Saturday, November 29
Great-Grandpa’s 90th Birthday Celebration, Part 2
Today at noon, with 20 additional relatives and
friends, some whom he has known for more than 70 years, Tai yeh-yeh
celebrated his 90th birthday in a private room in restaurant Bi Fong Tang on
the 10th floor of the Living Mall, just across the street from where he
lives. I wonder what type of life experiences Tai yeh-yeh must have had
being born at the end of one great war, having served in World War II,
having fought the communists and then being forced to flee your homeland to
an island with the resulting split up of your family for decades? But he
lived his years well, and has been blessed with good health. The rest of our
family would be so fortunate to also live that long with such good quality
of life.
Top: At the entrance to our room, with the sign announcing that this is
the Hsu celebration. 2nd: Tai yeh-yeh starts a toast, one of many. 3rd:
Toward the end of the meal, a special 90th birthday cake is wheeled in and
Tai yeh-yeh cuts the cake to the applause of guests. The three seated guests
are old classmates he has known since his Shanghai days in the 1930’s - all
about the same age as Tai yeh-yeh. 4th: Here I go again, playing with his
cane, a symbol of growing older, but with a smile that really means to
convey my respect for him. Bottom: My family together showing the 4
generations of Hsus: Tai yeh-yeh, Yeh-yeh, Daddy, and me
Friday, November 28
Great-Grandpa’s 90th Birthday Celebration, Part 1
According to the Chinese Calendar, Tai
yeh-yeh’s birthday is the first day of the 11th month, which corresponds to
November 28th of the western calendar this year (he was actually born
December 22, 1919). The celebration consists of two parts: a smaller dinner
for family the day of his birthday at his favorite Shanghainese restaurant,
followed by a larger gathering at his favorite Cantonese restaurant on
Saturday. Today was also special in that Nai-nai and Yeh-yeh arrived from
Singapore, so all of Tai yeh-yeh’s children are here together.
Top: Brushing my teeth, getting ready for Tai yeh-yeh’s big day! 2nd:
Tai yeh-yeh with my granduncle Jerry, grandaunt Sunny, and Yeh-yeh. Did you
know that this is the first time the four of them have been together in one
setting together, ever? 3rd: Yes, I know, another picture of us eating
dinner together. This is what we do here. Bottom: Showing off some of his
birthday gifts. This one comes from his grandson Uncle Vernon and Aunty
Joan, original paintings created by Aunty Joan herself
Thursday, November 27
A Very Taipei Thanksgiving
We celebrated a very different
Thanksgiving than I had last year. Here in Taiwan, it was just another day
with business as usual. Instead of watching football and eating home-cooked
turkey, we watching Taiwan political news and having dinner at a small mom &
pop restaurant with dumplings and beef noodle soup. Yet we celebrated one
main element of Thanksgiving, and that was the family being together.
I’m thankful for the following: 1) My Tai yeh-yeh, especially that he
has such good health and turns 90 years tomorrow! 2) Family and that we can
all enjoy dinner together; 3) Noodles!
Wednesday, November 26
Eating and Drinking in Taipei
Eating in Asia is a great experience, and I am
finally able to enjoy some of the cuisine that Taiwan has to offer. Mommy &
I are still on a dairy-free, soy-free diet because of allergies, but
otherwise I have enjoyed pretty much the same foods my parents eat. No more
eating only commercially-prepared stage two baby food like the last time I
was here! We typically eat a Taiwanese breakfast that Daddy gets a block
away from our condo. For lunch, we eat out on the town, and then in the
evening we head to Tai yeh-yeh’s home for dinner. I admit that we’ve also
been snacking – there are just so many cafés and beverage stalls in town
that one can’t help but enjoy sampling those as well.
Top: A huge variety of beverages are sold at stalls throughout the city,
including fruit juices and fruit and milk teas. As a master straw sucker, I
am seen here with Mommy enjoying a sweet and sour drink made from preserved
plums. 2nd: Steamed vegetarian dumplings served as a restaurant specializing
in entrees with a unique tea flavor or made from tea leaves. 3rd: The
Taiwanese version of shaved ice, halo-halo, ice kacang, or whatever else you
want to call it, packed with green and red beans, boiled peanuts and black
jelly. The ice is packed below. 4th: How can you travel to Taiwan and not
use chopsticks? Taking a mouthful of white turnip cake, a traditional
Chinese breakfast and dim sum dish. Bottom: I am stuffing myself with food
at Tai yeh-yeh’s home, with entrees that we bought from the Nan Men (South
Gate) market.
Tuesday, November 25
Surrounded by Mums
Chrysanthemums have been cultivated by the
Chinese for millenia. Not only are they prized for their aesthetics, these
flowers serve medicinal and culinary purposes, most commonly used in teas
these days. Tuesday’s chilly and overcast weather did not deter us from
taking a bus to the Taipei suburb of Shihlin to visit the chrysanthemum
gardens, which was previously the residence of Chinese leader Chiang
Kai-shek. Master horticulturalists have transformed various chrysanthemum
types into a myriad of shapes, such as dragons and Christmas trees .There is
supposedly another bonus to this activity: my parents theorize that having
me roam around the gardens allows me to expend more of that toddler energy
and sleep better at nights. We’ll see if they are right.
Monday, November 24
More Family Arrive in Taiwan
Late afternoon we made the usual daily 4km trip
to visit Tai yeh-yeh, except there were two differences. First, instead of
taking a taxi we took a bus, and two, instead just Tai yeh-yeh welcoming us,
we arrived to a full condo. All my granduncles and grandaunts had arrived,
as two of them from Texas just arrived today via Shanghai and Macau. As you
recall we’re all here to celebrate Tai yeh-yeh’s 90th birthday on Saturday.
The only ones missing from tonight’s dinner are Yeh-yeh and Nai-nai; they
arrive later this week from Singapore. Looks like for the rest of this week
I will have lots of kisses and attention beyond the ordinary.
Top: Goo-por (Grandaunty) Sunny teaches me the names of birds in
Chinese. 2nd: Uh-oh, here I go again, messing around with things such as Tai
yeh-yeh’s cane. Fortunately he doesn’t seem to mind. 3rd: At a Beijing
restaurant called “Xi Lai Suen” on East Nanjing Road. Clockwise, from me: GU
Danny and GA Sunny, from Danshui, a suburb of Taipei; Tai yeh-yeh; GU Jerry
and GA Sherry, from Dallas TX; GU Linda, who is Sherry’s sister and a
professional violinist, from Macau; and finally Aunty Shirley, GU Linda’s
daughter, who is a college student here in Taipei. Bottom: Tai yeh-yeh and
GU Jerry enjoy a laugh together.
Monday, November 24
It was a Lazy Monday. Actually, Not Really
Apart from a small trip to SOGO department
store mid-morning, most of the day was spent mostly at our condo. Perhaps
you’d call it a lazy Monday, but for us it was hardly that. Mommy did
laundry and cooked rice porridge for me, while Daddy tried to keep me
entertained. But don’t think for a minute I didn’t do my portion of the work
around here. I even have photo documentation!
Top: See? I’m helping to earn my keep! Middle: In trying to mop the
kitchen, I got stuck. But flying away on a broom isn’t going to help the
floors get cleaned any faster. Bottom: I AM helping; I’m warming up his shoe
so Daddy can put his foot in and feel warm and comfy.
more coming soon...