NEW YORK - When you live in a multi-cultural city like New York, opportunities to fast are rare. Just when you think that your body is recovering from the excesses of Christmas feasting and New Year's parties, here it comes, the Chinese New Year. I have always had a hard time choosing the proper restaurants to celebrate this 15-day long holiday, but over the years I have gotten better at identifying menus written in the true spirit of the celebration. As it turns out, the food offered during the Chinese New Year celebration is not devastating for one's health.
To start, you should not eat meat on the first day of the new lunar year, as this is believed to have a good effect on your health and happiness for the coming year.
Chinese families often dine on a vegetarian dish called "jai." Its ingredients are mostly root vegetables and include lotus seed to promote male offspring, ginko nut representing silver, black moss seaweed to increase wealth, dried bean curd for happiness and bamboo shoots for good luck. Strangely, tofu should never be included since its white color stands for death and misfortune.
On the second day, your dog should be the one who is actually gaining weight, since it is believed that this day is all dogs' birthday and they should be fed exceptionally well.
On the seventh day, farmers display their produce and make a drink by combining seven different types of vegetables. It is sold throughout Chinatown and, while healthy, it is certainly not the most appealing beverage.
Also, the seventh day is believed to be the birthday of all human beings, and it should be celebrated by eating uncut noodles (longer noodles reflect a longer life ahead) and raw fish, which is associated with success.
It is really from the tenth day through the twelfth day that families and friends reunite for abundant banquets.
A whole fish representing togetherness and a chicken still with its head, feet and tail on to symbolize completeness are usually consumed.
In South China, nian gao, steamed sweet rice pudding, and zong zi, glutinous rice wrapped in reed leaves, is also added to the menu.
In the north of China, small meat dumplings are popular at this time.
After such a feast, on the thirteenth day mustard greens and rice congee should be eaten to cleanse the stomach.
On the fourteenth day, food takes a on a minor role as everyone should be preparing for the Lantern Festival that takes places on the fifteenth day.
One might actually not gain much weight during this 15-day long holiday—good thing, since Mardi Gras is less than a month away.