Yee sang – a dish of raw fish slices mixed with crunchies and other ingredients plus sauces of various kinds – is not part of New Year cuisine among the Chinese of Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong etc.
Part of the attraction or fun of eating yee sang comes from audience participation or participant observation, i.e., all those present at the dinner table, whether young or old or men or women, are supplied with chopsticks and are actively encouraged to indulge in boisterous mixing of the ingredients simultaneously. Thus, a feeling of family togetherness/bonding/affirmation of ties/social solidarity is created at the same time. I suppose one could also say that the kids enjoy this because it allows them the rare chance of playing with their food without being reprimanded for it by adults! HEHEHEHE
Extract from another blogger "In my opinion, yee sang dishes at Chinese restaurants in Malaysia and Singapore are grossly overpriced during the New Year season (traditionally the period of celebration for the New Year is 15 days). Nevertheless, diners are willing to pay for it because of its association with good luck, prosperity and business success (sale of expensive yee sang dishes certainly brings prosperity and business success to restaurant owners!).
A classic case of successful marketing indeed. Upscale yee sang containing slices of expensive fish or abalone can burn a big hole in one’s pocket. From what I have read in the Singaporean mass media, the ordering of grossly overpriced yee sang dishes also allows one to indulge in “kiasuism”, i.e., one can display one’s wealth to poorer relatives, friends and business acquaintances by ordering expensive dishes of yee sang or other foods in restaurants and never mind the taste. A local version of the potlatch, I suppose. As for the masses, they can still eat yee sang during Chinese New Year by buying do-it-yourself kits and by using cheap fish for the fish slices."
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