Half Chinese New Year- The menu

Its been an annual tradition for a decade now that come Chinese New Year I cook a large, unrelaxed, extravagant dinner– regardless of ability or funds.

The first dinner was small and on my mother’s boat. My friend Ben and I had New Year’s Chicken (Soy sauce chicken) and oranges.

Since then the dinners have gotten larger and harder. One year I followed the Chinese Court Banquet tradition of creating a course for every guest. That was thrilling.

I took a year off last year and there was a year in which I was dating a man who was allergic to garlic… but I vowed that I would do something this year.

Then I came down with vertigo. We postponed the dinner for tomorrow seasickness be damned. The menu is less adventuresome than years past, but I expect better results.

Traditionally one is supposed to eat vegetarian on Chinese New Year. But since my father is Chinese and my mother is not, I make a half Chinese New Year Dinner, which includes meat.

We are having:
Pea vines in garlic and a light oyster sauce
Long Beans in black bean and red pepper sauce
Spinach dumplings
Deep-fried bean curd

Shrimp and black mushroom dumplings
Barbecue Pork
Barbecue Duck

Sesame Balls with red bean paste

Seeing as I always have a duck disaster and seeing how this year I have vertigo this should be an interesting little dinner.