Yu and the sight of an entire fish

Although westerners sometimes balk at the sight of a entire fish lying on a plate, in China a fish served whole is a symbol of prosperity. In fact, at a banquet it is customary to serve the whole fish last, pointed toward the guest of honor. Part of the symbolism of fish comes from the fact that the Chinese word for fish, yu, sounds like the word for riches or abundance, and it is believed that eating fish will help your wishes come true in the year to come.

Listen to Ming Mei smile to Sam Renseiw in this video and watch the filled aquarium in the background, for Yu, while learning some Mandarin. View it by clicking here or try catching the fish on the right, above (patafilm 155, 00'57'', 4.7 MB, mp4 file)