Mother's 80th Birthday Dinner Course #1
This is yu sheng, a salad with raw fish that is served around the Chinese New Year in Singapore and Malaysia only. It features ingredients and sauces specially chosen for their colors and/or because they sound like something auspicious in Chinese. The server says the following when adding ingredients:
Fish: 年年有余 (Nian Nian You Yu) Surplus and bountiful harvests every year.
Lime: 大吉大利 (Da Ji Da Li) May your year be filled with good luck and prosperity.
Sauce: 甜甜蜜蜜 (Tian Tian Mi Mi) May your life be always sweet.
Pepper: 招财进宝 (Zhao Cai Jin Bao) May you attract wealth and treasures.
Oil: 一本万利 (Yi Ben Wan Li) May you make 10,000 times profit with your capital.
Carrots: 鸿运当头 (Hong Yun Dang Tou) Good luck and blessings will come.
Peanuts: 金银满屋 (Jin Yin Man Wu) Abundant wealth and blessings to your household.
Golden Crackers: 满地黄金 (Man Di Huang Jin) Let your ground be laid with gold.
When all this is done, the diners toss the salad making sure that they lift all the items up high. You are also supposed to say auspicious things while tossing the salad.
From Imperial Treasure, Great World City.
Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international ... ... read more 
