A Chinese Lauriat is a meal for special celebrations. In the Fujian dialect, the word "lauriat" is "lao diat", which means "special occasion." In Cebu, the earliest written record of a Lauriat is the one written by Maria F. de Rallos in Lagda sa Pagpangluto (The Rule of Cooking) in 1923: "Ang sud-an nga Ininsik… Lauriat Party… 50 or 60… sud-an" (In a Lauriat, 50 to 60 Chinese dishes are served).
Mrs. Rallos wrote that on one occasion she was so full because 70 dishes were available. For Filipinos planning to serve lauriat, she advised that 12 to 15 dishes were enough. The reason, according to Ms. Rallos, was that the Chinese served smaller portions; for soup, only a single bowl was served even if there were 10 people at the table.
In a family cooking, four dishes are usually served, according to Stephen Wong of the Hong Kong Tourist Association during a hosting of the Chefs of the American Culinary Association that visited China. For special celebrations, it is the usual ten-course meal, but serving seven dishes is a no-no because the only time you serve a seven-course meal, excuse me, is at the dinner after a burial.
Is rice served at the end of the meal or with the food? I believe it is a matter of custom. Many Filipinos prefer to have rice served with the food because they need rice to give them the sense of "fullness," while the Chinese like rice, noodle and bread at the end of the Lauriat dinner.
Your favorite food columnist was invited to welcome the Year of the Horse at the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. It was definitely an occasion to serve a Chinese Lauriat, where tradition required that a menu list a number of dishes that are icons of prosperity.
Let us take the Assorted Cold Cuts served with the five-happiness combination platter: Jelly Fish, Ham, Stuffed Crab Claws, Meat Rolls and Stuffed Pork Leg. The number five represents "five generations of a family that further symbolizes happiness, harmony and longevity".
The Seafood Cream Soup is the perfect vehicle to launch the Chinese philosophy of Yin-Yang. Opposites are interconnected and complement each other, and the combination of the Cream (yin) with the Greens (yang) makes the Seafood soup whole and it imparts such a wonderful flavor.
My favorite dish that night was the Fried Almond Chicken with Orange Sauce. It appeared like piles of gold ingots and the taste reminded me of Duck a l'Orange. It was a wonderful buffer to the incoming rounds of toast with the Kweichou Moutai, China´s best-known Liquor at 106-proof (53% alcohol) and you need an iron stomach to meet this acquaintance.
My friend, Marco Polo GM Hans Hauri, inspired by the success of the celebrations, insisted that another round of food be served. It was a noodle soup with dumplings, akin to traditions in China that a warm soup is served at the eve of the Chinese New Year. I named it "Spur of the Moment Soup." docmlhuillier@yahoo.com