Chinese New Year festivities

are just as dynamic and spirited as the monkey and are a traditional part

of ancient Chinese culture. Bring Chinese New Year joy into the lives

of your friends and family with time-honored cooking, colorful decorations

and activities for everyone.

Get colorful

Red and gold are traditional

symbols of luck and prosperity. Red also frightens away evil spirits and

keeps them from creeping into the new year. Nian is the new year monster

known in China for terrorizing children around the new moon and is easily

frightened by loud music and bright colors. The Chinese use dancing, firecrackers

and red costuming to ring in the new year, and keep out Nian.

Decorate with traditional colors

and themes by stacking red plates and cups at one end of a buffet table

and allowing guests to serve themselves from the variety of entrées

laid out before them. For added flare, dust gold confetti over a black

tablecloth. Wrap chopsticks (which can be found at your local Panda Express)

in a red napkin and tie them together with shimmering gold ribbon. Grab

your wok from the kitchen, fill it with the napkin sets and place it at

the other end of your buffet. If your guests - or any children in

the group - don't know how to use chopsticks, see below for

tips on teaching them how! Family-style dining is a convenient way to

make sure your guests enjoy this feasting experience together.

Replace ordinary party gift

bags with traditional red couplets. Your guests will love these small

red envelopes which are usually inscribed in black with one of four Chinese

characters signifying wealth prosperity abundance and long life. It is

customary in China to give gifts in monetary form to denote paying off

credit or debt. Enclose a small dollar amount in each red couplet, or

fill them with gift certificates. Panda Express can provide you with gift

certificates for any amount. You can also hang the couplets around your

house as decoration and to ward off evil spirits.

Peonies symbolize love, affection

and beauty and are known in China as "Flowers of Riches and Honor."

Float them in glass bowls or sprinkle them across your buffet table. According

to the Chinese, if a peach blossom blooms during the new year celebration

it is a sure sign of future good fortune. Try stringing a flower garland

to ornament your mantels or doorways.

Adorn your ceilings with red

and black balloons tied with long gold ribbons. Line your walkway with

traditional Chinese lanterns to draw light and luck - along with

your friends and family - straight into your home.

Get hungry

An expert in blending Chinese

tradition with American culture, Panda Express serves up the perfect amount

of spice for the new year. If you want to impress your guests by preparing

your own Chinese dish, just follow the recipe below for tasty and traditional

Kung Pao Chicken. It's easy to make and will fill your home with

savory smells. If you're looking for a truly hassle-free celebration,

let your local Panda Express come to the rescue! The restaurant makes

party preparations easy by offering Firecracker Shrimp on its catering

menu. Succulent shrimp, colorful peppers and black beans are sautéed

with onion, ginger, garlic and wok-charred red chili peppers to create

this festive dish.

The monkey is an impetuous

creature and, much like the year ahead, it constantly sniffs out variety

and rejuvenation. Make your buffet sparkle with an assortment of entrées.

Group unique dishes, like the Firecracker Shrimp, with old favorites,

like Orange Flavored Chicken and Broccoli with Beef. Quantities can be

prepared for gatherings of any size - wokked fresh and ready when

you are. Serve each dish large serving bowls on your lavish buffet table.

Get festive

When your guests arrive, encourage

them to take off their shoes and walk softly into your home. Walking tenderly

invites a smooth transition into the new year. While it's tradition

to start any new year on a clean slate, brooms and dustpans must be stored

out of sight before New Year's Day to prevent good fortune from being

swept away. Fill your home with loved ones, laughter and light. Enjoy

the sweet smell of peach blossoms, the company of close friends and the

traditional dishes of Panda Express. Kung Hay Fat Choy is Chinese for

Happy New Year! Panda Express is Chinese for Yummy.

For more information visit

www.pandaexpress.com.

Teach your friends to use chopsticks

First: The sticks are attached,

but sectioned up the middle. Simply pull each end away from the other.

Don't twist them apart or try a fancy way of snapping them; you wouldn't

want a few splinters to hinder your dining experience! Once separated,

you can rub the sticks together to smooth any rough edges.

Step 1) The Base Stick: Place

one stick so that it is cradled between the base of your thumb and forefinger.

Hold it in place with the tip of your middle finger, as though you were

holding a pencil.

Step 2) The Pivot Stick: Position

the next chopstick so that it is pinned against the side of your index

finger by the end of your thumb. Make sure the ends of the two sticks

line up.

Step 3) The Pick-Up: Holding

the base chopstick firmly in place, place a small amount of pressure on

the Pivot Stick using the tip of your thumb as its base and your index

finger to entice movement. The chopsticks should move like a pair of tweezers

with the end of the Pivot Stick moving toward the end of the Base Stick.

Slowly try to pick up a big piece of Orange Flavored Chicken, and then

go for a small bite of your Kung Pao Chicken. Once you're a pro,

try for a single grain of rice!

Back

to Dining Guide Home Page | Back

to the top of the page