While the Western New Year is more about drinking, the Chinese New Year is an opportunity to honor family and friends, and to enjoy some culinary traditions. We consulted Fuchsia Dunlop, author of Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper, and Doris Lum, president of the Association of Chinese Cooking Teachers, as well as Rosemary Gong’s book on Chinese culture and celebrations, Good Luck Life, to find out what foods we should have on hand to ensure a prosperous and happy year to come.
西方人過新年，總免不了開懷暢飲，而中國人過春節(jié)，講究的則是親朋好友團(tuán)聚，享用傳統(tǒng)美食。究竟如何吃出一個(gè)喜慶繁榮的好運(yùn)年呢？在這里，三位美食達(dá)人——《魚翅與花椒》的作者扶霞·鄧洛普、膳藝社主管多麗絲·林與《紅運(yùn)生活》的作者羅斯瑪麗·龔——將向你細(xì)細(xì)道來。

1. Tangerines and Oranges 福橘

Displaying and eating these fruits is said to bring wealth and luck. According to the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, the tradition stems from the way the Chinese words for gold and orange sound alike, while the word for tangerine echoes luck.“It’s good if they have leaves,” adds Lum, “because leaves symbolize longevity.” But don’t group them in fours, because, Dunlop says, this number is associated with death.
春節(jié)擺福橘，吃福橘，能帶來財(cái)富與好運(yùn)。舊金山中國文化中心的成員告訴我們，在中文里，“金”與“橘”諧音，而“橘氣”又代指“好運(yùn)氣”，于是就有了吃福橘的傳統(tǒng)。“福橘最好能帶上葉子。”多麗絲·林補(bǔ)充道，“因?yàn)槿~子象征長命百歲”。而鄧洛普提醒，可千萬別把福橘成四放置，因?yàn)閿?shù)字4在中文里音近“死”。

2. Long Noodles 長壽面

If noodles are served, then “keep them as long as possible for long life,” says Lum.
林說，春節(jié)里做面條，“盡量做得越長越好，那代表著長壽”。

3. The Tray of Togetherness 八寶盒

Put out for visiting relatives to snack on, or given as a gift, the eight (“a traditionally symbolic lucky number,” explains Dunlop) compartments of the tray are filled with things such as preserved kumquats for prosperity, coconut for togetherness, longans to bring many sons, and red melon seeds for happiness.
春節(jié)期間，走親串戶，家家都會準(zhǔn)備八寶盒，既可作零嘴，也可當(dāng)贈禮。八寶盒分為八格（鄧洛普解釋道：“8是個(gè)吉祥數(shù)字。”），分別裝有象征財(cái)富的金桔，象征團(tuán)聚的椰片，象征多子多孫的龍眼，象征喜慶的紅瓜子，等等。