Festival family fare

Hot dish: fried vegetables with bamboo shoots

Hot dish: the main event

As the highlight of the feast, hot dishes have to top their predecessors both in quality and quantity. The number of hot dishes served is decided by the shrewd local housewife when she is purchasing ingredients, and there must be at least two more than the number of cold platters. Stir fried and shelled shrimp is everyone’s favorite; fish, cooked in whatever style, is essential as it is homophonic with the word "surplus" in Chinese, suggesting the upcoming year will be a year free from deficit; even the plainest vegetables will be topped with some nuts or mushrooms to impress.