Sylvi McJang attends Gung Haggis Fat Choy: sends pictures
Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner is as much about the people attending the dinner as the people on stage. Many people come dressed in a combination of tartans and Chinese silks. Many people come celebrating their bi-cultural ethnic ancestry, or their inter-racial marriage.
Gung Haggis Fat Choy is about inclusion. The Scottish-Chinese thing is just the starting point. It's also everything in-between, and everything beyond. Cultural diversity starts in our families. Our families teach us about our cultural traditions, and hopefully about racial tolerance and respect for all peoples and their traditions. With Gung Haggis Fat Choy, we integrate from both, and are creating our own.
Below is a letter and photos from “Sylvi McJang” – a great example of Gung Haggis Fat Choy – living and breathing, and well in our nation called Canada.
Hello all,
Here are some pictures from last week – what a
great event!! It was a lot of fun sharing a table with
such friendly people, with beautifully
colourful costumes. And thank you Todd for organizing this
wonderful evening! Hope to see you all there next year.
great event!! It was a lot of fun sharing a table with
such friendly people, with beautifully
colourful costumes. And thank you Todd for organizing this
wonderful evening! Hope to see you all there next year.
All the best,
“Sylvi McJang”
1) Sylvi McJang (Mission, BC) and her mother Helen
MacKay (Grand Forks, BC) pose with the Lion Head mask that I wore for my “Gung Haggis Fat Choy” photo used on the posters, website and business cards. Jim Wong-Chu (executive director of Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop), organizes the prizes in the background, the only person who has attended every Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner in a restaurant. – photo courtesy of Sylvi McJang
MacKay (Grand Forks, BC) pose with the Lion Head mask that I wore for my “Gung Haggis Fat Choy” photo used on the posters, website and business cards. Jim Wong-Chu (executive director of Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop), organizes the prizes in the background, the only person who has attended every Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner in a restaurant. – photo courtesy of Sylvi McJang
2) Lorrie and
Tony Breen (West Van) with Toddish McWong. Red and black always seem to be the prevailing colours at Chinese and Scottish cultural events. – photo courtesy of Sylvi McJang
Tony Breen (West Van) with Toddish McWong. Red and black always seem to be the prevailing colours at Chinese and Scottish cultural events. – photo courtesy of Sylvi McJang
3) Jan and Bill Murdoch (Richmond, BC) displaying their tartans mixed with Chinese dragon designs. It's impossible to talk to everybody at the dinner but I try to. I also had talked with Bill Murdoch on the phone prior to the event. When people ask what to wear to Gung Haggis Fat Choy, I reply simply “ethnic-chic” – anything inbetween and anything beyond. Some people go casual like the Murdochs above, and some people go formal in Chinese cheong-sam (long dress) or kilt with cutaway tuxedo jacket Like the Breens below – photo courtesy of Sylvi McJang
4) Lorrie and Tony Breen are a lovely couple that I have become friends with. I first met Tony 2 years ago at a meeting of the Burns Club of Vancouver. Later that year, Tony organized a fundraising dinner for the West Vancouver Rotary Club at Floata, and invited myself and Pamela Martin to be MC's – photo Sylvi McJang – photo courtesy of Sylvi McJang