Hi! If you don’t already know, FYI… I’m Asian. Born and raised in North America and proudly Asian. Growing up in North America, the Asian culture is sometimes diluted. Lunar New Year has always been about celebrating with family. For me and many others, it did not extend outside those parameters. There’s no day off to mark the occasion, it’s a regular work day as usual. There is no week-long colourful celebration and most of the traditions are simplified. Without any pomp and circumstance, it’s simply abiding by Grandma’s superstitions of “don’t wash your hair or sweep the floor” culminating into an elaborate meal with the relatives. In fact, even if we knew other Asians in our peer group, it’s not like we did anything special to celebrate together. This needed to change. There had to be a way to bring our local community of Asians together to create a new tradition for celebrating our amazing culture.
So that’s what I did.
To herald in the Lunar New Year, I partnered with Miss Wong and gathered some of Montreal’s influential Asians for a special evening. The Year of the Rat is said to bring great abundance. The rat symbolizes new beginnings and new opportunities, and it was certainly a new feat for us to bring together a diverse mix of Asians who are revving it up in their communities and industries. An intimate dinner was a perfect way to celebrate a prosperous new year and the start of a new decade.
A symbol of luck and prosperity, red lanterns hung row on row casted a warm glow over the evening’s festivities. No overseas journey was required yet guests were transported to the beauty of the Far East. Vibrant colours and artwork adorned the walls, complementing the savoury flavours of the fusion cuisine created by Miss Wong’s talented chefs. It was a lively evening filled with good food and good company. It was apparent that new friendships were formed over the course of the happy feast.
Watching all the smiling faces across the table, our hearts were full to see how everything came together just the way we imagined. This may not have been our parent’s traditional New Year’s celebration, but it was still simply magical and of course, very joyful indeed!
Influential Asians
January 28th, 2020
Venue & Catering: Miss Wong
Floral & Table Design: Luluthia Floral Design
Table Stationery: Luluthia Paper Design
Photography: Martin Brisson
#InfluentialAsians #LunarNewYear
A special thank you to Nicolas Quevillon and Phong Thach of Miss Wong for creating a memorable experience.
