Banquet food

[Ian_Lee]

Anyone notices how the dish courses are sequenced in wedding or birthday banquets?

In Hong Kong, there are some fixed rules:

The main dish must consist of 8 courses and got to include shark's fin and abalone.

Usually the dishes in average budget are served in this sequence:

(1) Whole roasted piglet;

(2) & (3) Two really heavy portioned appetizers;

(4) Shark's fin soup;

(5) Abalone;

(6) Fish (usually farm sea bass or sea bass from sea depending on budget);

(7) Vegetable dish;

( Chicken or twin pigeons;

(9) fried rice/E-min;

(10) Sweet soup (i.e. Red Bean soup);

(11) Two kinds of desserts;

(12) Fruit.

Of course, there have been variations over time. It used to be that in addition to the shark's fin and abalone, sea cucumber and dried fish tummy (the tube-like stuff) were essential. But now they have fallen out of favor.

Moreover, the invitation card usually states that the food serving starts at 8 p.m. but hardly can it start until 9 p.m.

What cuisines do they serve in other places for banquet?

[Quest]

They serve whatever you order?

[skylee]

When ordering the menu beforehand, the host of course can tell the restaurant what to serve.

At one of the banquets I went to, the host was so generous that they put bird nest in almost everything (I don't care about bird nest, but it is expensive).

[Ian_Lee]

Skylee:

What I listed is a standard average budget menu.

Of course, if the budget is higher, many fancy stuffs can be added on.

But basically it is still confined in this format -- 8 courses with shark-fin and abalone essential.

[Ian_Lee]

And the number of main courses can never be seven because that number of dishes is exclusively served only for the banquet after funeral.

[Quest]

shark-fin and abalone could be a bit too expensive in Guangzhou to the average weddings, because they are multiplied by the number of tables, usually 15+. 鱼肚羹would be a good substitute. Also after 长寿面，寿包 is served in birthday banquets. Parents would make sure their kids eat both, even if just one bite.

[tara]

My place here, sharks fin is a must for wedding banquets, abalone - yup, but very thin slices served together with mushrooms and broccoli but bird's nest - never experienced that before.

Dunno, but what I know is that they normally budget the cost per table so that they are able to cover costs and probably their honeymoon package too....he...he...so don't expect too good food at wedding banquets.

[Ian_Lee]

Quest:

The 鱼肚羹 that you mentioned is the fish tummy stuff which I mentioned (frankly speaking I don't know what that is). Many average banquets in HK also use it as substitute for shark's fin in non-formal occasion.

[Ian_Lee]

Tara:

In Malaysia, does the bride need to switch between western wedding gown and Chinese traditional gown on the wedding day as most HK brides are required?

And does the bridegroom's family need to offer a whole roasted piglet to the bride's family within 3 days of the wedding (now usually on the wedding day) as HK wedding does?

[tara]

Ian Lee:

Nope, the Chinese traditional gown is seldom worn, only during wedding photo shots. The bride normally wears the western white wedding gown and switch to evening wear of their choice.

As for roasted suckling pig, well, it's not a must but some do practice that.

[Amdir_Flassion]

With the fried rice in the weddings, the popular choice for that I know of is 福建炒饭 (Hokkien Fried Rice) in HK, which is essentially ur typical fried rice with gravy on top.