Chinese New Year dinners

Chinese New Year = Food, food, and more food.  I feel lucky to have been invited to family dinners to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Friday night: The Ho family has been friends with my parents for decades.  In fact, auntie was the one who brought me out to meet my dad when I was born.

Saturday night: Wai is my mom's cousin; his dad and my grandma are siblings.  He is technically my uncle, but he is only a couple years older.  So his kids are my cousins, even though they are 7 and 4.  I haven't seen Wai and his wife, Kik, since I was 15, which was, you know just a couple of years ago.  Haha.

Sunday night: My godparents are my parents' friends from church.  I believe the story was that kai leung (godmother) thought I was really cute bouncing around and informally became my godmother.  It stuck.  I have not seen them since the eighth grade...hahaha.  But when I got to HK, we met up and it was like no time has passed.  They have three sons.  Two are older and one younger than me.  My first slumber party, I think at age 4(?), was at their house, with the two older boys.  It was not a successful slumber party because I asked to go home around 2am.  Haha.

At dinner, I had a split second of shock when Kai yeh (godfather) said, "Nui nui, help me with this plate".  It is an endearing term for little girl that I haven't heard in ages.  Only he and my dad calls me that.  It was such a nice moment.  It makes me smile even thinking about it now.

 Friday night at Peking Garden with the Ho family

Saturday night at Wai's house

 

Sunday night at godparents' house

Happy Chinese New Year!

With my little cousins, Dylan and Devin

Claypot rice to go

Where else could you get this, but at citysuper?  HK$98 (~US$12.50)!

Cooking for the first time in my kitchen

Don't get too excited for me.  I was using the word "cooking" in a very loose sense...

To quote a very astute friend: This is so sad...you didn't even have an egg to go with your spam and noodles.  Hahahaha

When will these people get home...?

It's a little dark, but those are people lining up for bus 171.  I have no idea where it goes and I hope to never have to find out.  That line wrapped around the bridge... is that not insane?  And this happens every single day!

Pre-Chinese New Year dinner #1

Richard, Jason, Kirstin, and I met for dinner at Causeway Bay.  Iris joined us towards the end of dinner.  The English translation of the place is "homestyle cooking."  And indeed it was!  We ordered 8 dishes and a soup for the 5 of us.  LOL  It was yummilicious food.  (I was really proud of myself for finding the restaurant all on my own.  Nevermind that I had to walk back and forth to make sure the blue dot was going the right way in google maps.  I found the place.  Nuff said.)

Richard and Jason are Hazel's college friends.  They live in HK and Hazel made the connection for us. They are such gracious people and I'm really glad to have met them.  Kirstin is Jason's girlfriend and Iris is Richard's fiancee (recently engaged!).  We always have delicious meals and then somehow end up having dessert elsewhere each time.  We already have the next two meals planned--claypot rice and Korean food, especially now that I'm leaving soon...

Australian Dairy Company

A cha chan taang (HK-style cafe).  Uncomfortable seating--and you have to "daap toi" (share table with strangers), it's noisy, not to mention the rude waiters.  So I avoid that by getting takeout.  Haha.

I've had three things here: HK-style ham and egg sandwich, steamed milk dessert, and steamed egg dessert.

The ham and egg sandwich is to die for (see, I'm really not hard to please).   Notice the thick white bread (no crust!) and fluffy eggs.  OMG

White one is steamed milk and yellow one is steamed egg.  I love love love the steamed milk. 

 

The Australian Dairy Company is two-ish blocks from church.  Each Sunday I tell myself I would walk right to the bus stop and skip dessert...but I find myself making the familiar walk to Bowring Street and ordering said dessert.  Hahaha.