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OccasionSalty & Clever

Salty & Clever · the kitchen pass before people arrive

Lunar New Year

A new-year table, planned around the foods your guests keep

Dumplings, a whole fish and a sweet rice bowl are a common shape. Which foods are required is a family decision. Plan the quantities in the engine, then change anything that is not how this family actually eats.

Plan my lunar new yearMake an invitation Usually 8–36 guests

Countdown

The lunar new year timeline

Work backwards from service. Tick things off as the kitchen actually allows them.

  1. 4 weeks before

  2. 2 weeks before

  3. 1 week before

  4. Day before

  5. Day of

  6. Day after

Menu ideas

What to serve

Décor ideas

  • · The table the family already uses, cleared.
  • · One flower or branch, if it belongs. None, if it does not.
  • · Candles only where they will not be knocked into food.
  • · A place to put coats that is not the bed.
  • · Serving spoons counted before the first dish goes out.

Things to do

  • · A short welcome, then people eat.
  • · Music low enough that a table can talk.
  • · One planned moment, not a programme.
  • · Nothing that requires a speech from a guest who was not asked.

Drinks

  • · Water on the table from the start, not only when someone asks.
  • · Tea or coffee for the end of the night.
  • · A zero-proof pour in the same glass as the other drinks.
  • · If wine is poured, keep it to one pairing and a fallback.
  • · Ice counted before the party, not remembered at the door.

Music · Low enough to talk over.

  • · A short list the host already likes.
  • · Silence is allowed during the meal.

Questions hosts ask

How many people is a Lunar New Year usually?

This guide starts at 16. The engine will rescale when you change the number. A guess is not a headcount.

What if a guest does not eat what is traditional?

The traditional dish stays for the people who want it. Add one substantial dish they can actually eat. Do not rename a restriction as a preference.

How far ahead can the cooking start?

Stews and baked sweets can be the day before. Fried things, dressed leaves and raw fish are the day itself.

Is this a religious or cultural certification?

No. It is a planning default gathered from common practice. Your guests and, where it matters, your own authority are the source.