The lot, normally quite empty at this hour, was packed with excited volunteers. They laughed and chatted as they helped set up traditional Chinese food ingredients on hundreds of tables, laid out end-to-end all over the venue.
These ingredients, pungent and colourful, included purple cabbage, pickled leek and papaya, carrots, white and red pickled ginger, and crispy crackers: all classic components of yee sang, or Prosperity Toss salad.
This was part of Lotuss Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd’s (Lotus’s Malaysia) attempt at creating a national record for the longest yee sang to launch its “Semuanya Ongsem” festive campaign.
The campaign, which runs until Chap Goh Mei on Feb 12, offers customers great deals at the Chinese New Year Pavilion of 39 Lotus’s Malaysia outlets nationwide.
Completion of the record-setting snake-shaped yee sang took from around 7am to around noon. This impressive delicacy, made out of 11 types of vegetables and fruits, weighed over 6,200 kg, and was spread over 650 tables.
It was prepared by 10 chefs and 200 volunteers from Lotus’s Malaysia, Kechara Soup Kitchen, Nestlé (Malaysia) Berhad, Mondelez Malaysia Sales Sdn Bhd, F&N Beverages Marketing Sdn Bhd, Coca-Cola Refreshments (M) Sdn Bhd, Etika Group of Companies and Danone Specialized Nutrition (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
The yee sang creation event sported a lively, carnival-like atmosphere, with lion dances, mascot appearances, and brand booths offering free samples to all present.
Also in attendance were approximately 200 underprivileged children from various charity homes, and families with children from Tender Touch Paediatric Rehab and Gabungan Anak-Anak Palsi Serebrum Malaysia (GAPS Malaysia).
The children were treated to a fun-filled Kung Fu Panda playdate at the venue and gifted goodie bags worth RM135 in total from Lotus’s, participating brand partners, and mall retail tenants.
The excitement there was palpable as officials from the Malaysia Book of Records arrived to verify the length of the yee sang.
Cheers filled the air as it was announced that the yee sang was 1,211 metres long: far more than the anticipated goal of 1,188 metres.
A photo session followed, with volunteers and VIPs invited to participate in the most enjoyable part of eating yee sang: tossing it!
Chopsticks clinked as the crowd lifted the tantalising medley of shredded vegetables and crackers as high as they could, calling out for future prosperity and happiness as they did so.
Lotus’s Malaysia corporate services executive director Azliza Baizura Azmel said she was delighted with how the event turned out.
“Chinese New Year is all about joy and happiness and inclusivity, so this year we did something different by setting a record, while involving as many people as we could,” she said.
“We’re delighted to have set the record, and even exceeded our intended target. We hope it brings more luck to us, as a nation.”
For more information on ‘Semuanya Ongsem,’ check out Lotus’s Malaysia’s website.