Food

5 CNY Snacks to Makan That’ll Make You Huat This Year

2018-02-08 , 9:54 am

Last Updated on 2018-02-09 , 12:20 pm

It’s early Feb, and you know what that means:

Dat’s right; it’s gonna be Chinese New Year soon!

Of course, you would have to contend with an endless stream of questions from your relatives, but a big, fat Ang Pao doesn’t seem like a bad trade-off! Unless, of course, the aforementioned big, fat Ang Pao’s just full of chocolate coins. If that happens…

There’s a problem, my friend.

But let’s worry about that when it happens, eh?

Anyways, right, CNY snacks!

How do I put this… these delicacies are so, so good, but so, so calorie-laden as well. In fact, one small cashew nut cookie comes in at a scarily realistic 62 calories. And seeing how nobody ever stops at one…

Yeah, you get the gist.

But don’t worry, I’m not here to scare you off those innocent-looking pastries. After all, Chinese New Year only comes around once a year, and you’ll be missing out if you don’t pig out during this period.

However, why not be more… selective about the snacks you eat? And I don’t mean calorie-wise. Rather, I’m talking about…

Their huat-ness.

See, some snacks are traditionally consumed only during Chinese New Year because they are believed to add auspicious value to your year.

Which means that you’re technically not just ingesting calories while you pig out, but the glitters and glamour of prosperity too!

Not a bad deal, huh, to have your waistline and prosperity levels expand at the same time?

So let’s skip all the bullshit, and head right down to 5 CNY snacks you need to have to enjoy a HUAT year!

1. Pineapple tarts

Now, serving any kind of sweet dessert during the festive season is encouraged, seeing how it symbolises bringing a sweet life into the new year. But even amongst all things sweet, pineapple tarts manage to stand out.

And it’s not just because pineapple tarts have become synonymous with the festive season either. Rather, they are ideal because a pineapple tart’s Hokkien pronunciation, Ong Lai, actually means the arrival of prosperity.

So yeah, the next time you chow down on a pineapple tart, remember that you’re actually waving in all the prosperity glands in the air.

Your mum certainly can’t scold you for finishing all the tarts then!

2. Oranges

There’s a reason why oranges are a staple when visiting any Chinese household during the festive period, and it’s not because it’s delicious af. Rather, it’s because these auspicious fruits are believed to bring wealth and good luck.

That’s because, in Chinese, the word for orange sounds similar to the Chinese term for gold. Similarly, the Chinese interpretation of the word tangerine sounds like the Chinese word for luck.

So keep that in mind next time you’re presenting oranges to someone you don’t like, alright? 😉

3. Sweet Rice Cake (Nian Gao)

Crafted out of glutinous rice flour, the sweet dessert is supposed to help the consumer climb the social ladder as the Chinese term nian gao is a homonym for “higher year”. In short, the cakes represent “achieving new heights” in the forthcoming year.

Incidentally, a tasty way of eating nian gao is to stir-fry it with eggs.

Foodgasm, brah.

4. Bak Kwa

There are primarily two reasons why there are such long queues at Bakkwa stores:

Firstly, it’s goddamn tasty.

Secondly, it’s because the sweet barbequed jerky’s deep red colour is considered auspicious in Chinese tradition, and supposedly symbolises luck, wealth and prosperity.

So yeah, dig in!

Although you might just end up getting ‘wealthier’ in other physical aspects. #justsaying

5. Spring rolls

Yeah, these insanely tasty fried rolls are actually an auspicious staple during Chinese New Year!

Having gotten its name from the fact that it’s traditionally eaten during the Spring Festival (a.k.a. the Lunar New Year), these rolls of goodness symbolise Wealth, and are believed to bring all the money in.

Incidentally, when you consume these delicacies, you’re supposed to chant the lucky saying ‘黄金万两‘, which translates to ‘thousands of golds’. By doing so, you’re effectively wishing for the arrival of prosperity!

Now that you know…

It’s time to indulge in those yummy good CNY goodies with an all-new purpose in mind!

So go all out, and bring all the auspicious airs into your household! 🙂

Although you might want to exercise after that, unless you want those auspicious airs to sneak into your waistline and form a few ‘extra inches’.

You know what I mean.

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This article was first published on goodyfeed.com