At 10 o'clock in the morning, people came and went in the Red Market. The fish stall facing the door is brightly lit, with live fish occasionally splashing water from the low tank. The oxygen pipes beep loudly, and a red prayer strip with the words "Golden Horse Welcomes Spring" is hung on the door beam, creating a lively atmosphere. The Red Market is one of the oldest vegetable markets in Macau's history. As the Chinese New Year approaches, many citizens come here specifically to purchase ingredients. How to choose ingredients for the Spring Festival, in the eyes of fish stall owner Guan Weiming, has a full meaning. The most important thing for Macanese people during the Chinese New Year is to be mindful. "Guan Weiming deftly put on a waterproof apron, picked up a live fish, removed its gills, torn its belly, weighed it, and changed it in one go. He said that the most popular seafood is fish, symbolizing 'surplus every year'. Local people have a preference for mud carp during the Chinese New Year. Two mud carp weighing around three liang must be selected and paired together, symbolizing "good things come in pairs". Normally, you need to scrape the scales when buying, but during the Spring Festival, it is not allowed to scrape the scales of the mud carp, "said Master Guan. When he returned home and slowly fried it over low heat, the scales would curl up like coins, symbolizing" congratulations on getting rich ". During the Spring Festival, customers will stare at the scales. ”He said with a smile. Old neighbor Lan Jie held a shopping bag and patiently waited in front of the "Zhongji" chicken stall at the entrance of the Red Street Market. "On the New Year's table, the most essential thing is the chicken. I have been buying chicken at this stall for more than 20 years." At the stall, Sanhuang chicken, Qingyuan chicken, and farmhouse chicken were arranged one after another, and Lao Ban skillfully dismantled and boned the chicken. Chicken sounds like "auspicious" and is an essential "lucky dish" on the New Year table in Macau. Walking upstairs, it's the meat stall. Pork stall owner Feng Shu introduced that he has three in high demand New Year's goods here - "pork tongue", "pork horizontal tongue", and "pork hand". Pig's tongue "is pig's tongue. In Cantonese," tongue "sounds the same as" erosion ", so it was renamed" li ", which means" good luck and prosperity "; Pig horizontal tongue "is a pig spleen, symbolizing" windfall "; Pig's hand is a homophone of "hand" and "hand", meaning wealth and wishes are easily attainable. In the afternoon, a traditional pastry stall in Xiahuan Street Market was bustling with people. The Fried white radish patty with a price of only MOP 4 was exquisite and smooth, and the special sauce was the finishing touch. 'Gao' and 'Gao' have the same pronunciation, carrying the good color of 'rising step by step'. Miss Li, a tourist from Hong Kong, said that she tasted "ancient morning flavor" from this small stall and is preparing to bring some back to Hong Kong. The same symbolism also applies to rice cakes - every New Year, restaurants and eateries launch rice cake gift boxes. When visiting relatives and friends, carry a box and open the red lid. The rice cakes can be fried or steamed, carrying good wishes from family and friends. In the time-honored bakery near Youyi Avenue, salesperson Xiao Yang is skillfully cutting Chicken rolls. She said that Chicken rolls is "crisp and crisp", which is the first choice for many Macao people to treat guests during the New Year holiday. She also recommended the Spring Festival snack Crispy Corner Baby to the reporter. After frying, because of its appearance like a Yuanbao, it means that the source of wealth is extensive and the house is fat. "This is a popular Dim sum for the Spring Festival in the whole Lingnan region." The auspicious ingredients from all over the world are served on the table, which is more blessed. On the fifth day of October, at the popular private restaurant "Nan Ji" on Wulao Street, the owner Nan Ge displayed his secret "pot dish": the ingredients in the round pot are arranged in layers, with abalone, sea cucumber, gelatin, oysters, shrimp and other precious and auspicious ingredients on the upper layer; The lower layer is made of ingredients such as pork skin, goose feet, mushrooms, chicken, etc., which have a strong flavor and are easy to cook. Nange introduced that Poon Choi is a "Kung Fu dish", and ingredients such as sea cucumber and pork skin need to be prepared for at least a week. Abalone and gelatin also need to be prepared for 2 to 3 days. Pot dishes are our signature dish for the Chinese New Year. It's New Year, and everyone is happy and happy to have a meal together. The New Year cuisine in Macau is also a condensed version of the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures over the past 400 years. Li Yinliang, president of the Macao Food and Beverage Industry Association, introduced that in addition to traditional dishes such as Cantonese potted vegetables, White cut chicken, "Caihaoshi Pig's Hand Pot", there are also Macao specialties such as "native Portuguese style chowder" - pig's hand and preserved meat stewed together at the bottom of ham bone soup, which is the New Year food of native Portuguese families. Entering a Lingnan flavor fusion restaurant by the sea, Chief Chef Chen Qibai is preparing innovative dishes. The main ingredients are still the auspicious Fried white radish patty and prawns. After the Fried white radish patty is steamed, it is wrapped in dry powder and fried to golden yellow. It is boiled with shrimp soup. The Fried white radish patty is crispy outside and glutinous inside. The shrimp flavor is integrated with the wax flavor and seafood flavor wrapped inside the Fried white radish patty, which is fresh and fragrant. Master Chen introduced that this dish has a great flavor and a unique taste, which is an innovative expression of traditional Cantonese cuisine. Cantonese cuisine has come to this day and increasingly requires innovation to attract more tourists and even locals. However, no matter how innovative it is, the solid foundation and traditional heritage of Cantonese cuisine will not change, and the beautiful expectations for good luck and reunion in the new year through food will not change. These hidden thoughts and blessings in food are the most touching Spring Festival flavor in Macau. (New Society)