Countdown to the Year of the Tiger with Shirley Fong-Torres

This Sunday is February 14th. That might just be a “Hallmark” holiday to many of you, but for the Chinese community, it is the most important day of the year: the first day of the Lunar New Year and the year of the Tiger.

The Chinese New Year celebration lasts two full weeks in San Francisco, ending with a massive parade that attracts over a million spectators and television viewers each year. But for most Chinese families, the celebration begins with a quiet day at home, meant for family, food, and good luck.

To learn about the traditions and landmarks of the Chinese New Year, KALW’s Martina Castro met up with chef and author Shirley Fong-Torres, owner of Wok Wiz Chinatown Tours in San Francisco. They started at the most significant landmark in San Francisco’s Chinatown District.

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MARTINA CASTRO: Where are we Shirley?

SHIRLEY FONG-TORRES: Well, first of all, “Sun Nin Fai Lok! Gung Hay Fat Choy!” You’re going to hear that a lot, especially if you have Chinese friends. It basically means, “Happy New Year, wishing you prosperity.” We are standing at the most important park in Chinatown, called Portsmouth Square or “The Plaza.” The reason it’s so important is because it was the first vision of San Francisco that my immigrant forefathers saw. Today, it’s considered a “living room” by the local Chinese. I’d like to point out, too, that as we’re standing here in the plaza, we’re surrounded by the Financial District. So in the Chinese way, I’d like to say that the “money gods” are watching over us.

During the New Year, we pass out lucky money to children and to our friends who are not married. We also tuck little red envelopes into bags of oranges and tangerines. The tangerines most likely have the leaves intact. The idea behind that is that we hope our friendships stays intact, and as we open up the orange, there are different sections that we share with one another. There’s a lot of eating and significance in food that we’ll certainly be talking about on our walk.

CASTRO: So where are we going next?

FONG-TORRES: I thought that we would go to a very lovely store that sells red envelopes, which I’ll explain when we get there.

So we’re off to the second stop of our tour, the Ho Tai Printing Shop. On our way, Fong-Torres is surprised by how quiet the streets are for this time of year. She says that most Chinatown residents are happy to see 2009 go—it was a tough year for residents and merchants here. But they would never say that out loud. It’s tradition to say only good things during the new year.

FONG-TORRES: This is where I come for my printing needs. I come here to get anything I need for the new year, like lucky red envelopes. They all have pictures of tigers because it’s the Year of the Tiger.

CASTRO: I’m noticing a theme here. It’s all red; I don’t see anything in here that’s not red or gold. Tell me about the symbolic nature of the color.

FONG-TORRES: For the Chinese, we love the color red for happiness and love. The color gold is prosperity. Here at Ho Tai, everything is red and gold; I almost think that it should be called the “red and gold” store!

CASTRO: Can you tell me what you use the envelopes for.

FONG-TORRES: Hong Bao--Little Red Envelopes. We put in crisp $1 bills, usually $2 since one is a lonely number. You give it to your single friends, to your children, and to your parents. The bills have to be crisp and new-looking. That’s why we always go to the bank around this time.  The banks know it’s the new year cause the Chinese always come running in. There’s etiquette: you receive with two hands and give with two hands. You don’t open it because it would be disrespectful.

CASTRO: So it’s all about good luck?

FONG-TORRES: Yes, good luck!

Fong-Torres buys herself a tiger poster for more of that good luck, and we’re off to explore possibly the most important element of the New Year celebration: the food. But we make a few stops along the way.  

FONG-TORRES: I just bought two arrowroots for cooking. You only find this during the lunar new year.

As we continue to weave in and out of side streets and alleys, we say hello to merchants and friends who instantly recognize my guide.

FONG-TORRES: “Happy New Year, Sun Nin Fai Lok!”

And then on Grant Avenue, we have a quick tea-tasting at the family-run Red Blossom Tea Company.

ALICE LUONG: So take a sip and swallow a little, and then draw air from the front to the back like this…

CASTRO: Oh, I’ve never done that before…

LUONG: Yeah, it’s a little bit like slurping!

Co-owner Alice Luong, tells us about the significance of tea in a the new year meal.

LUONG: During Chinese New Year, we generally sit around, drink tea, have visitors and eat sweets. There’s usually a ton of cooking, but tea is at the center because this is the only time that folks get time off to visit each other and see each other in their busy lifestyles.

Then finally…

FONG-TORRES: Are you hungry?

CASTRO: Yes!

FONG-TORRES: Let’s go to Yank Sing! Enough of Chinatown for now…

Shirley and I make our way to the Financial District, where a mouthwatering smell fills the air.

FONG-TORRES: We have entered Dim Sum heaven. We are at Yank Sing, always on the top of my list for dim sum. Dim sum is a way of life, a way of eating. Carts come and you pick and choose, pick and choose. We’ll be stopping when you see something that you want. If you see something that you want, just point to it and it’s yours! “Dim” means to point, “sum” means the heart. So you point and you eat and your heart is happy! I love all of this. I wish you were doing TV, just look at all of this!

CASTRO: What’s the typical food that you would find on a family dinner table on the new year?

FONG-TORRES: A whole fish, steamed or fried. The word for fish—“yu”--sounds like good luck. You also want a chicken because when you cook up a chicken, it looks golden, which as you know signifies good luck. You always want a vegetarian dish because vegetables are good for us. Also, green represents growth—money is green—so it stands for productivity. We find a reason for almost everything that we eat, besides the fact that we love it. Oh, the duck’s coming! I’m saying “duck,” not “luck.” Too bad it’s not the year of the duck!

CASTRO:  What is the significance of the Year of the Tiger?

FONG-TORRES: Every year we get excited to discard the year before. We’re looking forward to the Year of the Tiger! Except for Tiger Woods. We look for the most positive elements of the animal and play on that. Generally, it’s supposed to be a good, aggressive year. Let’s hope it is, at least for our economy. We need to be tigers!

CASTRO: So Shirley, what are you looking forward to in the Year of the Tiger?

FONG-TORRES: I’m looking forward to getting into better physical shape. It’s really hard in my business because there’s so much food! I’m looking forward to  continuing to teach my two granddaughters Maggie and Stella how to cook. We enjoy gardening and goofing around together. Everything will come along because if you have good health and good business, everything else in your life will improve. So I’m looking forward to the next year. I don’t want to look back to last year very much, but I would rather look forward to all the goodness that is ahead of us.

CASTRO: Well "Sun Nin Fai Lok!"

FONG-TORRES: Don’t cuss at me!

CASTRO: Hey, you taught me that!

FONG-TORRES: Oh I know, what a joke! "Sun Nin Fai Lok" to you too!

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To find a Chinese New Year event in your area, visit the following websites:

SAN FRANCISCO: http://www.sfgate.com/cny/#

TRIVALLEY: http://www.insidebayarea.com/my-town/ci_14366854

OAKLAND: http://www.oaklandchinatownchamber.org/events/bazaar.html)