Chinese New Year is approaching! To share more joy and love of this festival with our Amazing Family members, we invite Linda from Flower Drum to share her stories about flowers and the Chinese New Year.
Flower Drum is a well-known Chinese restaurant established in 1978 and Linda has been working here as a functional manager for a long time.
Q1. What’s your favourite flower? Why do you like it?
Linda: The Peony! There is no particular reason for it. It's just personal like. I like it because of the colour, which is fresh, pinky. It is also because it lasts a bit longer time. Roses usually last three days and then it doesn’t look so good. That’s why I like Peony!
Q2. Why do you choose fresh flowers as a restaurant décor?
Linda: We want some fresh flower arrangements because we are a fine dining restaurant. Our ex-owner Mr Lau is a man who loves flowers and the existing manager Jason likes flowers as well. Also, a lot of customers quite appreciated flowers. Customers come in and comment like, “oh how beautiful that arrangement is”! These sorts of reasons are why we only use fresh flowers. We don’t want any other flowers.
Q3. Are there any weekly flower arrangements done by AGF that impress you the most?
Linda: Well, I've been working here so long. We have our requirements, and we will mention them to the florists beforehand.
Usually, we want seasonal and fresh flowers, and then leave the florists to create. Sometimes, if it is Chinese New Year or Melbourne Spring Carnival, we will have the sort of colours we prefer to use. That's why we also have power. Occasionally, we might have some of the colour-theme flowers we like, and we work out with the Amazing Graze Flowers together.
Q4. Here Chinese New Year Comes! How do you usually celebrate Chinese New Year?
Linda: I am from Hong Kong and we still have the custom to celebrate Chinese New Year. Normally, our family will get together and have a great dinner on New Year Eve. But this year, we are going to have a bigger gathering on Chinese New Year Day. We still carry the traditional custom --- giving the red packet! In Hong Kong, we will give the red packet to our friends and families. Also, we will buy some traditional food, like Nin Gou. It is a kind of traditional Chinese dessert with a sticky and sweet taste.
As a Chinese restaurant, we are usually very busy with the Chinese New Year Eve dinner And Chinese New Year Day dinner. We will have Lion Dance on the evening of Chinese New Year Day and on these two days’ nights as well. Lots of visitors are regular customers who may come here before I start working here. Haha, it is quite busy.
Especially in recent years, we have new migrants from China coming to Australia. That's why more Asian people will celebrate Chinese New Year here. The Australian people will come out as well. Normally, there will be Lion Dance and other very exciting events like firecrackers in China Town. This year, it will be on this Sunday!
Q5: What kind of flowers do you think best represent the Year of Bunny?
Linda: Haha, personally I have no idea about that. We normally don't have any flowers representing which year. But if it is in Hong Kong, normally we will have Tou Faa (Peach Blossoms), the pinky colour ones. It is not in season now in Australia and we saw them a few months ago.
Q6. Can you teach us some Chinese New Year Greetings!
Linda: “Gung Hei Faat Coi, San Tai Gin Hong”. This means I wish you good health, prosperity, and lots of joy!
End of everything, Happy Chinese New Year!
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