Treat your tastebuds: The Yang Yang

Looking for somewhere different to go food shopping in Melbourne to-morrow? Miss Eagle's favourite place is the Yang Yang in the Food Market at Box Hill Central. The Yang Yang is fascinating and so are the people who shop there. Not many Anglos but Chinese, nationals and ethnic; Vietnamese; Philippinos; Indians and Uncle Rhajiv and all can be seen at the Yang Yang. Fresh vegetables like you will never see at Woolworths and Coles; all sorts and varieties of rice; crockery; and all sorts of things, packaged and canned, that will make you wonder what on earth they're for and maybe you will invest in yet another Asian cookbook. And they usually have white carrot cake for a tasty snack.

Box Hill has a large Chinese population and the food market at Box Hill Central is clearly geared to that demographic - although there are plenty of retailers catering to the Standard Australian Diet.

The eateries are good and there is a great variety. And a stall in the main court sells Bubble Tea! Treat your tastebuds!

Gung hay fat choi!

Food at work is back in the forefront this week. Miss Eagle teamed up with Sau, a Vietnamese colleague, to turn on a celebratory lunch for Vietnamese/Chinese New Year which begins this weekend.

This table was filled with fruit, Chinese mementos, and New Year Cakes.

Red, the traditional colour of luck, was dominant in decoration and in food. Red and green is the traditional colour for food so that placed watermelon top of the list. Strawberries and raspberries accompanied the fruit platter.

Towards the rear at the right is a box full of lucky money envelopes. Now, we couldn't afford money for everyone so every pretty red envelope carried New Year sweets.

Sau has quite a reputation in our department for good food. And she did it again. She gave us Beef Salad and Pork and Vegetable Wraps with Plum Sauce. Here is a vegetarian version of Vietnamese Wraps.

As can be seen, the food was presented in a setting which was Chinese themed for New Year in colours of red and gold. Chinese lanterns hung from the ceiling and red and gold scrolls with New Year wishes for business hung on the windows of the boss's office.

Sau had an opportunity to share some of the customs of the Vietnamese people at New Year with her colleagues. This gave her great pleasure because sometimes conversation centres around her food and cooking skills. This time she was able to share something of how she and her family celebrate this most important occasion on the Vietnamese and Chinese calendar. This year is the Year of the Boar or the Year of the Pig, in particular the Year of the Fire Boar. In China, the Boar ( 豬 ) is associated with fertility and virility. To bear children in the Year of the Pig is considered very fortunate, for they will be happy and honest.

Box Hill, in the leafy eastern suburbs of Melbourne, is home to a significant Chinese community and to-morrow Box Hill will be celebrating from early afternoon to the early hours of Sunday morning. Check out what is planned here.

歲歲平安

Everlasting Peace Year After Year