Lunch at Grandpa's on the 2nd of New Year

1/27/09 Interestingly and unexpectedly, January 1st of the Lunar New Year was not as action packed. I had a relaxing day up at the mountain walking dogs with Uncle William, to be followed by a stroll through Eslite Bookstore with my sister and brother-in-law. Spent the night at Su-Yi's and cooked a simple home cooked meal for the three of us. A perfectly perfect quiet and relaxing day.

But the 2nd of the New Year is always a fun day to look forward to, as it is traditionally reserved for the married daughters to return to their original families and spend the day with their parents. On this day, we always return to my maternal grand parents' home for a big meal and fun get-together with my aunts and cousins.

A-Gong--which is how I call my maternal grandpa--is my only remaining grandparent. He is 92 years old this year and despite some failing memory, he is usually quite in good spirit. Mom and Dad and I got ready and arrived promptly by lunch time at A-Gong's apartment, to find my Aunt Lisha, her daughters Chi Chi and Yong-En, my sister Su-Yi and brother-in-law Andy already arrived and having a jovial time.

The meal was prepared by my eldest uncle's wife Aunt So-Jing, and A-Gong's domestic caretaker. We sat around the big old table with the lazy suzy turner that's been around at A-Gong's for as long as I can remember.

The lazy suzy is laiden with food. I perused the table and find the usual New Year fare of chicken, sausages, fish, shrimp, vegetables with lucky meanings, and last but not least, roasted striped mullet roe--and if you wonder about that, it is indeed a mysterious item. Pressed stripped mullet fish roe roasted on fire and then sliced into thin slices, to be consumed with equally thin slices of radish or green onion. Acquire taste, but yum yum to those who like it, and definitely considered a delicacy and definitely a New Year thing.

Aunt So-Jing whipped out the bottle of whiskey and, voila!! We were in business tackling another full blown meal!!

The conversation largely surrounds Su-Yi's upcoming birth. She's about to pop any day now.

A-Gong does not remember hardly anyone's name, but he kept toasting througout the meal. So cute! It's good to see him in good spirit.