Global Weekend News – March 15th,

Thanks to Global News for having me as “chef” this morning. I brought some some pre-cooked haggis dim sum from Floata Restaurant, that are used as an appetizer dish for our Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.

I showed hosts Lynn and Jay how to fold haggis & prawns won ton, but the wrappings were a bit too small and dry.  But they really enjoyed tasting the haggis & prawns dumplings that I had picked up from Floata Restaurant the night before.  Re-heated dim sum… mmmm…. yum….

This dinner is a fundraiser, for Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop / Ricepaper Magazine, and for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.  We serve a full Chinese banquet dinner with traditional haggis + fusion haggis cuisine.  About half the dishes are vegetarian, including hot & sour soup, turnip cake, deep-fried spicy tofu, and buddhist feast.

And Robbie Burns poetry is featured in many different forms… We are very pleased to feature Victoria Poet Janet Marie Rogers to read Pauline Johnson poetry, as well as her own spoken word poetry.  Our featured Asian-Canadian author is Janie Chang, just nominated for a BC Book Prize for fiction for her novel Three Souls.  Brandon Gabriel will read a poem by his great grandfather William Slepass, a Kwantlen First Nations Chief.

Featured musical performers are Silk Road Music’s Qiu Xia He and Andrew Thibault – who were featured in the CBC television special Gung Haggis Fat Choy in 2004.  Celtic accordionist Amy Stephen will bring her husband Amir Haghighi for a special treat – perhaps combining Celtic music with Persian music for a St. Patrick’s Day Persian New Year fusion.

And of course, we have lots of great raffle prizes from Vancouver Opera, City Opera, Firehall Arts Centre, Harbour Publishing, Tradewind Books, Arsenal Pulp Press, Dr. Sen Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens and more!

Tickets for Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year St. Patrick’s Day Dinner… Sunday March 16th, Floata Restaurant, Vancouver Chinatown – can still be bought today online at Ricepaper.ca and Gunghaggis.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/53803790@N00/sets/72157642392921354/