A look at the traditional Chinese wedding banquet

By L.H. Tiffany Hsieh

To say that Chinese weddings are all about the food is not an understatement. The reception banquet—or rather, feast—is one of the most well-preserved wedding traditions amongst Chinese brides and grooms in Asia and in North America today. For many, the quality and presentation of the banquet alone mark the degree of success for the marrying families, especially for the parents, who may put up with saving costs elsewhere in the wedding, but never in the banquet. Some people may argue with this, but the key to a successful wedding banquet is not the decorations or the music, it is the menu.