Wedding Meal
Weddings are a big celebration time in any country, a time of joy, a time of sadness.
It is a time for joy that two people have chosen to spend their lives together, to share with each other the ups and downs of life, to learn to give to the partner more than you get back, to communicate, to talk.
It is a time of sadness, when one relationship ends and another starts, in that the parents have to learn to let go, that their child has left the nest to find their own tree or place to start a home, to be making their own choices and decisions in life.
It is the same the world over, the only difference is the way the ceremony is conducted.
Mee Len was invited to the celebration meal of the wedding of her old school friend, Mee Siam Ho's daughter Su Ann and Teil Hong.
The hotel hall was packed tight with guests, not just one wedding diner, but two, with a small six foot wooden screen dividing the celebrations. The other group seemed to be celebrating with a Karaoke sign along, ours was a more "getting to know you" meal, with old friends and relatives getting together again.
Mee Len had left her schools, The Convent School in Bukit Mertajam and the MBS (Methodist Boys School) in Penang, many years ago, and Mee Siam had invited many of the old girls to the wedding meal.
Unlike western or European wedding meals which are served on individual plates, the Chinese way is to serve the helpings on a central serving dish in the middle of the table, and those at the table help themselves.
Pomfret (Tau tay) Fish
Pomfret (Tau tay) Fish bones
Suckling Pig
It is a time for joy that two people have chosen to spend their lives together, to share with each other the ups and downs of life, to learn to give to the partner more than you get back, to communicate, to talk.
It is a time of sadness, when one relationship ends and another starts, in that the parents have to learn to let go, that their child has left the nest to find their own tree or place to start a home, to be making their own choices and decisions in life.
It is the same the world over, the only difference is the way the ceremony is conducted.
Mee Len was invited to the celebration meal of the wedding of her old school friend, Mee Siam Ho's daughter Su Ann and Teil Hong.
The hotel hall was packed tight with guests, not just one wedding diner, but two, with a small six foot wooden screen dividing the celebrations. The other group seemed to be celebrating with a Karaoke sign along, ours was a more "getting to know you" meal, with old friends and relatives getting together again.
Mee Len had left her schools, The Convent School in Bukit Mertajam and the MBS (Methodist Boys School) in Penang, many years ago, and Mee Siam had invited many of the old girls to the wedding meal.
Unlike western or European wedding meals which are served on individual plates, the Chinese way is to serve the helpings on a central serving dish in the middle of the table, and those at the table help themselves.
I have often talked in my courses of how a whole fish is served on the central server, and so it was last night.
Within minutes the flesh of the fish was consumed, leaving just the head and bones, just like a Tom and Jerry cartoon.
Another dish served was a suckling pig, a young pig that has only fed on its mother's
milk. The piglet is killed between the ages of two to six weeks, and roasted, only being served on such special occasions as a wedding diner.
Within minutes of the wedding diner being finished, the place was empty, unlike other cultures where there would be dancing and drinking.
Posted by Phillip Holt at 12/29/2008 12:53 AM 
Categories: English Sayings, Culture, Travels
Tags: Mee Siam Ho Su Ann Teil Hong left the nest The Convent School Bukit Mertajam Bukit Mertajam MBS Methodist Boys School Penang Mee Len Ng Mee Len Holt Pomfret Tau tay Fish Tom and Jerry fish bones Chinese way is to serve food Hanna and Barbera Suckling Pig served at special Chinese occasions Bukit Mertajam
Categories: English Sayings, Culture, Travels
Tags: Mee Siam Ho Su Ann Teil Hong left the nest The Convent School Bukit Mertajam Bukit Mertajam MBS Methodist Boys School Penang Mee Len Ng Mee Len Holt Pomfret Tau tay Fish Tom and Jerry fish bones Chinese way is to serve food Hanna and Barbera Suckling Pig served at special Chinese occasions Bukit Mertajam
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