San Miguel Great Food Club welcomes the year 2012 with joy, positivism and hope for a more appetizing and delightful year ahead. The celebration though, has not yet ended.


Chinese New Year is believed as one of the most important celebrations for Chinese people. Various customs and traditions are observed like cleaning the entire house to brush away bad luck and welcome good fortune, as well as embellishing doors and windows to symbolize happiness and wealth. But the center of the celebration, and what Chinese really prepare and spend their money on, is the food they put on the dinner table. Every New Year they serve a line-up of scrumptious food where each dish has a corresponding meaning and is believed to bring good luck. For instance, whole chicken symbolizes happiness and prosperity, noodles represent long life, dumplings (Yuanbao) bring prosperity and spring rolls signify wealth. Some dishes have deeper meanings based on ancient Chinese beliefs. Sweet and Sour Pork, for example, is served if you want to have numerous grandchildren. The book “Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen," by Grace Young, explained that the Cantonese word for "sour" sounds like the word for grandchild, hence it is popular in families who expect lots of grandchildren. And the list of beliefs and traditions goes on and on, observed year after year and passed on generations after generations.

To further partake in the welcoming of the Year of the Dragon, San Miguel Great Food Club gives you these recipes that are perfect for the celebration. Kung Hei Fat Choi!

For more recipe ideas, log on to www.mygreatfood.com