One of the first dishes served was a whole fried fish, the flayed, splayed presentation of which was similar to the fish we had eaten the night before. The sauce, though sweet, was a bit tangier and less syrupy. I liked this version much better.

Then came what I think was either ox tail or pork spine. Whatever it was, velvety meat clung to thick sections of bone, requiring only the slight prodding of the tendons with one's teeth to be removed.

The brown sauce complimented the meat's tenderness, but was of negligble flavor. The sprinkles, however were completely random, and added little to the dish, save for a few guffaws.

I particularly enjoyed these clear bean curd threads, served cold. Piled atop the mound was peanuts, scallions, and a mix of hot chile sauce and peanut sauce.

The chiles were VERY hot, but they were soothing complemented by the cool, smooth, gummy texture of the bean curd. The peanuts and scallions added salty and savory flavors and a more rugged texture. I loved this dish.

Finally, I was not expecting to see zongzi at a banquet dinner -- I usually see these little guys sold on the street as quick snacks. The zongzi involves encasing a savory item (bean paste, nuts, etc.) in glutinous rice, wrapping the whole package in bamboo leaves, and steaming it. I've reheated some of NYC's Chinatown offerings before, and found them to be tasty. But this version was exceptional.

Inside these giant zongzi was the tender meat of a pork rib. Simply delicious.

Since this was a banquet, there were, oh, maybe 14 dishes served. I tried to capture some of my favorites. Though I would love to write about each and every one, there were just to many to recall and recount in delicious detail.

>> When I was searching fo info on zongzi, I misspelled it "zhongzi", and found this sad little poem instead.