Maytower Hotel's La Maison Restaurant Observes Yee Sang Tradition

La Maison, the in-house restaurant at Maytower Hotel and Serviced Apartment, unveils its Yee Sang Promotion as the whole of Malaysia ushers in the Year of the Ox. The offer, complimentary to the KL hotel’s ongoing Room Package Deals, will last from 15 January to 10 February 2009.

Yee Sang for Good Luck

What exactly is the significance of Yee Sang and why is it so popular among Chinese-based cultures? Yee Sang, also called ‘Yusheng’ or ‘Yuu Sang,’ is a salad dish that is prepared for good luck in Chinese New Year feasts. The salad meal is a delectable mixture of thin vegetable strips, raw fish, and various sauces. Its origins could be traced to the fishermen of ancient China, who are said to have feasted on their catches every seventh day following the New Year.

Migrants are said to have adapted the tradition and brought it to Southeast Asia. In 1964, Lai Wah Restaurant master chef Than Mui Kai is said to have first served the Yee Sang as it is known today in Chinese and Southeast Asian cultures. The practice of preparing and eating Yee Sang is mostly prevalent among the Chinese families in Malaysia and Singapore. Indonesia and Vietnam have their own versions of the appetizer.

Yee Sang is a colorful salad because of the various vegetables prepared to make the salad. Green papaya, carrots, turnip, jicama, daikon, yam, ginger, cabbage, and cucumber are among the most commonly used vegetables to make Yee Sang.

The vegetable strips are arranged artfully around the plate then raw fish, usually a salmon, is placed in the center. Sauces and condiments are then poured while garnishes like wanton skin and shrimp crackers could also be added.

Yee Sang not only symbolizes good luck, it also stands for prosperity, vigor, and abundance. Businessmen and families start their Chinese New Year feast by mixing the salad together in one plate using chopsticks. The tossing practice is known as Lo Hei. Not many kids like Yee Sang but adults love the dish.

This year, the practice of Yee Sang carries on as people continue to hope for a more fruitful year. Malaysia is one of the most enthusiastic celebrators of the Chinese New Year, many of its inhabitants coming of Chinese descent.

The La Maison Restaurant in Maytower Hotel offers the best Yee Sang salad meals for only MYR 68 and MYR 88, for half and full meal servings, respectively. Visit the hotel website, http://www.maytower.com.my, for more details about the Yee Sang promo and the room package deals.