Gong Xi Fa Cai - Digital Dining for the New Year
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This February 12 marks a new year for Chinese communities globally. It’s the celebration of Chinese New Year; the new lunar calendar; the year of the White Metal Ox. But because of the present COVID culture, few will gather to ignite pyrotechnics, dance with the dragon or even pass around oranges and red envelopes bulging with money. Instead people are trying to social distance, yet still gather with friends and cling to some semblance of normalcy. This means a different way of celebrating, and while nothing beats being there with people you care about, for this Chinese New Year we decided to go virtual and take our party online with -- what else -- food.
It was a portable three-course meal that we designed. And as no CNY meal is complete without a celebratory starter, Lychee Martinis alongside fresh-made Prawn Spring Rolls with mango, scallions, red basil, pea sprouts and delicate mung bean noodles kicked it all off.
For the main course of this special occasion we went with my family specialty: Sigaporean Coffee Ribs. A two-step process, these little chunks of pork ribs are spiced up and crisped to medium rare perfection, then stir fried in an elixir of coffee, sugar, oyster sauce, red chilies, garlic, water (or champagne) until it becomes a sticky, sweet/spicy coating on the meat. A dusting of nutmeg, chopped scallion and flurry of sesame seed completes the dish. This is classic finger food and the instigator of countless debates and negotiations over who got more pieces than the other and who gets to finish the plate. For us, we’ve learned that the best way to avoid food fights over the glistening chunks of goodness is to, well, make a lot of them.
To buttress the porky feast we made Emerald Rice -- a savory casserole of rice, garlic and greenery including cilantro and parsley that combines the satisfaction of tasty carbs and starch with fresh herbs. A perfect Chinese start-of-Spring dish for the new year. Add to the menu some lightly chowed snow peas for a crunchy veg, and zhè shì! (viola!) -- a hybrid, Singaporean-style Chinese New Year dinner. All washed down with that favorite Lion City libation: Tiger Beer.
Dessert -- the simpler the better -- was a casual plate of Asian sweets, chocolate gold coins and oranges for prosperity in the coming year. Gong Xi Fa Cai!
But what made this simple new year meal special was how we shared it. The question: How to dine together in two places at the same time? The solution: We portioned and packaged each cooked item in containers labeled with names and instructions such as: reheat the ribs; flash fry the snow peas; microwave the rice (don’t judge!) to make it warm. A stainless thermos of martinis accompanied cold beers, accoutrements of spices, sprinkles, and garnish -- each placed in zippies and small tuppers. And all of it was carefully placed in a Chinese New Year thermal bag along with table decorations. A quick ride across town to our invitees for drop off, followed by a race back home to log on to the pre-established Zoom meeting. Everything was set and timed perfectly, and together we celebrated Chinese New Year and the joy of togetherness in digital real-time.
Okay, so no one will argue that being together in a non-COVID time isn’t what we all want, but being together virtually is the next best thing. And for now it’s a good way to embrace the pleasure of friendship and even the joy of sharing good food. Sitting across from one another, screen to screen, still allows for good conversation, complete with the delay-free repartee, interruptions, laughter and even body language. What once seemed impossible and gimmicky has proven itself to be not only very workable, but thoroughly enjoyable. Next time we’ll actually cook together online. A digital sharing of the kitchen, cooking the same food at the same time, eating it all together and sharing friendship in a new way irrespective of distance or time zone. It’s an example of better eating through technology. Call it Digital Dining -- and it’s here to stay.
