Little downtown festive delicacy – The Lotus Feast
Lotus, also called water lily. It owns extreme significance to a small town like Macau; Remembering Macau’s return to motherland, all regional flags and emblems depicts Lotus that represents Macau.
Its been a while using Lotus infused in splendid delicacies. “Compendium of Medical Herbs” recorded said; “The sweet lotus taste, mild astringent temperature that holds; the purified fragrances left invigorating smells, harvest and gather the sow grains of cropping tastes; here all describe as the best fruit tonifying the splenic systems.”
Every year between April to June in Macau, some local restaurants use Lotus as their assigned dining themes; incorporated with their cooking dishes. Some even uses the entire “Lotus” applying each specific part as the main focus on each fascinating dishes. The meaning behind each Lotus infusions was to create a full dining course sets; blended in with lotus’s shape, color, scent, taste etc, that all revolved around the theme in “Lotus”, constantly appearing as a main or auxiliary theme focus. Till now, Lotus feast not only hold meat dishes; vegetarian lotus cooking styles are always ready in town even.
Recently I was invited by a group of respectful seniors to join a Lotus feast. The feast consisted of eleven courses including: cold appetisers; flavored skilly soup; four hot courses; one main dish; two desserts; fruit platter. Each dish separately infused with lotus pedals; leaves; roots; and seeds, as the main ingredient matchings, pairing with plant rhizomes, mushrooms and recently the most popular Konjac (or Konnyaku) etc;
All ingredients are not the most expensive cooking items. Indeed, it takes time – all hand crafted, with exquisite lotus floral plating arrangements. Everyone were attracted by the presentation once dish placed on the table; One after another, rushing to take a quick photo snapshots before meal start.
Due to the religious rules set by the store owners, alcoholic beverages were prohibited inside restaurants. Hence I took and brewed Wuyi rock tea for everybody (Top oolong tea range treat).
The filtered water requirement used in the shop were impeccable. The brewed tea were smooth and fragrant. A round of exquisite vegetarian sets accompanying with rock tea floral soothing taste, are really satisfying.
Because of the coronary pneumonia, everyone could only communicate with each other through online software. The outbreak made everyone waited a long time not hanging out recently. The long awaited spectacle, together with good tea and good food available, accelerated the desire of another pleasant reunion again tonight.
