Date: Fri 20-Feb-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

business-Dynasty-Chinese

Full Text:

Chinese New Year Comes A Little Late To Dynasty Restaurant

(with photos)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

Dynasty Chinese Restaurant celebrated Chinese New Year a bit later than usual

this year, but the friends who gathered for the restaurant's grand opening

last week didn't seem to mind.

Located in the newly renovated building which in years past housed The Drug

Center in the shopping center on Queen Street, Dynasty is the former Main

Moon, owned by James Lam, who also owns restaurants in the Sand Hill Plaza and

in Brewster, N.Y. The Chinese New Year/grand opening celebration was delayed

by more than a week as final work had to be completed in the restaurant before

a certificate of occupancy could be issued by the building official of the

Borough of Newtown.

Mr Lam said he decided that since the restaurant was moving, he would rename

it Dynasty Chinese Restaurant to make it unique. The Main Moon name wasn't

trademarked, he said, and many restaurants with that name are now operating in

the area.

This year James and Kim Lam's son, Kevin, missed the New Year celebration

because he was busy with classes at Vassar, where he is majoring in English.

But their daughter, Angela, came with her friends, Sally Cheng and Maren

Anderson, to join the adults at the long table which had been set up the

length of the dining room.

Although January 28 was the first day of the Chinese year 4,696 -- the Year of

the Tiger --the festival lasts up to 15 days in many areas, and includes

visits with family and friends, elaborate dinners, gifts of money for children

and, in many large cities around the world, vibrant lion dances illuminated by

the flash of fireworks.

The celebration at Dynasty Chinese Restaurant on February 11 was a

banquet-style feast with rich foods such as Peking duck and ginger-fried whole

lobsters, sweet rice-flour New Year cakes, and whole prawns cooked on wooden

skewers. Bowls of winter melon soup led off the meal (not counting the dishes

of many assorted candies that traditionally greet the guests). There were

platters of steamed dumplings, swordfish with vegetables, glazed chicken

pieces, whole steamed fish, sugar snap peas, and beef with peppers, followed

by trays of sliced fresh fruit.

The banquet concluded with red envelopes of lai see, or lucky money, given to

the teenagers to bring luck and prosperity to both the giver and the receiver.

Many of the traditional foods served for Chinese New Year hold meaning in

their names or shapes. Eating sweet rice cakes, or nien gua, is thought to

help the diner "move up" in the new year. Fish signifies life and abundance.

Because the Chinese calendar is based on a combination of solar and lunar

movements, the new year falls on a different date each year.

The Chinese calendar also revolves around an animal-based zodiac. According to

legend, Buddha invited all of the animals in the kingdom to celebrate his

leave-taking from earth. Only 12 animals came.

To express his gratitude, Buddha named a year of the zodiac after each, in the

order in which they arrived: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse,

ram, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar.

Celebrated worldwide, the lunar new year signifies the imminent arrival of

spring. According to Chinese astrology, individuals born in Tiger years are

characterized as strong, intense, daring, protective, sensitive, stubborn

about what they believe is right, and capable of great love.

It is believed that the Year of the Tiger can be one of discord or harmony,

reflected in the powerful animal's alternating stripes. It is up to each

person to fit into the character and personality of the zodiac sign that

accompanies each year.

Dynasty Chinese Restaurant specializes in Szechuan, Hunan and Cantonese

Cuisine. It is known, as the menu points out, for dishes that offer colorful

choices, exotic fragrances, savory tastes and generous portions. Dishes can be

prepared without monosodium glutamate (MSG) or salt. Hot and spicy dishes can

be altered according to the customer's taste.

Dynasty Chinese Restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 11 am to 10:30

pm, Friday and Saturday, 11 am to 11:30 pm, and Sunday noon to 9:30 pm. For

takeout orders, call 426-6438.