces, crushed peanuts, the dish has a colour combination resembles that of a rainbow (七彩鱼生) and the taste is divine.
In Malaysia and Singapore, Ren Ri is celebrated with the tradition of Lo Yu Sang (撈鱼生). The Yu Sang base ingredients are arranged separately in a large circular plate, and sauces held in separate bowls. During the process of Lo Yu Sang, diners are in a standing position, mix the Yi Sang ingredients thoroughly with their chopsticks and lift them as high as possible in the air. It is important to ensure that fish slices are mixed well with the rest of the ingredients. The diners will yell out loud simultaneously, “Lo Hay, Lo Hay, Fatt Ah, Fatt Ah”. Lo Hay撈起is synonymous to job promotion, and Fatt 发means prosperity.
Eating Yu Sang has now replaced the consumption of Seven Jewel Soup in Malaysia and Singapore.
Title: Lesson on Chinese Culture - Ren Ri (人日), Seven Jewel Soup (七宝羹) and Yu Sang (鱼生)
According to Chinese mythology, Nuwa (女娲) was the goddess of creation who created all the living things in seven days. The major creations include the roaster, dog, goat, pig, ox, horse and human beings.
She created the Roaster on day one, and therefore, the first day of the year is known as the Roaster day. The second day is the Dog day, third the Goat day, fourth the Pig day, fifth the Ox day, sixth the Horse day, and last but not least, she created human beings on the seventh day. This special day is called the People day or Ren Ri (人日).
Nuwa used earth to create the human beings to her own image. She did not expect her creation to live forever, so she decided to create separate batches of men and women. She established the institution of marriage; young women and men mated with each other, produced offspring to populate the planet. Nuwa is also known as the Goddess of Marriage.
Ren Ri is commonly refer to as the "birthday of all people" by Guangzhou people (Cantonese). On this day, a special thick soup known as the Seven Jewel Soup (七宝羹) consisting of seven vegetables is consumed. The types of vegetables may vary from region to region; however, the choice of vegetables is important so that the names of the vegetables are contextually auspicious. Typical vegetables are celery (芹菜Kan Choy) a symbol of hardworking, mustard green (芥菜Kai Choy) a symbol of longevity, leek spinach (韭菜Gau Choy) a symbol of vitality, spinach (菠菜Bo Choy) a symbol of robustness, spring onion (葱Choong) a symbol of intelligence, garlic (蒜Shun) a symbol of being good in mathematics and Chinese parsley (more for flavour). Consuming this soup could help dispel evils and cure all sorts of diseases.
The tradition of eating Yu Sang 鱼生or raw sliced fish dates back to Qin Dynasty. The practice reached its peak during Tang Dynasty. Yu Sang is a dish consists of raw fish slices, complemented with julienne vegetables of a various colours – green vegetables, orange carrot, yellow ginger, and white Chinese carrot. When mixed with sesame oil, flavoursome sauces, crushed peanuts, the dish has a colour combination resembles that of a rainbow (七彩鱼生) and the taste is divine.
In Malaysia and Singapore, Ren Ri is celebrated with the tradition of Lo Yu Sang (撈鱼生). The Yu Sang base ingredients are arranged separately in a large circular plate, and sauces held in separate bowls. During the process of Lo Yu Sang, diners are in a standing position, mix the Yi Sang ingredients thoroughly with their chopsticks and lift them as high as possible in the air. It is important to ensure that fish slices are mixed well with the rest of the ingredients. The diners will yell out loud simultaneously, “Lo Hay, Lo Hay, Fatt Ah, Fatt Ah”. Lo Hay撈起is synonymous to job promotion, and Fatt 发means prosperity.
Eating Yu Sang has now replaced the consumption of Seven Jewel Soup in Malaysia and Singapore.