So for a very good reason, we ordered the traditional "head and tail" dish when we had our Chinese New Year's Eve dinner at Delicious Restaurant last night. We had all the regular goodies - their famous Hainan chicken and braised pork trotters, both perfectly done. The grand finale was the very delicious "Squirrel fish", so called because in the traditional dish, the fish would curl up when deep-fried and with the head and tail arranged so that it looks like a squirrel. I have had this dish at several restaurants in Canada but have only seen one that actually looked like a squirrel when I was in China. But this one tastes terrific (and looks good) with a sweet and sour sauce and because it was the last dish in the dinner, it's almost like dessert. The way it was served, with the fish almost standing, was both for looks and for practical reasons - the crispy fish and meat didn't get soaked in the sauce and so stayed crisp. The meat was detached from the bone when it was fried so that even the bones were crispy. The tail and fins were all crunchy, and more importantly for the symbolism, in tact. Perfect!
