Category Archives: 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner

Interviews, Kogawa House, Gung Haggis Fat Choy taste testing, Bryan Adams

Wednesday prior to Gung Haggis Fat Choy

Busy busy days leading up to Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner event
now.  CBC Radio Freestyle called in the morning to find out more
about the dinner and to set up an interview for Friday morning to be
broadcast on Friday afternoon, January 20th.

The Courier newspaper phoned me, asking me questions about the status
of Kogawa House, and how the fund raising was going.  Still slow
on the major fronts, but The Land Conservancy is setting up some
displays in major book stores throughout Vancouver.  The Gung
Haggis Fat Choy dinner is donating partial proceeds to Kogawa House,
because “it is so dear to my heart,” and I have now set up Joy Kogawa
to be keynote speaker at the “Order of Canada/Maple Leaf” luncheon for
the Canadian Club.

I attended a meeting with new Vancouver City Councilor Kim Capri,
regarding status of Kogawa House.  She gave us some great contacts
and idea, as well as a donation.  While at City Hall, Ann-Marie
Metten and I bumped into Councillors Raymond Louie and David Cadman,
who had both voted to support Kogawa House back on Nov. 3. 
Raymond is coming to the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner, so we gave him
his tickets, as well as dropping off tickets for Councillor Elizabeth
Ball, Suzanne Anton, BC Lee, Heather Deal, George Chow and Mayor Sam
Sullivan.

Chuck Lew, the organizer of the Chinatown Lions Club, phoned me back to
tell me that their annual “Haggis Night dinner” is on Thursday January
26th.  It's at the Floata I think.

We had taste-testing at the Floata Restaurant for the Gung Haggis Fat
Choy dinner tonight.  Attending was Roland Tanglao of
www.vaneats.com, chef Stephen Wong, dragon boat team members Dave
Samis, Daming and Deb Martin.  CBC radio reporter Margaret
Gallagher also dropped in to pick up some haggis won ton to use in an
on-air segment of “What's going on” and to give away 2 tickets for Gung
Haggis Fat Choy on 690 to Go!  More on our taste testing
tomorrow.

While at the Floata Restaurant, Mayor Sam Sullivan phoned me to check
on his part in the dinner.  Sam loves Chinese culture, and he
informs me that he has selected a short Tang dynasty poem to read in
Cantonese.  We have a short chat about how when he was in Grade 9
at Vancouver Technical Highschool, I was there in grade 8.  I tell
him we have a table of '77 and '78 Van Tech grades attending.  Sam
also gives me the lowdown on what is required to get him and his
wheelchair onstage at the Floata Restaurant.  We will need a
ramp.  Vancouver Mayors get invited many times a month to attend
events at Floata, especially as Chinese New Year approaches.  We
need a ramp.

Then we headed over to the Vancouver Public library, for a reading by Janice Wong, author of Chow from China to Canada: Tales of Food and Family.  Janice does a great presentation using a lap top
computer to do a slide show of family pictures, describing family
history and her father's restaurants in Prince Albert, SK.
Chef /food columnist Stephen Wong, Historian Larry Wong and myself join
Janice for a panel discussion about food, Chinatown restaurants,
Chinese Canadian history, and family.  I tell the story about how
I invented haggis won ton for a CBC Radio reception welcoming Shelagh
Rogers and Sounds Like Canada to Vancouver.  Stephen talks about
the origins of Chinese dumplings.  Larry talks about apple tarts
from the old Chinese restaurants.  Roland Tanglao of www.vaneats.com  posted Stephen Wong's Chinese restaurant picks

Then at 9pm, I am off to the Bryan Adams
concert.  Great concert.  Almost everybody is singing along
to every song.  The energy is high.  There is an octogenarian
couple sitting on the aisle seats on our row.  They are mouthing
the words to “Cuts Like a Knife” – hmmm I wonder if they are Bryan's
parents or relatives.  Adams finishes his first encore, then comes
back for a second encore with only an accoustic guitar.  He plays
about 5 songs unplugged.  What a great way to conclude a
concert.  Everybody is singing along to Heaven, Best of Me. All
for One, Room Service, Straight From the Heart.

The Scotsman: Burns meets the dragon in a Chinese Canadian feast


The Scotsman:

Burns meets the dragon in a Chinese Canadian feast

The Scotsman, international journal for the Scottish diaspora has
published a story about Gung Haggis Fat Choy.  Journalist
Christina Harper interviewed myself and bagpiper Joe MacDonald.

Piper Joseph McDonald (inside dragon mask) and...

Piper Joseph McDonald (inside dragon mask) and Gung Haggis Fat Choy organiser Todd Wong.
Picture: Jaime Griffiths

Burns meets the dragon in a Chinese Canadian feast

CHRISTINA HARPER

NO MATTER where Scots have settled throughout the world, chances are
that as January 25 gets closer many of them will shake out sporrans,
dust down kilts and attend a Burns Supper.

From Australia to
Alabama, thousands of ex-pat Scots will savour haggis, neeps and whisky
while the Bard's immortal words flow through the air. But in Vancouver,
British Columbia, there's an annual event that Burns, to many the
quintessential everyman, would surely be proud.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy
is a celebration of Burns Night and Chinese New Year created by fifth
generation Chinese Canadian Todd Wong, or if you’d rather: Toddish
McWong. The event has grown from an intimate merging of the two
cultures at a dinner in 1998, to a cultural must-do filled with song,
dance, poetry and a feast that in 2005 fed 600 people.

As a piper Joseph McDonald has been involved in many traditional
Burns suppers. He likes them, but says that they are not too surprising
in terms of what is going to happen next and what food people will dine
on. “With this the food is different,” says McDonald.

<a href="http://www.bravewaves.com/" target="_blank"> Joseph McDonald</a> on pipes and dhol player Nealamjit Dhillon.

Joseph McDonald on pipes and dhol player Nealamjit Dhillon.

He plays the bagpipes accompanied by an Indian dhol drum and the singer songwriter has been performing at Gung Haggis Fat Choy since
2001. “He[Wong] said, 'I'm having this Gung Haggis Fat Choy. You
would fit in.' It’s all about blending cultures,” says
McDonald.   It has become a tradition to have the bagpipes
and the dhol to get the event started and McDonald pipes in the haggis.

“Now
it's quite an affair where the waiters are all lined up with quite a
few haggises,” says McDonald. “It's quite a spectacle.”

Read the rest of the article Burns Meets the Dragon in Chinese Canadian Feast

Gim Wong and Lensey Namioka coming to Gung Haggis Fat Choy!


Gim Wong and Lensey Namioka coming to Gung Haggis Fat Choy!

At
last year's Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner, we started up a head table to
host the Mayor, and special VIP's.  Last year the “Mayor's” table
was sponsored by Common Ground's publisher Joseph Roberts. 
Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell brought his wife.  Don Montgomery,
vice-president of Asian Canadian Writers' Workhop hosted the
table. Dr. Dennis Law and his wife Moon along with MLA's Jenny
Kwan and Joy McPhail were special guests, since Chinatown is part of
Jenny's constituency.  Bob Brinson represented the Gung Haggis
dragon boat team.


We are going to do it again this year.

Vancouver
Mayor Sam Sullivan is coming, along with Mayor of Lions Bay, Max
Wyman.  Both will be reading some poetry. Joy Kogawa is our
featured poet for the evening.  Moyra Rodger is the producer of
the CBC television performance special Gung Haggis Fat Choy (and she
hasn't attended a GHFC dinner until now).  Libby Davies will be
our MP for the evening, since Chinatown is part of her constituency. We
will have a representative from Ricepaper magazine.  Don
Montgomery will again be the representative for Asian Canadian Writers'
Workshop.  Deb Martin will represent the Gung Haggis Fat Choy
dragon boat team.


And I am really pleased to add two more people for this year's head table: Gim Wong and Lensey Namioka

Lensey Namioka. is
an award winning author of children's and young adult's books. 
This past summer I found the book “Half and Half” about a young girl
growing up in Seattle with a Chinese-American grandparent on her
father's side, and Scottish-Canadian grandparents on her mother's
side.  Very Gung Haggis, I thought.  I wrote a short
review/comment about the story, and pledged that I would invite Lensey
Namioka to the next Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner.  Lensey said she
had to laugh when she saw my e-mail invitation.  I don't think she
had heard of Gung Haggis Fat Choy before… but maybe, because the CBC
television performance special did air in Washington State on CBC
television.  For those who are wondering, Lensey was born in
China, immigrated to the United States at age nine, and married a
Japanese man – hence the name Namioka!


Hopefully Lensey will be able to read a short passage from Half and Half for the GHFC dinner.



Gim Wong grew
up in Vancouver's Strathcona neighborhood.  He enlisted with the
Canadian Air Force when Chinese Canadians couldn't vote in the country
they were born in.  In 200, this 83 year old  veteran decided
to ride his motorcycle from Mile 0 in Victoria to Ottawa for July 1st,
to protest for head tax redress.  Gim wanted to meet with the
Prime Minister in Ottawa – but the PMO did not respond to any requests
for a meeting, but invited him to attend July 1st celebrations on
Parliament Hill.

In
2004, Gim was featured in the NFB film documentary by Karen Cho, In the
Shadow of Gold Mountain.  In Sept 2005, the Asian Canadian
Writers' Workshop awarded Gim with the ACWW Community Builder's Award.
This past week, Gim was featured in a Vancouver Sun story on head tax
redress.


At
the 2003 GHFC dinner, Gim had approached me and offered to sing
Chinatown My Chinatown.  But I wasn't prepared to add it to the
program at that moment.  Today I invited Gim to perform Chinatown
My Chinatown with me on stage for the GHFC dinner.  He said he
wouldn't pass the invitation up.
(note – Gim was unable to attend the dinner – TW)

Watch a video clip of Gim riding his motorcycle in 2004
Rideforredress

Toddish McWong about town – Jan 15, 16, 18, 22, 2006

Toddish McWong about town – Jan 15, 16, 18, 22, 2006

Todd Wong appears in 4 different events listed this week in the Georgia Straight's Time Out section.


HAGGIS AND CHOPSTICKS

Vancouver
Storytelling Society presents an evening of Chinese and Scottish
storytellers, including Todd Wong of Gung Haggis Fat Choy fame. Jan.
15, 7:30 pm, Hodson Manor (1254 W. 7th). Tix $3 members/$4 nonmembers at the door.

GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY WORLD POETRY NIGHT


Todd Wong, Ariadne Sawyer, and Alejandro Mujica-Olea host a celebration
of both Chinese New Year and Robbie Burns Day, featuring readings by
poets Fiona Lam, James Mullin, and Alexis Kienlen; Chines dancing by
Yan Yan and friends; bagpipe music by Joe McDonald; and surprise
guests. Jan. 16, 7:30 pm, Vancouver Public Library (350 W. Georgia). Free admission, info 604-526-4729.


JANICE WONG

Author reads from her book Chow From China to Canada: Tales of Food and Family,
with guests Larry Wong of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society and
Todd Wong of the Asian Canadian Writer’s Workshop. Jan. 18, 7:30 pm, Vancouver Public Library (350 W. Georgia). Free admission,

and of course don't forget about….

GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner

A
growing Vancouver legend featuring a 10 course cultural fusion dinner
featuring haggis won ton and haggis lettuce wrap.  Lots of great
performers such as Rick Scott and Harry Wong, Joy Kogawa, Joe McDonald
and Brave Waves, LaLa, The Shirleys, Sean Gunn + many more surprises.

January 22nd, Floata Restaurant, #400 – 180 Keefere Street, Vancouver Chinatown.
Tickets: call Firehall Arts Centre 604-689-0926

$70
for single seat at premium table with wine, $60 for regular table
seating.  10 per table. Children are $35 and $30.  All adults
recieve one year subscription to Ricepaper Magazine ($20 value).

Performers for Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2006

PERFORMERS FOR GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY 2006



Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns
What: Gung Haggis Fat Choy:
          Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns
          Chinese New Year Dinner

When: 6pm, January 22, 2006,

            Sunday  Reception at 5:30pm

Where: Floata Restaurant

             #400 – 180 Keefer St.


             Vancouver Chinatown

Tickets: Firehall Arts Centre

              604-689-0926



Advance Premium price (until January 9):
$60 single / $600 per table. 
Includes wine and Ricepaper Magazine subscription


Advance Regular price (until Januray 9): $50 single / $500 per table – i
ncludes Ricepaper Magazine subscription


After January 9th
– Premium price $70 each / Regular price $60
each.  Children 13 and under 50% off (no Ricepaper subscription).



Hosted by Todd Wong and Prem Gill (City TV's multicultural director and host of Colour TV)

I
can proudly say the our special performing guests are all my
friends.  I have scouted and reviewed their performances and they
are all deemed Gung Haggis Fat Choy worthy.  We are honoured by
their participation:


Rick Scott & Harry Wong

creators of “5 Elements” children's cd and show – featured at Vancouver International Children's Festival in 2004

“Harry
Goh Goh” (Harry Big Brother) is the affectionate term that Harry is
know as on his “Bean Town” chinese languarge children's television show
that is broadcast around the world.  He is the “Raffi of Hong
Kong” and Rick Scott and I watched ch
ildren at Vancouver Children's Festival line up to meet “Harry Goh Goh” after their joint show.  “He's their hero,” Rick told me. 

No
slouch in the performing deparment himself, Rick Scott has thrilled
children's audiences everywhere – especially with his fan favorite Rap
song tribute to Mozard. “Yo Mo!” (Come on Amadeus, Whatcha gonna play
us?”  Scott has also thrilled adult audiences for decade
s
as 1/3 of the accoustic folk trio Pied Pumkin with Shari Ulrich and Joe
Mok (whose father is Chinese – making the Pumkin 1/6 Chinese??)



Joy Kogawa O.C.

Award winning author and poet, of Obasan (Vancouver Public Library's
2005 choice for One Book One Vancouver) and Naomi's Road (Vancouver
Opera's production for Opera in the Schools)


Joy
has become a truly blessed friend, as we have come together by crisis.
I first met her back in 1986 at Expo 86's Folk Life Pavillion where she
read from her newly written book Obasan
. I was stunned by the beauty of her words, that always stayed with me.

In my support of Obasan as the OBOV selection and in joining the Save Kogwa House
committee – we know regularly chat and share the ups and downs of the
campaign from the tree planting at City Hall to the performances of
Vancouver Opera's “Naomi's Road.”  She teaches me about
forgiveness, healing and about the Japanese Canadian redress movement.


Joe McDonald & Brave Waves

Bagpiper, band leader, combining traditional scots, gaelic, celtic and
Canadian songs with Asian and South Asian music and instruments.

Joe
has become a great friend and Gung Haggis regular stalwart.  I
first met him in January 2001 and he first performed when GHFC dinner
was only 100 strong. He participates in the GHFC World Poetry Night and
the gives priority to the GHFC dinner.  He has travelled often to
China and Japan as part of Canadian “multicultural arts groups” and
this summer he performed at the Expo in Japan.  He plays at South
Asian weddings, and Chinese Spring Festival events.

La La

Exciting blend of contemporary soul and hip hop music with Asian roots and traditional Canadian songs.
I
first saw LaLa perform “Auld Lang Syne” in the CBC tv special Gung
HAggis Fat Choy… she was selected as the “Chinese element” for the
last segment of the tv special and has performed many years with Joe
McDonald, singing at weddings, services etc.  When we first met,
we got along famously.  La La has a great voice suited for
traditional, hip hop or blues music.  It is rich and
soulful.  Last year, we performed together for First Night
Vancouver, and our friendly chemistry really put “The Haggis Rap” over
the top.  I still cannot believe 500 people punching air and
singing “As langs my arm!”


Sean Gunn


Singer /Songwriter – Head Tax Redress activist and composer of “The Head Tax Blues”
Sean's
poetry is included in the first anthology of Chinese Canadian prose and
poetry titled “Many Mouthed Birds.”  He even invited me to play
accordion with me one summer at the Powell St. Festival.  His
song, the Head Tax Blues, is a rallying call for redress of the
racially discriminating head tax and exclusion act, suffered by Chinese
immigrants to Canada from 1885 to 1947.  It has been performed at
GHFC dinners in 2000, 2001, 2003.  The song is featured in the
Karen Cho NFB documentary “In the Shadow of Gold Mountain,” a moving
story about the Chinese Canadian pioneers and the redress campaign for
an apology and reparation.


Jeff Chiba Stearns

Classical Animator – creator of award winning animated film “What Are You Anyways?”

I
met Jeff this past summer in the Vancouver Public Library promenade for
the Japanese Canadian community fair.  I was taken immediately by
his drawings of his animated film “What Are You Anyways?” that
described his adventures growing up Half-Japanese in a BC interior
town.  Right then, I invited Jeff to be a performer for
GHFC.  He is the first filmaker we have featured.

The Shirleys

Seven sassy soulful females singing accapella songs of protest and lullabyes.

I
first met the Shirleys at a fundraiser event last year for then city
councillor Ellen Woodsworth.  I was amazed by the groovy chemistry
that this acappella group radiated.  I have known one of the
group's leaders Karen Lee-Morlang for a few years, as Karen organizes
monthly music programs at the Vancouver Public Library.  The
Shirleys sing lullabyes, they sing protest songs, they sing songs from
around the world.  They are hip, they are happening, and they give
real good group hugs.  You better believe it.

 

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan to attend Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2006 – will read poem in Cantonese?



Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan to attend Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2006 –
will read poem in Cantonese?




It's official!  Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan will be attending the
2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner event at Floata Restaurant on January
22nd.




But will Mayor Sullivan wear a kilt?  Will he wear the Sullivan
tartan?  Or will he be stylishly attired in a Chinese
jacket? 




Will he read a Robbie Burns poem, or a Chinese poem?
  After all, this mayor is known for his fluency in Cantonese – the same
language as the early Chinese Canadian pioneers, many of home all paid
the Chinese head tax to enter the country.



I have known Sam Sullivan for a number of years.  We first
got to know each other when he visited the BC History and Genealogy Day
fair at the Vancouver Public Library back in 2001 or 2002. 
Since
then, we have bumped into each other many times at the Central Branch
Library where I work, as well as the Yaletown neighborhood where he
lives.


We initially had
a great talk about our family histories in Vancouver, and we discussed
how we both grew up in Vancouver's East Side.  My father had a
signwriting shop on Venables St between Clark Drive and Commercial
Drive, called Hopp Signs.  Sam's father ran “Sully's Autoparts” on
Hastings Street, between Clark Dr. and Commercial Dr. 

As
a councillor, Sam Sullivan has also attended a number of events for
Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop.  At our 2003 ACWW dinner, he
gave a welcome as deputy Mayor.  At the recent Ricepaper 10th
Anniversary dinner in September 2005, he surprised people by showing up
after a long hard day, which saw him victorious over Christy Clark for
the NPA position of mayoralty candidate.


This morning, I learned that my Sam and I were both attending Vancouver
Technical Highschool at the same time.  I was in grade 8 at Van
Tech when the young Sullivan was in grade 9.  Then I moved to
North Vancouver.  Sam will probably see some his old Vancouver
Tech school mates as some of my Laura Secord Elementary School
classmates are planning to have Laura Secord alumni table for the Gung
Haggis Fat Choy dinner.  I hope they invite Howard Jang, who is
now general manager for the Arts Club Theatre. Sam went to the other
feeder school, Chief Maquinna.




Last year we started the tradition of inviting the Mayor of Vancouver
with Larry Campbell – now Senator Campbell.  Mayor Campbell showed
up wearing a brightly coloured Chinese jacket over his mult-coloured
kilt.  And we had him on stage reading the Burns poem “A Man's A
Man for All That A' That” along with MLA's Joy McPhail and Jenny Kwan,
along with myself and co-host  Shelagh Rogers.






Mayor Larry Campbell at the 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner: 


1) reading Burns poetry in his brightly coloured Chinese jacket


2) having a slice of the haggis with host Todd Wong


3) reading Burns poetry “A Man's A Man For All That and All That” with
MLA's Joy McPhail, Jenny Kwan, and hosts Todd Wong and Shelagh Rogers.
photos by Ray Shum – Tempest Photography

GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY 2006: Dinner update

GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY 2006: Dinner update

The tickets sales are picking up, and the media calls are coming in.


One
Wednesday night, I bumped into Max Wyman and his wife Susan Mendelson.
Max is the new mayor of Lion's Bay, and is excited to be coming as one
of my special guests at the head table.  He told arts curator Tom
Graff that he will be reading some Burns poetry.  Susan asked
about what to wear, and we told her that ethnic-chic was very very
cool….


City
Councilor Suzanne Anton confirmed she is coming, and thanked me for
making Kogawa House one of the beneficiaries of the fund raising
dinner.  I replied that the decision was a no-brainer and that I
really appreciate what Joy has done for the Asian Canadian literary and
arts community and it is very important to save her childhood home.
Last year city councilors Ellen Woodsworth, Anne Roberts, Sam Sullivan
and Peter Ladner attended, along with Mayor Larry Campbell.


Sandee
Wong of the Calgary Herald called me for a short interview, asking what
the special surprise for 2006 was going to be.  I said I couldn't
tell her – it would ruin the surprise.


Christina
Harper who lives in Everett WA, is hoping to come across the border to
attend the dinner with friends.  Christina writes for The Scotsman, an international newspaper for the Scots diaspora around the world.

I am looking forward to the January 16th GHFC World Poetry Night.  I talked to  bagpiper Joe McDonald
the other day.  He is readying the pipes for our annual free
event, and he will be bringing some of his self-penned songs to perform.

On the cover of the January Events for the Vancouver Public Library is my cousin Janice Wong on the cover – because her book reading/presentation for CHOW: memories of food and family,
is being presented at the Central Library with a panel discussion on
January 18.  Chef Steven Wong is joining us, Janice, historian
Larry Wong and myself.  That makes it 4 Wongs or Quad Wongs says
Janice.

Earlier this week, I also confirmed my participation for the SFU
Gung Haggis Fat Choy Canadian Games 3-day festival.  On January
25th, there will be opening ceremonies with Lion Dance, and a rice and
chopsticks relay.  On January 26th, there will be the Dragon Carts
races, and on January 27th, there will be a brand new world's first –
“Human Curling.”

I can't believe how my simple idea of Gung
Haggis Fat Choy is morphing into such crazy and unbelievable
permutations.  But I love it.

Hey Mom! They printed a picture of me in Shared Vision magazine…



Hey Mom!  They printed a picture of me in Shared Vision magazine…

Okay…
it's January in Vancouver, BC, and the Gung Haggis Fat Choy season is
upon us now.  Welcome to the first print media sighting of this
phenomena known as Gung Haggis Fat Choy.

The first known media sighting is Anne Garber's Evalu8 Website.  Click on the little picture of “Gung Haggis” for the article.

Toddish McWong
Joe McDonald (in mask) holding his bagpipes, while Todd Wong plays accordion – photo Jaime Griffiths, courtesy of Todd Wong

GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY
For most of the year, Todd Wong is a
community activist who works on issues such as Chinese head-tax redress
and the preservation of the childhood home of author Joy Kogawa. Once a
year, however, the mild-mannered Wong transforms into Toddish McWong,
the host and organizer of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, a celebration of
Chinese and Scottish culture in honour of Chinese New Year and Robbie
Burns Day, which occur a few days apart. 

Check out the rest of the article at
http://www.shared-vision.com/2006/sv1901/calendar1901.html

Scottish Hogmanay New Year + Asian Canadian style = Gung Haggis Fat Choy



Scottish Hogmanay New Year + Asian Canadian style =  Gung Haggis Fat Choy

What better way to celebrate Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year tradition, than by releasing the 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy poster?

The origin of Gung Haggis Fat Choy
started when I was asked to participate in the 1993 Robbie Burns Day
celebration at Simon Fraser University.  In 1998, I decided to
host a dinner for 16 guests that blended Robbie Burns Day(January 25th)
with Chinese lunar New Year (late January to early February). 

The result has been a dinner event that has grown steadily to a 2005
dinner of 600 guests, a CBC television special, an annual poetry night
at the Vancouver Public Library, a recreation event at Simon Fraser
University…. and media stories around the world!


Hogmanay is the Scottish New Year's Eve, and it is celebrated on New Year's Eve with a Grand Dinner. It can be very similar to Chinese New Year's in many ways:


1) Make lots of noise. 
Chinese like to burn firecrackers, bang drums and pots to scare the
ghosts and bad spirits away.  Scots will fire off cannons, sound
sirens, bang pots and make lots of noise, I think just for the excuse
of making noise.

2) Pay off your debts. 
Chinese like to ensure that you start off the New Year with no debts
hanging onto your personal feng shui.  I think the Scots do the
same but especially to ensure that they aren't paying anymore interest.

3) Have lots of good food.  Eat lots and be merry.  Both Scots and Chinese enjoy eating, hosting their friends and visiting their friends.


4) Party on dude!  In
Asia, Chinese New Year celebrations will go on for days, lasting up to
a week!  Sort of like Boxing week sales in Canada.  In
Scotland, the Scots are proud partyers and are well known for making
parties last for days on end.

Come to think about it… the above traditions can be found in many
cultures… I guess the Scots and Chinese are more alike than different
with lots of other cultures too!

2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Dinner event poster – designed by Jaime Griffiths and Carole Lee

2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Dinner event poster – original design by Jaime Griffiths, updates by Carole Lee

It is Hogmanay – Scottish New Year and we are celebrating the release of the 2006 poster for….
Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.

The original design was by Jaime Griffiths who is an incredible
interactive multi-media artist.  She dances, she paints, she does
computer graphic design, she conceptualizes far ahead of
the curve.

Carole Lee made the 2006 updates.  She is the Art coordinator for Ricepaper Magazine.  She has attended the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner for the past two years, as a volunteer.


What:  Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner

When: 6pm, January 22, 2006,
            Sunday  Reception at 5:30pm

Where: Floata Restaurant
             #400 – 180 Keefer St.
             Vancouver Chinatown

Tickets: Firehall Arts Centre
              604-689-0926

Advance Premium price: $60 single / $600 per table.
includes wine and Ricepaper Magazine subscription

Advance Regular price: $50 single / $500 per table
includes Ricepaper Magazine subscription

After January 7th – Premium price $70 each / Regular price $60
each.  Children 13 and under 50% off (no Ricepaper subscription).

The origin of Gung Haggis Fat Choy
started when I was asked to participate in the 1993 Robbie Burns Day
celebration at Simon Fraser University.  In 1998, I decided to
host a dinner for 16 guests that blended Robbie Burns Day(January 25th)
with Chinese lunar New Year (late January to early February). 

The result has been a dinner event that has grown steadily to a 2005
dinner of 600 guests, a CBC television special, an annual poetry night
at the Vancouver Public Library, a recreation event at Simon Fraser
University…. and media stories around the world!


Hogmanay is the Scottish New Year's Eve, and it is celebrated on New Year's Eve with a Grand Dinner. It can be very similar to Chinese New Year's in many ways:


1) Make lots of noise. 
Chinese like to burn firecrackers, bang drums and pots to scare the
ghosts and bad spirits away.  Scots will fire off cannons, sound
sirens, bang pots and make lots of noise, I think just for the excuse
of making noise.

2) Pay off your debts. 
Chinese like to ensure that you start off the New Year with no debts
hanging onto your personal feng shui.  I think the Scots do the
same but especially to ensure that they aren't paying anymore interest.

3) Have lots of good food.  Eat lots and be merry.  Both Scots and Chinese enjoy eating, hosting their friends and visiting their friends.


4) Party on dude!  In
Asia, Chinese New Year celebrations will go on for days, lasting up to
a week!  Sort of like Boxing week sales in Canada.  In
Scotland, the Scots are proud partyers and are well known for making
parties last for days on end.

Come to think about it… the above traditions can be found in many
cultures… I guess the Scots and Chinese are more alike than different
with lots of other cultures too!

Hosted by Todd Wong and Prem Gill (City TV's multicultural director and host of Colour TV)



Special performing guests are: 

Rick Scott and Harry Wong, creators of “5 Elements” children's cd and show – featured at Vancouver International Children's Festival in 2004

Joy Kogawa O.C.
Award winning author and poet, of Obasan (Vancouver Public Library's
2005 choice for One Book One Vancouver) and Naomi's Road (Vancouver
Opera's production for Opera in the Schools)

Joe McDonald & Brave Waves
Bagpiper, band leader, combining traditional scots, gaelic, celtic and
Canadian songs with Asian and South Asian music and instruments.

La La
Exciting blend of contemporary soul and hip hop music with Asian roots and traditional Canadian songs.

Sean Gunn
Singer /Songwriter – Head Tax Redress activist and composer of “The Head Tax Blues”

Jeff Chiba Stearns
Classical Animator – creator of award winning animated film “What Are You Anyways?”

The Shirleys
Seven sassy soulful females singing accapella songs of protest and lullabyes.