Monday October 26, 2009
Birthday spread
THIS year, the Double Nine Festival is extra special for Taiwanese restaurateur Jeanie Lee of New Formosa Restaurant in SS2, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Today is her birthday and marks the 30th year that she has been in Malaysia. Lee runs the 30-year-old restaurant specialising in Taiwanese cuisine with her chef husband Lee Weng Eng.
“When I was very young, my family celebrated the Double Nine Festival and my birthday. For the festival, we laid out festive food as an offering to our ancestors.
“For my birthday, my mother would prepare traditional Hokkien birthday dishes such as pig’s trotters with vermicelli, mee sua soup and red eggs as well as my favourite – white cabbage with shark fin soup, steamed chicken and braised sea cucumber. My mum would never forget my favourite desserts: custard apple, longan and Japanese red bean paste DaFu muachi (glutinous rice cake).”
In Taiwan, glutinous dogwood (zhuyu) rice cakes (resembling ang koo) are eaten. It is customary for the Hakkas to offer these steamed cakes to their ancestors during the festival.
Festive food: Restaurateur Jeanie Lee of New Formosa Restaurant with the Double Nine dishes – Buttered Unagi (left) and Dogwood Cakes. “There are two types of dogwood cakes: the sweet variety has fillings of sesame seed paste, red bean paste or osmanthus (gui hua) sugar paste; the savoury cakes are filled with preserved pork, Chinese mushrooms, bean curd cubes, pickled radish or bamboo shoots,” says Lee.
The greenish Taiwanese Hakka dogwood rice cakes are made with pounded dogwood leaves, which look like chrysanthemum leaves. Dogwood is said to have cleansing and curative properties.
Lee says: “In southern Taiwan, some people celebrate the day as Eel Eating Festival. They believe eating eels will prolong their lives because the lifespan of an eel is about 50 years! Besides, the eel is also an underwater creature of mystery.”
Chrysanthemums symbolise long life to the Chinese. Hence on Double Nine Festival, the Chinese enjoy chrysanthemum blooms and drink chrysanthemum wine, a tradition passed down from the Han Dynasty.
Says Lee: “In1683, Zheng Chenggong (a rebel during the Qing Dynasty) ended Dutch rule on the island, and brought Chinese culture and customs to Taiwan. Climbing mountains, eating nine-layer cakes and drinking chrysanthemum wine were among the customs introduced.
“In those days, women stuck zhuyu in their hair or hung zhuyu branches on windows or doors to ward off evil, mosquitoes and worms.”
The Double Nine Festival has been regarded as Respect Old People Festival since 1978.
“Although not a public holiday in Taiwan, government bodies and many organisations, associations and communities organise activities such as visits to old folk’s homes and kite-flying competitions,” says Lee.
On the day of the festival, City Hall officers give red packets (ang pows) to old folks aged above 70. The older they are, the more ang pow money they get.
Events such as mountain-climbing were held at famous mountains such as GuanYin in Dan Shui, Taipei; Fei Feng and Shi Ba Jian in XinZhu; and Mount Ba Feng in the heart of Taiwan. Nowadays, Taiwanese youth hold picnics to celebrate this festival.
Lee notes that some people observe the festival as “a day for ancestor reburial”. The Hakkas call the Double Nine Festival a “Ghost Festival” to commemorate their ancestors who were reburied on this day.
“The festival is also a time for family get-togethers. It’s an occasion to remember one’s ancestors – their sacrifices and hardships. Often, family outings are held and folks renew their appreciation of nature and reaffirm their love for family and close friends,” adds Lee. – By Majorie Chiew
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