After enduring months of gloomy economic news and then being snowed in for so long, I’m more than ready for a bullish attitude adjustment in the Year of the Ox, which begins on Monday (January 26). I’m not saying that things will miraculously improve. But if we can buy into the hedonistic optimism that underlies the Chinese notion that, during this time of renewal, we can eat our way to everything our hearts desire, we may all feel a tad better.

Following a lean year-end, many Chinese restaurants are eager to wow you with their banquets of portentous creations designed not only to nourish the body but to lift the spirit. Fair warning, though: jam-packed with the most expensive and prestigious ingredients available, these multicourse culinary extravaganzas don’t come cheap.

At the top of the heap is a 12-course feast offered by Kirin Restaurant (various locations). The menu reads like a classical poem about everything one might hope for in the New Year: career advancement, a houseful of gold and silver, world peace, long life—you name it, it’s covered. The matching food—described in brackets—is a parade of gourmand-swooning opulence bordering on ostentation: roast suckling pig; lobster in cheese, cream, and butter; squab; braised whole abalone; the obligatory dried oysters; the controversial shark fin soup, embellished with crabmeat. The list goes on. It will feed 10 for the doubly lucky cost of $828. Yes, even what you pay is significant.

If this is a bit rich for your blood, our brief survey of about a dozen restaurants netted a number of banquets for 10 that start as low as $188. One is the 10-course menu from the popular Szechwan Restaurant (8188 Saba Road, Richmond; 604-278-6788), featuring spicy crab, crispy rice, ma po tofu, and more. For $228, its sister restaurant, Bing Sheng (1800 Renfrew Street, 604-215-1800), will put on a spread for you and yours that includes Peking duck in three acts (shaved crispy skin with flour crepes, lettuce wrap, and soup); “silver and gold” sole fillets; and a pair of lobsters braised in Shaoxing wine, ginger, and scallions, among others.

One thing to note: our research showed that shark-fin dishes are still commonplace on New Year’s banquet menus, despite ongoing warnings by environmentalists that demand for the fins is wreaking havoc on shark populations worldwide. To those of you who’ve seen the shocking documentary Sharkwater and still have the savage images of shark finning swimming in your head, my best advice is to be vocal and discerning. Choose menus that don’t contain shark fin—such as the two described in the previous paragraph—or ask for a substitution. Ironically, by doing so you’re likely to save some money, as shark-fin-laden banquets often cost more. While some Chinese chefs have taken shark fin off their menus on principle, the movement is still in its infancy. As yet, I’m not aware of any conventional Chinese restaurant locally that has an explicit no-shark-fin policy.

Having said that, there is no lack of small, neighbourhood Chinese eateries such as Long’s Noodle House (4853 Main Street, 604-879-7879) that don’t serve shark fin because their budget-minded customers simply won’t buy it. And then there’s Andrew Wong’s Wild Rice (117 West Pender Street), where shark fin will never be offered. But Wong is no average Chinese restaurateur. His restaurant’s brand of “modern Chinese cuisine” not only uses western techniques in its interpretation of Chinese food and flavours, it’s also way ahead of the pack in its commitment to going green. In collaboration with his Aussie chef, Todd Bright, Wong will be serving what he whimsically calls the “Out of the Ox” menu in celebration of Chinese New Year. The three-course menu, running from Sunday (January 25) to February 8, begins with a duo of steamed oxtail dumplings garnished with B.C. side-stripe shrimp ceviche. The main course is fork-tender braised Pemberton natural beef shank accompanied by a lotus-leaf cone of risottolike “Five Treasure” rice studded with cashews, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage, water chestnuts, and pea shoots. Dessert is a crispy red-bean white chocolate jiaozi drizzled with star anise coconut-caramel sauce with vanilla tofu ice cream. Cost is $25 per head; add $20 for Wong’s recommended wine flight of three B.C. reds. Whatever you do, don’t miss the Wild Goose Black Brant port-style wine with dessert.

When asked if it might be taboo to serve beef to celebrate the Year of the Ox, Wong said, “The ox is hard-working, generous, and giving. I think we can all be a bit more like that this year.”

Yes, indeed. After all, if internalizing good qualities is the point behind all this eating, restraint and slimming resolutions be damned—let the feasting begin. Happy New Year!