Year of the Rabbit

Well, no, 2019 is the year of the pig, but my 姨媽 (yi ma - aunt) and my 表哥 (biu goh - cousin) were both born in the Year of the Rabbit (different years). When my mom asked me if I could make a cake, I decided to put in some of the elements from the birthday peach cake. The peach is a symbol of longevity in Chinese culture, and well, the characters were a request from the birthday peach cake, so I don't actually know what the characters mean.

But not to worry! Per Google, 福如東海 (fuk yu dong hoi) means "bountiful happiness" or more directly translated, "blessings like the east ocean" which we know as the Pacific Ocean - the biggest one. The second phrase, 壽北南山 (sau buc lam sahn), doesn't have a direct translation from google, but each character separately mean "life, north, south, mountain." Combined with the ideas of bounty and longevity, I would guess it is to wish the birthday celebrant a life as long and as tall as the mountains from the north to the south (close enough).

I really do love doing these cakes with a cultural connection so I end up learning more about it. It's nice when it is my own too, so I end up learning more about myself as well!

Me with my 姨媽!