Ying Banquet

After shopping for a couple hours, we met up with Chellis' cousin, Hobart, at her grandmother's house in Kowloon. They taught us how to play Mahjong - a fairly challenging game similar to gin rummy. We were supposed to be at the party by 7:30 but started receiving anxious phone calls around 6 from various relatives already at the party. Nicole and Chellis changed into their lovely evening clothes while Hobart and I remained in the same clothes we had been wearing all day.The Ying family is large - one that isn't possible in China any more due to the single child policy. Chellis' late grandfather had two wives - the first had four children and the second, Chellis' grandmother, had seven. The eleven siblings all have their own families, most of which were present that night. Chellis' parents, Bond and Eva (nice, huh?) Ying, were a generation of transition in that about half of the marriages were arranged. They were also a transitional generation because the one child policy was enacted in 1979. Most of the relatives lived in Hong Kong or outside China, however, so the policy didn't directly impact them. All told, five generations were present at the party.

Chellis grandfather was hugely successful in the bean curd industry - enough so that the family name is mentioned in one of the history museums in Hong Kong. As a result, Grandma Ying is very wealthy and influential in the area. Her 81rst birthday two years ago was actually announced on the radio because so many people were to attend. The party this year was much smaller than the 2,000 or so guests from that party, but it made it seem that much more special that we were invited.>We arrived at Yat Tung Heen, the restaurant, and were immediately offered a bowl of soup while being introduced to several relatives. Soon we were seated at our tables and the feast began. Menus were presented at the table - not as a range of choices, but a list of the twelve courses. Let me say that again: twelve courses. In the order they were served: 1) Wonton Soup 2) Roasted Whole Suckling Pig 3) Steamed Baby Lobster with Garlic 4) Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Meat and Crab Roe 5) Steamed Spotted Garoupa 6) Braised Whole Abalone with Black Mushrooms, Dried Oyster and Vegetables 7) Deep-fried Crispy Chicken with Crushed Garlic 8) Fried Glutinous Rice with Preserved Meat 9) Tossed Noodles with Ginger, Spring Onion, and Shrimp Roe in Albalone Sauce 10) Sweetened Ginger tea with Sago and Dumplings 11) Steamed Birthday Buns 12) Fresh Fruit Platter.

At one point in the evening groups from each table stood up to toast Grandmother and we got up to join suit. I knew it would be another opportunity to make up for my flubbed attempt at saying happy birthday earlier in the day. I had repeated "Ying lo tai, joke lei sung yut fei lok" (Loosely translated: Ying old woman, wish you happy birthday) about 200 times throughout the day and was ready. I made my way to grandmother and we clinked glasses together. I was able to repeat "joke lei sung yut fei lok" and she smiled...I think. A couple relatives around the table heard me and clapped so I think I got it out okay. It was the same reaction Nicole got earlier in the day when she said it, so I felt redeemed.

As we were walking away from the table, two women holding each other arm and arm (who turned out to be Chellis' aunts) approached Nicole about her dress. "Very beautiful dress. Traditional Chinese style. Oh, tailor made for you in Thailand? Silk? You are so beautiful!" Being the only Caucasians in the building gathered attention, but Nicole stood out even more in her dress.The toast happened sometime around the sixth course. Each course was presented by a parade of servers rushing out from the kitchen and dividing the main dish into individual plates. Each table also had a server who ensured that our drinks were always topped off and cleared plates removed. Eating was fast and furious when food was available - a carry over from days when food was scarce and your portion size was determined by how fast you could consume.

The dining started around 9PM and continued until almost midnight. We were all very full by the end of the night and ready for bed. We both felt lucky to have experience something so special and rare in Chinese culture. The food was great and we had a lot of fun at our table. Chellis said it was fun for her, too, because it made an event that has been repeated several times seem unique. Similar to any family gathering, I suppose, they can seem mundane to those always present. An outside perspective, however, can remind you how special it is for everyone to be together.