January
18th, 2012
For
immediate release
15th
Annual
Toddish McWong’s
Gung Haggis Fat Choy
Robbie Burns Chinese New Year's Dinner
photo Deb Martin
January
22nd, 2012
5pm
Reception
6pm
Dinner to 9:15pm – end time
Floata
Seafood Restaurant
#400
– 180 Keefer St.
Vancouver
Chinatown.
Ticket: $65 + service Charge, prices for students
and children
Table
of Ten is $625+ service charge.
Call
Firehall Arts Centre 604-689-0926
January
25th, 2012 marks the 253rd birthday of the famous Scottish bard, two days
after January 23rd Chinese New Year welcoming the Year of the Dragon
– the most auspicious and sacred animal of the Chinese Zodiac.
Gung
Haggis Fat Choy has become synonymous with cultural fusion and fun. Often imitated, but never as successful,
musical, poetic, delicious, historical nor educative.
FEATURED 2012 Performers:
Hosted
by Tetsuro Shigematsu and Toddish McWong
Fred
Wah – Parliamentary Poet Laureate
Jan
Walls – Chinese clapper tales and Chinese scholar
Harry McGrath – Robbie Burns Immortal Memory
Black
Bear Rebels Celtic Ceilidh ensemble
Gung
Haggis Fat Choy Pipes & Drums
Lots
of dragons + surprises!
In
1998, “Toddish McWong” held a small private dinner for 16 friends with food,
haggis, poetry and songs – from both Scottish and Chinese cultures and thus was
born –
Gung Haggis Fat Choy – Now it is a dinner for 400 people!
More
than a traditional dinner with music
and poetry. Gung Haggis Fat Choy
re-imagines a traditional Robert Burns Dinner format, within a BC or Canadian
historical context that puts Scottish-Canadian and Chinese-Canadian pioneers on
an inclusive and equal platform, while acknowledging historical racism and how
we move beyond it. This event has grown to also celebrate contemporary Scottish-Canadian and Chinese-Canadian
artists and poets and their innovations to create something uniquely Canadian.
15 Years of Highlights for
Gung Haggis Fat Choy & Toddish McWong:
1998 – 1st Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner for 16 people in a living room.
2003
– 1st Creation of deep-fried haggis won ton
2004
– CBC tv television performance special “Gung Haggis Fat Choy”– nominated for 2
Leo Awards
2005
– SFU GHFC Festival with dragon cart racing + human curling
2006
– GHFC photo included in Paul Yee book Saltwater City
2007
– “Address to the Haggis” rap version performed by Todd Wong & Joe McDonald
2007
– GHFC featured in CBC documentary Generations: The Chan Legacy
2008
– Toddish McWong photo in BC Canada
Pavillion during Beijing Olympics.
2008
– photo of Toddish McWong in the Royal BC Museum exhibit “The Party”
2009
– GHFC written about in Charles Demers’ book Vancouver Special
2009
– Toddish McWong featured speaker at Centre for Scottish Studies SFU conference
“Burns in Trans-Atlantic context”
2009
– Toddish McWong photo featured at Scottish Parliament in the exhibit “This is
Who We Are: Scots in Canada.”
2011
– GHFC dinner inspired Hapa-Palooza Festival for Vancouver 125 Celebrations
Featured poets and authors
have included:
Joy Kogawa, Fred Wah, Brad Cran, Larissa Lai, Rita
Wong, George McWhirter, Jim Wong-Chu, Lensey Namioka, Fiona Tinwei Lam, + Musicians
Silk Road Music, Heather Pawsey soprano, Lan Tung, and Blackthorn + Film makers
Jeff Chiba Stearns, Ann-Marie Fleming and Moyra Rodger.
Proceeds
of the dinner go to Historic Joy Kogawa House Society, Asian Canadian Writers'
Workshop/Ricepaper Magazine and Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team. Every dinner guest receives a gift
subscription to Ricepaper Magazine
Menu Highlights include:
Deep-fried
haggis won ton + haggis pork dumpling (su-mei) and appetizer courses.
“Neeps”
served Chinese style in the form of pan-fried turnip cake, dim sum style.
Traditional
haggis is served with Chinese lettuce wrap.
And
we always feature fun singalongs such as Loch Lomand, My Chow Mein (Bonny) Lies
Over the Ocean, and When Asian Eyes Are Smiling.
+
lots of surprises… such as new for 2012 – a revamped version of Robbie Burns
lyrics set to Johnny Cash or Elvis Presley music.
For
media inquires contact:
Todd
Wong
778-846-7090
www.gunghaggis.com