KUNG HEI FAT CHOI: THE YUNG SHENG PROSPERITY TOSS AT XIN TIAN DI, CROWNE PLAZA

        I've had a fascination with Chinese cuisine since I was a child. But in all my years as a lover of Chinese food, I had never been part of a Chinese New Year Feast. I figured that they just lit up some fireworks, did a Dragon dance, then ate some noodles and Peking Duck, then found someone to kiss at the stroke of midnight. 

       Although I'm pretty sure i'm not far off from the truth, something I had absolutely no clue about, was the tradition of the "Prosperity Toss". 

        Good thing for me, my friends from Crowne Plaza Manila were more than willing to show me what that grand tradition was all about, at their delicious Chinese restaurant, Xin Tian Di. 

YEE SANG TRADITION: GOOD LUCK, PROSPERITY, AND HEALTH!

        If you're as clueless as I was about Chinese traditions, then you probably also have no idea what Yee Sang is. It was only last Tuesday that I learned about this tradition during a lunch at Shang Palace in Makati Shangrila for sort of a pre-Chinese New Year lunch. (Thank you to the people of Makati Shangrila for inviting us!)