Lunch for the Lunar New Year season of this year turned out to be an explosion of colors on the dining table.
And no reason it should not be, for it was a meal we all helped to plan, and it was a meal we all helped to prepare.
We do this every year.
Planning begins early, and once we have the menu worked out, One Parent goes around to all the supermarkets nearby (for the best deals!), One Parent brings out the disposable platters (can save on washing up la) and by the time the food comes back, the water is boiling, the stew is in the pot, and we have the utensils, the drinks, the sauces, plus everything else that we need out on the table.
Plating is a Family affair, done with careful;y instructed guidance from The Parents. ;)
We tend to have something new each year.
One year it was the enoki mushrooms.
Another year it was the prawn broth.
This year we had the added item of century eggs on the menu- The Parent got a box of four from this particular supermarket and which after some deliberation we decided to have it cold aka restaurant-type, cold-dish style- minus the ginger.
The Parents didn't have a problem.
Neither did I.
Except that I was the only one who tried the eggs with dollops of mayonnaise and smears of ketchup, whilst The Parents had them plain on its own, taste all right what, why you put so much...
Of course, the good thing is that I can now tell you that neither of those gweilo sauces worked- not even the mayonnaise- and eventually I resorted to sesame oil, which, tadaaaa, turned out to be the best of all.
Never will go wrong with sesame oil when it comes to Chinese food, like I always say! :)
Yes, we had fun.
We always do.
Sure, we don't do the home-based hotpots much like how we used to do, and whilst there are times when I miss the plates of prawns, tau pok, sweet corn, and fish pieces, I'm thankful for these platters on the table holding all the foods that we love.
What is a homecooked meal without sincerity and warmth?
What is a special meal without the anticipation of something familiar? It is the knowledge that you're coming back to a dish you know oh-so-well that keeps you coming again, and again, and again.
For us, there's never a year without the red and yellow cherry tomatoes.
There's never a year without the bright green lettuce leaves.
There's never a year without the dark brown shitake mushrooms, the pale brown button mushrooms, the enoki mushrooms, the beige-looking fried fishballs, the chicken pieces, the yellow siew mais.
And there's never a year thus far that we've gone without the juice and the peach-laden fruit cocktail for dessert.