I’ll Have What They’re Having

4 Feb

Picture courtesy of Fifoto Photography

One thing I’ve always envied about Chinese weddings is the banquet. Not only is there plenty to eat but did you know that the dishes are far from randomly selected? Each one carries its own significance and is a gift in itself to the bride and groom. Don’t believe me? Here’s why certain dishes are a must at every Chinese wedding banquet…

Roast Suckling Pig

Since the pig is served whole, this is said to be a symbol of the girl’s virginity. Therefore, this particular dish is also presented at engagement ceremonies.

Say NO to Shark’s Fin Soup

An expensive choice, this delicacy indicates ‘great wealth’. But today, what it really represents is the dire fact that we are driving shark populations to extinction. So please take a stand against this ‘tradition’ today, and opt for one of the many alternatives such as herbal soups and even imitation shark’s fin!

Two Fish Chinese Brush Painting (Artist unavailable)

Fish

Provided you say it right, the pronunciation of ‘fish’ is the same as ‘abundance’ and thus it is hoped that the newlyweds will likewise have plenty of wealth. Starting a new life together, who would say no to that? :)

Pigeon

The pigeons on the menu are for a peaceful future. Doves are more commonly regarded as a symbol of peace, but are just a tad more controversial to cook. Anyway, I suppose they’re harder to catch, and probably not as tasty >_<

Chinese Dragon and Phoenix Harmony Brush Painting by Bai Fa Tong Lao

Chicken

The humble chicken actually represents the great phoenix, and it’s cooked in red oil to wish for prosperity. ‘Red chicken’ also sounds like ‘good life’. And here I thought it was just something nice to go with the pigeon ^_^

Lobster

Lobster is literally ‘dragon shrimp’ in Chinese. Serving this with the chicken indicates the marriage of the dragon and the phoenix, and shows a good balance of yin and yang. (more…)

Alvin & Mandy’s Wedding At One World Hotel

3 Jan

Living in South East Asia means one gets to attend all sorts of weddings (especially here in “Truly Asia”), be it Malay, Chinese, Indian or the traditional church do, we have it all. I can remember even as a child that a Chinese wedding was always a lot of fun because it meant plenty of people, a huge dinner and the customary yam seng. *Ahem*, not that I was drinking as a child.  Though smaller, intimate weddings are becoming more popular, it’s still most common for Chinese families to hold a large banquet.

So to kickstart 2011, we’d like to welcome you to Alvin & Mandy’s wedding that was held at the One World Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Photos courtesy of Mark & Johan from Stories by Integricity

This is so cute!


Awesome top-down shot of the dinner reception. Kinda dawns on you just how many guests are coming, huh? Interesting note, with the advent of Facebook ensuring we find long lost friends… I wonder if our wedding guest lists are getting ‘longer’ ;)

Try to keep an eye on how many people are coming, I heard of one bride whose mother-in-law kept inviting friends last minute… to the point tables encroached on the bridal walk-in..!

(more…)

Singapore wedding by Jack Images (Jackie Chan)

3 Mar

Walk-in-1-bride

Jackie Chan (no, not that Jackie Chan!) from Jack Images sent us this awesome pics from a wedding he shot in Singapore recently. The couple are Rongda & Lilac who had the traditional morning games with the ‘pick up the bride’ session, followed by their disco-themed evening reception!

game-1

It’s a Chinese wedding custom for the groom and his close friends to arrive at the bride’s house early in the morning to ‘pick up the bride’. It may sound like an easy task but do not be fooled my friends! The bridesmaids concoct an array of challenging (and funny) tests for the boys to do…

8.10-am

And you thought bananas were just fruit… (more…)

The Perils of Sharks-Fin Soup by Marcus Chan

15 Dec

Here’s an awesome article written by a friend of mine, Marcus, who works with Tiny Tapir and is a big greenie with an equally big heart. TWG readers, please try to convert your family, in-laws and friends into advocates against sharks-fin soup. Sure, we’re so used to having it at every Chinese wedding we go to… but enough is enough! It’s common knowledge that it’s a cruel act and that the shark population is is seeing shocking numbers of depletion. So please save a few sharks today and say NO to sharks-fin soup! Like Ghandi said – BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THIS WORLD.

shark-fin
Having sharks-fin soup at a wedding (or any big Chinese banquet) represents glamour and status, but also poses a threat to our increasingly fragile eco-system, not to mention the cruelty involved in shark poaching. Many people may not know, but shark finning is often an illegal and damaging practice.

Firstly, sharks are one of the most misrepresented animals on the planet. There is a misconception that sharks are dangerous, are man-killers and hence, deserve to be finned and boiled into a soup. In actual fact, sharks are not the man-killers that people think they are. There are only a dozen species of sharks that actually attack humans and when they do, it’s usually because they mistake us for seals (think black wetsuits). There are 360 other identified shark species that don’t even attack humans. Scientists haven’t even fully categorised all shark species, but they all unanimously agree that they are one of the most perfect organisms who haven’t changed form since prehistoric times.

shark_finning_-_dead_shark_

Fact: Each year there are about 50 to 70 confirmed shark attacks and 5 to 15 shark-attack fatalities around the world. The numbers have risen over the past several decades but not because sharks are more aggressive: Humans have simply taken to coastal waters in increasing numbers.

As many SCUBA divers would know, sharks are usually shy creatures who often swim away when they detect fear. Personally, I have only seen one shark during a dive and I consider that a lucky rarity. I used to fear sharks until I researched the facts and actually realised that they are majestic creatures. (more…)