January 22nd, 2006 and Floata Restaurant now set for Gung Haggis Fat Choy™: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year
Dinner. 

The 2005 Gung Haggis Fat Choy™ diner event at Vancouver Chinatown's
Floata Restaurant was such a great success, that it has now been booked
for January 22, 2006, Sunday.  This will be a very busy weekend as
Janury 25th is Robbie Burns Day and Chinese New Year will be January
29th and Floata is already completely booked up for the January 28
& 29 weekend.

The 2006 event will see improvements in production, as reserved tables
will be numbered and given to patrons at point of purchase.  There will
be two reception areas, 2 to 3 bars, as the entire restaurant will be used – but
limited to 700 guests at 70 tables.

Almost 600 people attended the 2005 Gung Haggis Fat Choy™ dinner at 58
tables.  Guests included Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell, City
Counsellors Anne Roberts, Ellen Woodsworth, Sam Sullivan and Peter
Ladner.  MLA's Jenny Kwan and Joy McPhail also attended. 
Also sitting at the Mayor's table was table sponsor Joseph Roberts –
publisher of Common Ground Magazine, and Dr. Dennis Law – CEO of Centre
in Vancouver for Performing Arts, Bob Brinson – GHFC dragon boat co-coach, Serena Lusk of SFU Recreation Department.

Other guests included community
notables such as Order of BC recipients Roy Mah and Beverly Nann;
former Vancouver City counsellors Maggie Ip and Sandra Wilking; UBC
leaders Director of Student Services Brian Sullivan, Director of 
Community Affairs and the Chan Centre, Queens' Jubilee medal winner Jim
Wong Chu, WW2 veteran and organizer for Pacific Unit 280 Daniel Lee,
Chinese Canadian Historical Society's executive including Dr. Edgar
Wickberg, Larry Wong – executive director of the Chinese Canadian
Military Museum; Yvonne Chui – executive director of Dr. Sun Yat Sen
Gardens; Lisl Jauk – organizer of BC Book Prizes and Word On the
Street, Harry Hertscheg of Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival, Ramona
Mar – CBC Radio guest host; Geoffrey Wong – CBC TV
corporate sponsorships, Charlie Cho and Joan Athey of CBC Radio, Iris
Chen of Vancouver Board of Trade, Kelly Ip, Shyla Dutt, Sid Tan of
Saltwater City Television, + many many more!

“Burns and Whisky Gang Thegither – in China

This message is courtesy of my friend Russell Walker in Scotland.  http://www.friendsofscotland.gov.uk/

Todd

You may be interested in this news snippet; I’ll try to find out if any copies of the translated poetry are available.

“Burns and Whisky Gang Thegither – in China

Two of Scotland's greatest assets –
Robert Burns and Scotch Whisky – were at the heart of a Chinese charm
offensive this week in Beijing by Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace.
Figures released by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) show that sales
of whisky continued to soar in China last year –  in the first ten
months of 2004, the volume of Scotch exports to China rose by 137 per
cent.This is the equivalent of an extra 3.7 million bottles of whisky
being shipped to China compared to the same period in 2003. Mr Wallace
was also promoting the publishing of a book of Burns poetry specially
translated into Chinese to mark a Burns Night celebration in Beijing. 
Songs such as Auld Lang Syne are very well known there and feature
prominently at celebrations such as the Chinese New Year (February 9th
in 2005), weddings and graduations. The Scottish Executive is stepping
up its promotion of Scotland in China following a recent agreement that
Chinese people will now be able to travel to Scotland as tourists,
following the removal of travel restrictions.”

 Russell Walker
“Global Friends of Scotland” at the Scottish Executive
  5 Cadogan St, Glasgow
     G2 6AT
 +44 (0) 141 242 5791

 Check our features on modern, outward looking Scotland at
http://www.friendsofscotland.gov.uk/