We took her out for lunch in this Hainanese chef restaurant. It's the usual local Chinese restaurant set-up: crowded, everyone talking on top of their voices, waiters/waitresses yelling our drink orders and you get people standing around tables of those almost finishing their meals (though not quite yet).
We ordered friend noodles for the boys, 2 rice swimming in gravy (wui-fan) and 2 porkchops. All for the party of 4 adults and 2 kids. We actually had a bit of everything. it was a good thing we got in just in the nick of time. Mom juts had to stand by a table for 5 minutes while a party of 3 were finishing their meal and swiftly "booked" us the table. By the time I came in after throwing some rubbish out of the car, the table was already cleared and 2 high chairs in place. Both the boys were walking and browsing at other shops along the block.
Micah sat with Ee-Ee. His favourite meal-mate now as she will entertain him with stories while she feeds him. I was trying to get Max to eat something but he was actually quite sleepy, so refused to eat but asked to be nursed instead.
By the time we finished, there was an unbelievable crowd standing at the door. Even before we completely cleared off the table, a waitress slip onto the table a "reserved" sign. Both boys were out again with grandma, so my mom, my sis and I quickly gobbled up whatever was to be finished, called for the bill and made our quick exit.
We had actually brought her birthday cake for a song and dessert after the meal, but looking at the situation of the whole market-like ballooha, we decided we'll get out of there right away.So cake and song bit was done at her work place. Now we have a bookshop smelling of burning wax and blueberry cake. Hmmm....
All in all, we had fun. Ee-Ee sent me an SMS and said she had a good little do for her birthday. That's good. :)
p/s- will come back and update with the pictures after tomorrow. Got an important event coming up!!
*Ee-ee in Hokkien (a Chinese dialect) refers to your aunt on your maternal side and usually younger to your mom. Older aunts usually get rankings by their positions among the siblings. Usually, an aunt or uncle who is a cousin to your parents will have their name stated followed by their title.
In the Chinese context you can already identify how a person is related to you by how you greet him/her: a relative on maternal side, or paternal side, older or younger to your parent, and if they are from your parents' paternal or maternal side. It can go up to 4 generations!
2 comments:
Agreed, my mum always advocates the use of proper Chinese terms when addressing relatives, for the very same reason. "Calling everyone uncle or aunty just doesn't seem intimate enough.."
We have been teaching our little ones (all of that generation, not just my kids) the proper "names". The only challenge is Hot Mummee's side speaks Cantonese whereas I am Hokkien (too!)
So the kids will have to learn the proper term in the respective relatives' dialect!
... which I guess isn't really going to be challenge after all, since there is no need for translating.
ann,
My sis does not own the bookshop. She works in a bookshop.
But you can still go and she can give you some discounts. :D
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jlow,
Hey, Gadget-daddy's side speak Cantonese too, although they are supposedly Hakka. Only his father and among his siblings they speak Hakka, and it always sounds like they are arguing. Lol!
Specifics: Micah calls my grandaunt in Taiping: Kim-poh Chor. Get that?
My father's maternal uncle's wife.
:D
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