Friday 1 October 2010

Pre Birthday Feast

photo from abc.net.au

Miss Mischief is a very focused young woman, when it comes to her birthday.  Once she hits on something she really enjoys, she's inclined to do it for a few years in a row until I suggest that "surely there's something else you enjoy doing ... isn't it time for a change?".  Well, it appears there is one 'tradition' that she has begun and her friends are encouraging her to stick with it.

Yum Cha.

In Australia, when you say Yum Cha, it is understood that you are referring to the whole experience, not just the drinking of tea.  Not to say that's not enjoyable, but we wanted to delight ourselves in all manner of little Chinese morsels.  Well, not chicken's feet.  But almost everything else!  Two of Miss Mischief's friends were Yum Cha novices, having never been to one before.  They declared everything they tried absolutely delicious.  And to their credit, they tried everything I placed before them.  I did tell them though, that if they tasted anything they didn't like that they could set it aside and no one would be upset with them. They also tried the tea (we always choose oolong, over jasmine or chrysanthemum) and had a go at chopsticks.  Although they cast those aside rather quickly in favour of cutlery that enabled them to get food into their mouths!

You can tell that your children are maturing, when they choose a small, simple meal for dinner, following such a feast as Yum Cha.  Baked eggs, potato patties and baked mushrooms....with a pavlova for birthday cake.  A girl has to keep things in perspective!

2 comments:

Left-Handed Housewife said...

I've not heard of Yum Cha, but it sounds like a wonderful way to enjoy a birthday meal. Like the girls, I always abandon the chopsticks for western utensils--it's the only way the food makes it into my mouth!

frances

Tracy said...

I learned to use chopsticks out of necessity. It is inevitable when you have Asians within your family.