Our menu has evolved from a traditional Chinese banquet and we try to alternate dishes each year, and include many vegetarian dishes.

Appetizer platter:
Veggie turnip cake (but similar to what my great-grandmother used to make, but minus the tiny shrimp and chinese sausage) 
Veggie Spring rolls (we once tried once with haggis, but people complained there was too much haggis)
Spicy Jelly Fish (if Chinese people are eating haggis, we ask Scottish people to please try the jelly fish)

Deep Fried Haggis Wonton dumplings
(this has varied over the years, but usually had prawn stuffing with the haggis + secret ingredient of “Chinese water chestnuts”)

Vegetarian Soup
Hot & Sour or Wintermelon or Fish Maw soup

Traditional Haggis
(sorry no vegetarian alternative available)
but served simultaneously with…

Vegetable Lettuce Wrap
+ we ask people to add haggis to the lettuce wrap with hoisin plum sauce or not! (for vegetarians)

Fish dish 
Represents good luck! Pineapple Sweet & Sour Fish Fillet or fish balls or ginger and sesame oil filet

Buddhist Feast with Deep fried Tofu
– definitely vegetarian traditional CNY dish – no meat alternative available

Beef dish
Gold coin beef, Manchurian tomato beef, Ginger beef or?

Long Life Noodles
One of my fav noodle dishes! – mushroom sauce for a vegetarian dish

Dessert
Mango pudding or sesame balls or red bean pudding?

And this is how we do it!!!

The History Scotland.com website lists 10 “facts you (probably) didn’t know about Burns Night, celebrated around the world on 25 January in memory of poet Robert Burns.”

#5.  Since 1999, the ‘Gung Haggis Fat Choy’ takes place in Vancouver, Canada. This multicultural event, blending Burns Night and Chinese New Year, features Scottish and Chinese poetry as well as a very rare delicacy – Haggis & Shrimp Wonton Dumplings. 

Gung Haggis Fat Choy often gets attention from Scotland.  Earlier this month, founder Todd Wong was asked by a BBC World News program for an interview for the travel program.  In past years, he has often been interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland. A few years ago, the Burns Birthplace Museum even posted an article about GHFC in Vancouver.

https://www.historyscotland.com/history/ten-global-burns-supper-facts/?fbclid=IwAR35tcnKn7OaPfpqyRfyQiO6xwqvHv570-sy6hsmeSdQEc549No3KxxSDeI

THIS YEAR IS IT! For the first time in 60 YEARS ROBBIE BURNS DAY AND LUNAR NEW YEAR FALL ON THE SAME DAY!

IT ONLY HAPPENS ABOUT ONCE EVERY 60 YEARS!

JOIN US for this cosmic convergence countdown to start off your year!
And enjoy an evening of intercultural fusion at Gung Haggis 2020 with food, music, readings, and scotch!

This year’s schedule of events include:

A dinner menu, with the now world-renowned haggis wonton
More readings, more music, and more fun!
A sneak peak of the menu from previous Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinners

Tickets are available on Eventbrite – Sales end on January 23 – one day before event on Jan 24th.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/gung-haggis-fat-choy-2020-the-60-year-eclipse-tickets-83657304249

We are trying something different this year. Dim sum lunch.

Our menu features a variety of traditional dishes, often with haggis fusion cuisine.  We strive for a nice balance of vegetarian and meat dishes that many people can enjoy. A Vegetarian soup and traditional Buddha’s Feast dish + seafood and meat dish. This year we celebrate the Year of the pig.

Two of our featured guests include: Scottish-Canadian Author John Maclachlan Gray, author of The White Angel – a mystery novel that is based on a true life unsolved murder of Scottish Nanny Janet Smith, and the accusation and acquittal of her friend, Chinese houseboy Wong Foon Sien.

Chinese born musician Zhongxi (Jonesey) Wu plays both bagpipes and traditional Chinese instruments.  He has performed at Gung Haggis Fat Choy events many years ago, for both our dinner and an event for First Night Vancouver. He has even played Mull of Kintyre on stage with Paul McCartney.

House band is Black Bear Rebels Ceilidh Ensemble. My dear musical friends that I play celtic,
Scottish and Cdn songs with 2X months usually. They have taught me much about Celtic songs,
musicianship, and drinking scotch whisky.

More introductions to come.

Gung HAGGIS Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dim Sum is now set for April 6th Tartan Day.

Chinese traditional dim sum & food, combined with Scottish haggis.
Bagpipes, Chinese music, + ceilidh singalong
Robert Burns poetry & song
Chinese Canadian poetry and film
+ plenty of surprises and guests.

Floata Restaurant 180 Keefer St.
Chinatown Vancouver.

More info soon.

The RETURN of Gung HAGGIS Fat Choy Dinner will now be March 2019

The last time we did a public Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner was March 16, 2014.
On that day, we included a First Nations welcome, as we also celebrated Irish St. Patrick’s Day
and Persian New Year – in addition to Scottish Robbie Burns Day + Chinese Lunar New Year.

Our 2019 dinner will feature:
Scottish-Canadian & Chinese-Canadian authors and poets
Robert Burns poems and songs
something Irish, something Persian
our famous and popular deep-fried haggis wonton dumplings

Please stay tuned for more details

I thank you for your patience and understanding.
Thank you, Todd

It’s been a challenging 4 years since I last posted. It feels like the world has shifted. I thank Allan Cho for posting from 2014 to 2016.

We regret to share that our mentor and dear friend Jim Wong-Chu passed away in July 2017. Jim was a co-founder and driving force of Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop, Ricepaper Magazine and LiterASIAN: Festival of Asian Canadian Writing. He made invaluable contributions to Asian Canadian literature as well as the development of Asian Heritage Month. Jim was a tremendous supporter of Gung HAGGIS Fat Choy, he encouraged me in its development, attended many taste-testings, and always brought Ricepaper Magazine to promote. While he can never be truly replaced, we will ensure that his memory lives on, his legacies recognized, and that new writers will continue to be inspired.

My father, William (Bill) Wong passed away in November 2015. He was my life-long teacher and inspiration. He was the proprietor of Hopp Signs Ltd. and painted many signs throughout Vancouver, and also especially Chinatown. He loved attending my Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinners, and supported me when I spoke at Terry Fox Community Runs throughout Metro Vancouver. His memory and values continue to inspire me, and I thank my many cousins, aunts & uncles, my grandmother, my brother, my niece and nephew, our friends, for sharing our love of my father.

And on Christmas night, 2016, I survived an aortic dissection. I had emergency cardiac surgery on Dec 26th. I was in the hospital for 10 days. I especially thank my girlfriend Deb Martin for her love and support, as well my cousins Gail Young Mofrad who accompanied me to the hospital, and Shelley Ferguson who also helped care for me at home. My friends in The Black Bear Rebels, and ACWW were also especially supportive.

But while this blog www.gunghaggis.com has not been posting, it has still been busy providing information to people. Allan and I have still been active in the community. Our events and activities have also been posted on www.asiancanadianwriters.ca, literasian.com and ricepapermagazine.ca, as well as our facebook pages. Allan is Executive Director of ACWW, and I am President. We thank our wonderful board members, volunteers and staff, for keeping these important cultural institutions, societies, and events ongoing and growing.

Historic Joy Kogawa House is now owned by City of Vancouver, continues to operate by Historic Joy Kogawa House Society, and the website is www.kogawahouse.com. I stepped down as president after 10 years, but remain on the board.

Stay tuned for upcoming announcements about the Gung HAGGIS Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner for 2019.

• The head tax infamy actually started in 1885, 129 years ago… and continued long after MP Margaret Mitchell first asked Canadian Parliament for redress in 1984 – four years before Japanese Canadians were given an apology and redress in 1988. The Chinese Canadian National Council, which has fought for a fair and honourable redress for decades, declined the BC government apology, because it failed to symbolically address many issues including: 1) “the Apology motion lacks basic sincerity” 2) “Only the affected head tax families can accept this Apology and allow the reconciliation process to begin” (not newer immigrants who are not head tax descendants) and 3) “that the that there should be a symbolic return of these funds to the head tax families”

  But the Chinese Canadian National Council – which has fought for redress for decades, and played a major role in the 2006 Federal Apology declines the motion of Apology offered by the BC Legislature today.

  The CCNC press release states:

  CCNC has supported the Head Tax Families Society of Canada in seeking an inclusive redress with the BC Government. The BC Government is well aware of the role of past BC political leaders in fomenting anti-Chinese racism including receiving a significant share of the head taxes collected. Last year, CCNC provided the BC Government and all MLAs with a schedule of the head tax levies transferred which totals $8.5 million, a sum with a present value of about $1 billion today. CCNC takes the view that there should be a symbolic return of these funds to the head tax families.

  Unfortunately, the Apology motion lacks this basic sincerity.

  “A government should never be seen to be profiting from racism but this is what has happened here today,” Victor Wong, CCNC Executive Director said today. “Only the affected head tax families can accept this Apology and allow the reconciliation process to begin.”

  “We urge all MLAs to reflect on our views and to expend the effort to offer a meaningful apology to the Chinese Canadian community.”

  Founded in 1980, CCNC is a national non-profit organization with 27 chapters across Canada and a community leader for Chinese Canadians in promoting a more just, respectful, and inclusive society.

  http://www.vancouversun.com/…/apolog…/9842654/story.html

  

  B.C. apologizes for past discriminatory policies towards Chinese Canadians (with video)

  www.vancouversun.com

  The Province of British Columbia formally apologized to Chinese Canadians Thursday for historical wrongs and racism dating back to Confederation.

  8 hrs · Like
• 

  Victor Wonghttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/…/clark…/article18693361/

  

  Clark apologizes for B.C.’s historical wrongs against Chinese immigrants

  www.theglobeandmail.com

  Formal apology gets all-party support in legislature

  7 hrs · Like
• 

  Victor Wonghttp://www.vancouversun.com/Vaughn…/9844300/story.html

  

  Vaughn Palmer: Apology closes the circle on a day of infamy 86 years ago

  www.vancouversun.com

  After a day when the B.C. legislature displayed much generosity and dignity, a l… See more

  6 hrs · Like