lizzybennet (
lizzybennet) wrote2006-10-07 02:28 pm
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Mid Autumn Festival
Last night we celebrated the Mid Autumn Festival with Qing Qing and her family. We told Qing Qing that we wanted to take her and her family out for dinner before we move to campus. Later that day, she called and said that her dad wanted to take us out. We tried to insist that it be our treat, but they wouldn't hear of it. This is another Chinese custom that is very unique. Everyone argues over who is going to pay for dinner. Chris has seen Chinese men argue for several minutes over who will pick up the tab, and then end up stuffing the money into their friends pocket and run away so their friend has to accept the money. We had a lovely evening with them and it was so nice to be included in their family dinner.
Mid Autumn Festival is a time that families come together. Qing Qing equated it to the circle of the full moon and how a family forms a complete cirlce. She said that since we were so far from our family, they wanted to welcome us to celebrate with their family. It was comforting to feel so welcomed and among friends. They took us to a hotel to eat and we had a private room. The restaurant had fresh seafood, as in a room full of tanks, where you can pick out exactly what you want to eat. Qing Qing took the boys in there to look around and they came back telling me all about how they got to touch the eels and frogs. They could hardly sit still during dinner because they wanted to go back to see the animals again.

Here we all are together. This is before most of the food had arrived. They ordered so much food!!

This is another group photo. The reason I'm posting it is so you can see how bored the kids were with this meal. They had no interest in trying to eat much food. They ate some of the duck, that was about it. They kept getting up and playing in the room. The host, Qing Qing's dad, was really worried that they wouldn't get enough to eat. We tried to explain to them that the kids are just poor eaters and they do that at home too. I hope they weren't offended. Plus, the hotel staff was handing out glow sticks as part of the Festival celebrations. The kids were very distracted by all those glow sticks. Oh! And lets not forget the fact that before we went to dinner, we had snacks at Qing Qing's house. The boys were fed oranges, oreo sticks, chips and coke. I tried to get them to slow down on the snacks, but our hosts just kept offering them more and more. I even flat out told them "No chips" and the next thing I knew they were eating chips. I'll just chalk this up to the language barrier...

As always, the food was amazing. These are pastry shells filled with warm fruit. I tried the apple one and it was filled with warm banana. So yummy! While we were eating, Chris decided to tell them a story about me (short version of the story: we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant and ordered duck. When it arrived, Zack promptly picked up the head and went to take a bite out of it, not recognizing what it was. I strongly urged him to put it back.) Everyone thought this was very funny that I didn't like the heads on our food. Chris explained to them that in America the heads are removed before food is served. In China, even shrimp is served with the heads and legs still attached. So, when the servers brought out the fish, the host and hostess promptly insisted that she remove the head! I protested that there was no need, I didn't mind, but they all had great fun at my expense. Likewise, when they brought out the roasted pigeon, the server was again asked to remove the heads. I was glad that time. I don't think I could stand a tiny roasted pigeon head staring up at me. I did taste some pigeon though. Another first in the book of Tina.

There were two weddings taking place in the hotel. Turns out this year and especially this month are particularly auspicious dates for having weddings. I'd wondered why we'd seen so many weddings this week...

I suppose the traditional Chinese wedding has gone by the wayside and a more Western style of wedding has become popular.

We used our toaster oven to make a chocolate cake. I felt like I was cooking in an Easy Bake oven :)

As you can see, the cake was a huge success. BTW, Connor has become obsessed with Superman lately. He wants to wear his Superman pj's 24/7. It is an argument every single morning to get him out of his pj's and dressed. He calls him "sup-man" (sounds like soup man). He also wants to be Bat-man for Halloween.
Mid Autumn Festival is a time that families come together. Qing Qing equated it to the circle of the full moon and how a family forms a complete cirlce. She said that since we were so far from our family, they wanted to welcome us to celebrate with their family. It was comforting to feel so welcomed and among friends. They took us to a hotel to eat and we had a private room. The restaurant had fresh seafood, as in a room full of tanks, where you can pick out exactly what you want to eat. Qing Qing took the boys in there to look around and they came back telling me all about how they got to touch the eels and frogs. They could hardly sit still during dinner because they wanted to go back to see the animals again.

Here we all are together. This is before most of the food had arrived. They ordered so much food!!

This is another group photo. The reason I'm posting it is so you can see how bored the kids were with this meal. They had no interest in trying to eat much food. They ate some of the duck, that was about it. They kept getting up and playing in the room. The host, Qing Qing's dad, was really worried that they wouldn't get enough to eat. We tried to explain to them that the kids are just poor eaters and they do that at home too. I hope they weren't offended. Plus, the hotel staff was handing out glow sticks as part of the Festival celebrations. The kids were very distracted by all those glow sticks. Oh! And lets not forget the fact that before we went to dinner, we had snacks at Qing Qing's house. The boys were fed oranges, oreo sticks, chips and coke. I tried to get them to slow down on the snacks, but our hosts just kept offering them more and more. I even flat out told them "No chips" and the next thing I knew they were eating chips. I'll just chalk this up to the language barrier...

As always, the food was amazing. These are pastry shells filled with warm fruit. I tried the apple one and it was filled with warm banana. So yummy! While we were eating, Chris decided to tell them a story about me (short version of the story: we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant and ordered duck. When it arrived, Zack promptly picked up the head and went to take a bite out of it, not recognizing what it was. I strongly urged him to put it back.) Everyone thought this was very funny that I didn't like the heads on our food. Chris explained to them that in America the heads are removed before food is served. In China, even shrimp is served with the heads and legs still attached. So, when the servers brought out the fish, the host and hostess promptly insisted that she remove the head! I protested that there was no need, I didn't mind, but they all had great fun at my expense. Likewise, when they brought out the roasted pigeon, the server was again asked to remove the heads. I was glad that time. I don't think I could stand a tiny roasted pigeon head staring up at me. I did taste some pigeon though. Another first in the book of Tina.

There were two weddings taking place in the hotel. Turns out this year and especially this month are particularly auspicious dates for having weddings. I'd wondered why we'd seen so many weddings this week...

I suppose the traditional Chinese wedding has gone by the wayside and a more Western style of wedding has become popular.

We used our toaster oven to make a chocolate cake. I felt like I was cooking in an Easy Bake oven :)

As you can see, the cake was a huge success. BTW, Connor has become obsessed with Superman lately. He wants to wear his Superman pj's 24/7. It is an argument every single morning to get him out of his pj's and dressed. He calls him "sup-man" (sounds like soup man). He also wants to be Bat-man for Halloween.
no subject
I love that you are taking pictures of your dinner parties and that you have no qualms taking pictures of the brides and grooms. It's one thing to read about it but it's another to read it and then see it too. You are creating your own documentary (I still think you need to write a book - yes, there have been many women who have lived in China but how many women are doing what you are doing?)
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I may write a book, I don't know. That's why I'm trying so hard to keep up with my journal, so that I'll have some notes to go back on and look at.
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And this is why I insist that really, the Chinese and the Italian are truly related ;) Because I've seen that happen time and again over the years in my circle of family and friends. :-D
I love how beautifully the food is presented.
Looks like a wonderful Mid Autumn festival!
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(yes, I'm very silly tonight)
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Those pastries are so beautiful, and you are a brave soul to try all the different styles of food you've been experiencing. I'm with you, though - pigeon eyes would sort of be a difficult hump to get over.
Your toaster oven's awesome. I want one like that.
no subject
I love my toaster oven. I had to get the red one, of course.
As for trying new food, I figure why not? I won't probably won't have this chance again and if it makes me sick, oh well. The truth is that I get sick on a regular basis here, even if I do all my own cooking. There's just no way to prevent against it. Besides, I want to have an authentic experience and not limit myself to only foods I could eat back home (aka, KFC and McDonalds.)