Category Archives: Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner

Interviews, Kogawa House, Gung Haggis Fat Choy taste testing, Bryan Adams

Leave a reply

Wednesday prior to Gung Haggis Fat Choy

Busy busy days leading up to Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner event
now.  CBC Radio Freestyle called in the morning to find out more
about the dinner and to set up an interview for Friday morning to be
broadcast on Friday afternoon, January 20th.

The Courier newspaper phoned me, asking me questions about the status
of Kogawa House, and how the fund raising was going.  Still slow
on the major fronts, but The Land Conservancy is setting up some
displays in major book stores throughout Vancouver.  The Gung
Haggis Fat Choy dinner is donating partial proceeds to Kogawa House,
because “it is so dear to my heart,” and I have now set up Joy Kogawa
to be keynote speaker at the “Order of Canada/Maple Leaf” luncheon for
the Canadian Club.

I attended a meeting with new Vancouver City Councilor Kim Capri,
regarding status of Kogawa House.  She gave us some great contacts
and idea, as well as a donation.  While at City Hall, Ann-Marie
Metten and I bumped into Councillors Raymond Louie and David Cadman,
who had both voted to support Kogawa House back on Nov. 3. 
Raymond is coming to the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner, so we gave him
his tickets, as well as dropping off tickets for Councillor Elizabeth
Ball, Suzanne Anton, BC Lee, Heather Deal, George Chow and Mayor Sam
Sullivan.

Chuck Lew, the organizer of the Chinatown Lions Club, phoned me back to
tell me that their annual “Haggis Night dinner” is on Thursday January
26th.  It's at the Floata I think.

We had taste-testing at the Floata Restaurant for the Gung Haggis Fat
Choy dinner tonight.  Attending was Roland Tanglao of
www.vaneats.com, chef Stephen Wong, dragon boat team members Dave
Samis, Daming and Deb Martin.  CBC radio reporter Margaret
Gallagher also dropped in to pick up some haggis won ton to use in an
on-air segment of “What's going on” and to give away 2 tickets for Gung
Haggis Fat Choy on 690 to Go!  More on our taste testing
tomorrow.

While at the Floata Restaurant, Mayor Sam Sullivan phoned me to check
on his part in the dinner.  Sam loves Chinese culture, and he
informs me that he has selected a short Tang dynasty poem to read in
Cantonese.  We have a short chat about how when he was in Grade 9
at Vancouver Technical Highschool, I was there in grade 8.  I tell
him we have a table of '77 and '78 Van Tech grades attending.  Sam
also gives me the lowdown on what is required to get him and his
wheelchair onstage at the Floata Restaurant.  We will need a
ramp.  Vancouver Mayors get invited many times a month to attend
events at Floata, especially as Chinese New Year approaches.  We
need a ramp.

Then we headed over to the Vancouver Public library, for a reading by Janice Wong, author of Chow from China to Canada: Tales of Food and Family.  Janice does a great presentation using a lap top
computer to do a slide show of family pictures, describing family
history and her father's restaurants in Prince Albert, SK.
Chef /food columnist Stephen Wong, Historian Larry Wong and myself join
Janice for a panel discussion about food, Chinatown restaurants,
Chinese Canadian history, and family.  I tell the story about how
I invented haggis won ton for a CBC Radio reception welcoming Shelagh
Rogers and Sounds Like Canada to Vancouver.  Stephen talks about
the origins of Chinese dumplings.  Larry talks about apple tarts
from the old Chinese restaurants.  Roland Tanglao of www.vaneats.com  posted Stephen Wong's Chinese restaurant picks

Then at 9pm, I am off to the Bryan Adams
concert.  Great concert.  Almost everybody is singing along
to every song.  The energy is high.  There is an octogenarian
couple sitting on the aisle seats on our row.  They are mouthing
the words to “Cuts Like a Knife” – hmmm I wonder if they are Bryan's
parents or relatives.  Adams finishes his first encore, then comes
back for a second encore with only an accoustic guitar.  He plays
about 5 songs unplugged.  What a great way to conclude a
concert.  Everybody is singing along to Heaven, Best of Me. All
for One, Room Service, Straight From the Heart.

The Scotsman: Burns meets the dragon in a Chinese Canadian feast

Leave a reply


The Scotsman:

Burns meets the dragon in a Chinese Canadian feast

The Scotsman, international journal for the Scottish diaspora has
published a story about Gung Haggis Fat Choy.  Journalist
Christina Harper interviewed myself and bagpiper Joe MacDonald.

Piper Joseph McDonald (inside dragon mask) and...

Piper Joseph McDonald (inside dragon mask) and Gung Haggis Fat Choy organiser Todd Wong.
Picture: Jaime Griffiths

Burns meets the dragon in a Chinese Canadian feast

CHRISTINA HARPER

NO MATTER where Scots have settled throughout the world, chances are
that as January 25 gets closer many of them will shake out sporrans,
dust down kilts and attend a Burns Supper.

From Australia to
Alabama, thousands of ex-pat Scots will savour haggis, neeps and whisky
while the Bard's immortal words flow through the air. But in Vancouver,
British Columbia, there's an annual event that Burns, to many the
quintessential everyman, would surely be proud.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy
is a celebration of Burns Night and Chinese New Year created by fifth
generation Chinese Canadian Todd Wong, or if you’d rather: Toddish
McWong. The event has grown from an intimate merging of the two
cultures at a dinner in 1998, to a cultural must-do filled with song,
dance, poetry and a feast that in 2005 fed 600 people.

As a piper Joseph McDonald has been involved in many traditional
Burns suppers. He likes them, but says that they are not too surprising
in terms of what is going to happen next and what food people will dine
on. “With this the food is different,” says McDonald.

<a href="http://www.bravewaves.com/" target="_blank"> Joseph McDonald</a> on pipes and dhol player Nealamjit Dhillon.

Joseph McDonald on pipes and dhol player Nealamjit Dhillon.

He plays the bagpipes accompanied by an Indian dhol drum and the singer songwriter has been performing at Gung Haggis Fat Choy since
2001. “He[Wong] said, 'I'm having this Gung Haggis Fat Choy. You
would fit in.' It’s all about blending cultures,” says
McDonald.   It has become a tradition to have the bagpipes
and the dhol to get the event started and McDonald pipes in the haggis.

“Now
it's quite an affair where the waiters are all lined up with quite a
few haggises,” says McDonald. “It's quite a spectacle.”

Read the rest of the article Burns Meets the Dragon in Chinese Canadian Feast

Gim Wong and Lensey Namioka coming to Gung Haggis Fat Choy!

Leave a reply


Gim Wong and Lensey Namioka coming to Gung Haggis Fat Choy!

At
last year's Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner, we started up a head table to
host the Mayor, and special VIP's.  Last year the “Mayor's” table
was sponsored by Common Ground's publisher Joseph Roberts. 
Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell brought his wife.  Don Montgomery,
vice-president of Asian Canadian Writers' Workhop hosted the
table. Dr. Dennis Law and his wife Moon along with MLA's Jenny
Kwan and Joy McPhail were special guests, since Chinatown is part of
Jenny's constituency.  Bob Brinson represented the Gung Haggis
dragon boat team.

We are going to do it again this year.

Vancouver
Mayor Sam Sullivan is coming, along with Mayor of Lions Bay, Max
Wyman.  Both will be reading some poetry. Joy Kogawa is our
featured poet for the evening.  Moyra Rodger is the producer of
the CBC television performance special Gung Haggis Fat Choy (and she
hasn't attended a GHFC dinner until now).  Libby Davies will be
our MP for the evening, since Chinatown is part of her constituency. We
will have a representative from Ricepaper magazine.  Don
Montgomery will again be the representative for Asian Canadian Writers'
Workshop.  Deb Martin will represent the Gung Haggis Fat Choy
dragon boat team.

And I am really pleased to add two more people for this year's head table: Gim Wong and Lensey Namioka

Lensey Namioka. is
an award winning author of children's and young adult's books. 
This past summer I found the book “Half and Half” about a young girl
growing up in Seattle with a Chinese-American grandparent on her
father's side, and Scottish-Canadian grandparents on her mother's
side.  Very Gung Haggis, I thought.  I wrote a short
review/comment about the story, and pledged that I would invite Lensey
Namioka to the next Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner.  Lensey said she
had to laugh when she saw my e-mail invitation.  I don't think she
had heard of Gung Haggis Fat Choy before… but maybe, because the CBC
television performance special did air in Washington State on CBC
television.  For those who are wondering, Lensey was born in
China, immigrated to the United States at age nine, and married a
Japanese man – hence the name Namioka!

Hopefully Lensey will be able to read a short passage from Half and Half for the GHFC dinner.



Gim Wong grew
up in Vancouver's Strathcona neighborhood.  He enlisted with the
Canadian Air Force when Chinese Canadians couldn't vote in the country
they were born in.  In 200, this 83 year old  veteran decided
to ride his motorcycle from Mile 0 in Victoria to Ottawa for July 1st,
to protest for head tax redress.  Gim wanted to meet with the
Prime Minister in Ottawa – but the PMO did not respond to any requests
for a meeting, but invited him to attend July 1st celebrations on
Parliament Hill.
In
2004, Gim was featured in the NFB film documentary by Karen Cho, In the
Shadow of Gold Mountain.  In Sept 2005, the Asian Canadian
Writers' Workshop awarded Gim with the ACWW Community Builder's Award.
This past week, Gim was featured in a Vancouver Sun story on head tax
redress.

At
the 2003 GHFC dinner, Gim had approached me and offered to sing
Chinatown My Chinatown.  But I wasn't prepared to add it to the
program at that moment.  Today I invited Gim to perform Chinatown
My Chinatown with me on stage for the GHFC dinner.  He said he
wouldn't pass the invitation up.
(note – Gim was unable to attend the dinner – TW)

Watch a video clip of Gim riding his motorcycle in 2004
Rideforredress

Monday Press Release – Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2006: The legend grows and goes children friendly

Leave a reply

for immediate release
January 16, 2006

 Gung Haggis Fat Choy:  

The Legend grows….

and goes children friendly?

imageclick on poster for larger immage

Gung Haggis Fat Choy:

Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner

“Toddish McWong” (aka Todd Wong) finally invaded Scotland via radio waves on November 28th 2005 on BBC Radio Scotland. He was interviewed by host Maggie Shiels for the show Scotland
Licked. 
Maggie loved the concept of haggis stuffed won-ton, and even enticed
McWong to performed “The Haggis Rap” on radio – his rap adaptation of
Robbie Burns immortal “To a Haggis.”

Wong is a 5th
generation Chinese Canadian head tax descendant who champions the
Scottish-Canadian and Chinese-Canadian contributions to BC. So many
Scottish Canadians had married into the family, he felt he had to do
something to make them feel included.

The now legendary GHFC 10 course dinner menu
features Haggis Won Ton, Haggis Lettuce wrap, cross-cultural musical
fusion, and many surprises such as the Lions Bay Mayor reciting Robbie
Burns poetry, and the Vancouver Mayor  reciting poetry in Cantonese .


January 16th is the 3rd Annual Gung Haggis Fat Choy World Poetry Night,
at the Vancouver Public Library, featuring local poets such as Fiona
Tinwei Lam, Alexis Kienlin, James Mullin, bagpiper Joe McDonald and the
Burns Club of Vancouver.

The dinner event has inspired the Gung Haggis Fat Choy CBC telvision performance special,
and the Simon Fraser University recreation department has now extended
the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Canadian Games to three days January 25, 26
and 27.

Rick Scott & Harry Wong the
creators of 5 Elements children's cd and show, are very “Gung Haggis,” says McWong of the cd which combines both Cantonese and English.  “Harry
Goh Goh” (Harry Big Brother) is the “Raffi of Hong Kong” and is host of
“Bean Town” a chinese languarge children's television show that is
broadcast around the world. Rick is well known Canadian children's
performer with many cds to his credit. 
image imageimage
Joy Kogawa O.C.is
the poet for the event, and is very honoured to be part of the show. 
Joy continues to be “amazed” by all the attention to her work through
the Naomi's Road, opera by Vancouver Opera and her novel Obasan's selection for the  One Book One Vancouver program.  Funds raised go to Save Kogwa House committee along with  Ricepaper Magazine and the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.

imageimageimage
Also featured are Joe McDonald & his band Brave Waves, and singer LaLa, both featured in the CBC television performance special Gung Haggis Fat Choy. They will be joined
by Sean Gunn singer /Songwriter/poet  and composer of The Head Tax Blues + film animator Jeff Chiba Stearns (What Are You Anyways?) and accapella singing group The Shirleys

.imageimageimage

What:  Gung Haggis Fat Choy:
           Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns
           Chinese New Year Dinner
When: 6pm, January 22, 2006,
            Sunday  Reception at 5:30pm
Where: Floata Restaurant
             #400 – 180 Keefer St.
             Vancouver Chinatown
Tickets: Firehall Arts Centre
              604-689-0926

Premium ticket price: $70 single / $700 per table.  Includes wine and Ricepaper Magazine subscription

Regular price: $60 single / $600 per table – includes Ricepaper Magazine subscription

Children are 50% – $35 premium seating, $30 regular seating – no subscription to Ricepaper

Media inquiries:
Todd Wong
604-240-7090
www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com

Toddish McWong about town – Jan 15, 16, 18, 22, 2006

Leave a reply

Toddish McWong about town – Jan 15, 16, 18, 22, 2006

Todd Wong appears in 4 different events listed this week in the Georgia Straight's Time Out section.


HAGGIS AND CHOPSTICKS

Vancouver
Storytelling Society presents an evening of Chinese and Scottish
storytellers, including Todd Wong of Gung Haggis Fat Choy fame. Jan.
15, 7:30 pm, Hodson Manor (1254 W. 7th). Tix $3 members/$4 nonmembers at the door.

GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY WORLD POETRY NIGHT


Todd Wong, Ariadne Sawyer, and Alejandro Mujica-Olea host a celebration
of both Chinese New Year and Robbie Burns Day, featuring readings by
poets Fiona Lam, James Mullin, and Alexis Kienlen; Chines dancing by
Yan Yan and friends; bagpipe music by Joe McDonald; and surprise
guests. Jan. 16, 7:30 pm, Vancouver Public Library (350 W. Georgia). Free admission, info 604-526-4729.


JANICE WONG

Author reads from her book Chow From China to Canada: Tales of Food and Family,
with guests Larry Wong of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society and
Todd Wong of the Asian Canadian Writer’s Workshop. Jan. 18, 7:30 pm, Vancouver Public Library (350 W. Georgia). Free admission,

and of course don't forget about….

GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner

A
growing Vancouver legend featuring a 10 course cultural fusion dinner
featuring haggis won ton and haggis lettuce wrap.  Lots of great
performers such as Rick Scott and Harry Wong, Joy Kogawa, Joe McDonald
and Brave Waves, LaLa, The Shirleys, Sean Gunn + many more surprises.

January 22nd, Floata Restaurant, #400 – 180 Keefere Street, Vancouver Chinatown.
Tickets: call Firehall Arts Centre 604-689-0926

$70
for single seat at premium table with wine, $60 for regular table
seating.  10 per table. Children are $35 and $30.  All adults
recieve one year subscription to Ricepaper Magazine ($20 value).

Reading from a the Singalong program – Jan Wall and Todd Wong in front, rear – Tom Chin, David McIntosh, Heather Pawsey, Alex Chisolm, Veera devi Khare, LaLa, Carmen Rosen, Karen Wong, Zhongxi Wu, Joe McDonald, Nealamjit Dhillon, Chris Wong – photo Ray Shum GHFC 2005