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tikoy, siopao, mami, lumpia – what a long way it has come!
How it has leveled up from no-frills, no-fuss in noisy, messy Ongpin to the glamorous heights of five-star cuisine fit for an emperor and his favorite concubine.
Just as an example, this is what Conrad Hotel’s China Blue by Jereme Leung has done to “tikoy,” the sticky, gummy sweet that friends are obliged to give one another to represent bonding and fidelity during the Chinese New Year: Tikoy now comes in different flavors, starting with the traditional brown sugar; a modernized orange and red date with ginger; as it comes in the customary circular form, or shaped like koi fish, or mini gold bars. All to signify good fortune and accomplishment, i.e., good beginnings result in good endings.