Merry Christmas!
I just flew back into LA on the 23rd and will be here until the 30th when I fly back into NY just in time to ring in the New Year.
We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner at my aunt's house in Culver City with all of the other relatives. We're all a bit crazy when under the same roof at the same time.
It was an American dinner for the most part with a bit of a Chinese flair. In the meat department, there was a roast chicken, tri-tip steak, ribs and sliced ham. In the veggie department, there was a Chinese chicken salad, roasted red potatoes, a mushroom and bamboo medley, aparagus mixed with oyster mushrooms and broccoli with cauliflower. Instead of stuffing, we had my grandmother's well loved Chinese sticky rice.
When we arrived, my mom ran straight to the kitchen to help my aunts prepare the food. I chatted with my uncles and some cousins for a bit and then settled next to a cousin on the couch. About halfway through our conversation, my grandfather came over grinning and wedged himself in between my cousin and I. As he turned his attention over to my cousin, I noticed my cousin's eyes darting across the room in an attempt not to make eye contact.
Grandfather(grinning): Gurral! Gurral! You like gurral I tell you about? Very nice! She tall-about five seven. Smart! Computer major-go to UCLA just like you! Computer major like you!Speak English, Cantonese and Mandarin! UCLA, just like you! Nice gurral!
Cousin: Uh, no I'm not interested.
Grandfather (now turning to me and speaking Chinese): Very nice! She can speak English, Chinese and Mandarin. She's around his age and tall enough for him. Perfect match! But look at him-I find him a nice girl and he doesn't care. Won't even meet her. Aaayaah! (Now turning to my cousin) Gurral! Gurral!
Cousin (shouting across the room): Dad! Dad! Your father is annoying me! You need to control your father!
Apparently, my grandfather had been bugging my cousin about the same girl for the past few months, and he was sick of it.
Aiiiiiiiiiiyaaaaaaaaah! Yeah! Yes! Whoohooo! The screaming and whopping from the kitchen shot out so startlingly loud and unexpected that I jumped from my seat and nearly fell off the couch. I had no idea that another cousin, her fiancee and one of her cousins (from her other side) were on the other side of the kitchen watching a game. Apparently, their team won. She came running out dressed in her football jersey and matching santa hat in the team colors to say hi.
Shortly after this, my aunts called everyone to the table for dinner. There were eighteen people present, and her table wasn't big enough to fit all of us, so she strategically shuttled her daughter, fiancee, and cousin onto the table next to the kitchen away from everyone else with her and my uncle. It was her daughter's birthday, and she had a special birthday song that she wanted us all to sing. It was a birthday song from one of her childhood TV shows, and she had the words printed out for all of us to sing from.
After she announced her intentions, she left eveyone to fill their plates and eat. My aunt's request for us to sing a song from an old TV show started a competition among the baby boomers around the table to name the oldest TV show or commercial they remembered watching.
Rin Tin Tin! Micky Mouse Club! Leave it to Beaver! What was the name of the son on Lassie? Can you name the mother?
They were dating themselves in their attempts to outdo eachother. I was totally lost.
After dinner, all of the cousins sat on the table near the kitchen to gossip and chat until dessert was ready. Dessert was pumpkin pie, cookies, fruit and tea. But before we could have dessert, my aunt called everyone into the dining room where she turned on her CD player and passed out sheets for everyone to wish my cousin a happy birthday. Half of us had never heard this birthday song and sang happily out of tune, while the other half sang loud and strong enough to block out the sounds of my grandparents shouting loudly with my parents who were helping them sort out all of their mail (my grandmother is hard of hearing, and neither grandparent reads English too well).
When dessert was over we opened presents. I got a couple pairs of dress socks and a trio of lotions. And that was Christmas Eve with the family.
We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner at my aunt's house in Culver City with all of the other relatives. We're all a bit crazy when under the same roof at the same time.
It was an American dinner for the most part with a bit of a Chinese flair. In the meat department, there was a roast chicken, tri-tip steak, ribs and sliced ham. In the veggie department, there was a Chinese chicken salad, roasted red potatoes, a mushroom and bamboo medley, aparagus mixed with oyster mushrooms and broccoli with cauliflower. Instead of stuffing, we had my grandmother's well loved Chinese sticky rice.
When we arrived, my mom ran straight to the kitchen to help my aunts prepare the food. I chatted with my uncles and some cousins for a bit and then settled next to a cousin on the couch. About halfway through our conversation, my grandfather came over grinning and wedged himself in between my cousin and I. As he turned his attention over to my cousin, I noticed my cousin's eyes darting across the room in an attempt not to make eye contact.
Grandfather(grinning): Gurral! Gurral! You like gurral I tell you about? Very nice! She tall-about five seven. Smart! Computer major-go to UCLA just like you! Computer major like you!Speak English, Cantonese and Mandarin! UCLA, just like you! Nice gurral!
Cousin: Uh, no I'm not interested.
Grandfather (now turning to me and speaking Chinese): Very nice! She can speak English, Chinese and Mandarin. She's around his age and tall enough for him. Perfect match! But look at him-I find him a nice girl and he doesn't care. Won't even meet her. Aaayaah! (Now turning to my cousin) Gurral! Gurral!
Cousin (shouting across the room): Dad! Dad! Your father is annoying me! You need to control your father!
Apparently, my grandfather had been bugging my cousin about the same girl for the past few months, and he was sick of it.
Aiiiiiiiiiiyaaaaaaaaah! Yeah! Yes! Whoohooo! The screaming and whopping from the kitchen shot out so startlingly loud and unexpected that I jumped from my seat and nearly fell off the couch. I had no idea that another cousin, her fiancee and one of her cousins (from her other side) were on the other side of the kitchen watching a game. Apparently, their team won. She came running out dressed in her football jersey and matching santa hat in the team colors to say hi.
Shortly after this, my aunts called everyone to the table for dinner. There were eighteen people present, and her table wasn't big enough to fit all of us, so she strategically shuttled her daughter, fiancee, and cousin onto the table next to the kitchen away from everyone else with her and my uncle. It was her daughter's birthday, and she had a special birthday song that she wanted us all to sing. It was a birthday song from one of her childhood TV shows, and she had the words printed out for all of us to sing from.
After she announced her intentions, she left eveyone to fill their plates and eat. My aunt's request for us to sing a song from an old TV show started a competition among the baby boomers around the table to name the oldest TV show or commercial they remembered watching.
Rin Tin Tin! Micky Mouse Club! Leave it to Beaver! What was the name of the son on Lassie? Can you name the mother?
They were dating themselves in their attempts to outdo eachother. I was totally lost.
After dinner, all of the cousins sat on the table near the kitchen to gossip and chat until dessert was ready. Dessert was pumpkin pie, cookies, fruit and tea. But before we could have dessert, my aunt called everyone into the dining room where she turned on her CD player and passed out sheets for everyone to wish my cousin a happy birthday. Half of us had never heard this birthday song and sang happily out of tune, while the other half sang loud and strong enough to block out the sounds of my grandparents shouting loudly with my parents who were helping them sort out all of their mail (my grandmother is hard of hearing, and neither grandparent reads English too well).
When dessert was over we opened presents. I got a couple pairs of dress socks and a trio of lotions. And that was Christmas Eve with the family.
posted by LANYTransplant at 11:06 PM
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