Aphorisms of Tully Mars: Day 11

Day 11 – Family Lunch

10/20/2009 03:43:00 PM Tully Mars

The events planned for today were pretty light. Simply meet everyone for lunch and have a good afternoon shopping for Chinese gifts and knick knacks. So we slowly got around at our hotel and grabbed a cab over to “the sister’s” place, then walked to Joel and Junjun’s place to meet up with everyone. We were greeted by the neighborhood guard dog who was really more interested in sleeping on the job than he was in guarding the building. It was funny to see him sitting up with his eyes closed while weaving back and forth like a small child who is asleep while standing.

We all got together and headed over to a local restaurant where Joel and Junjun ate with us. At lunch the day of the wedding Joel and Junjun ate at her families table, while the “crazy Americans” had our lunch at our own table. This time they joined us representing that she was now part of our family instead of her own family. Her family came over to our table twice to toast to our good health, fortune and the couple’s future. We toasted them once, honoring the newly formed relationship and including Junjun into our family.

During lunch both Joel and Junjun had to provide cigarettes to everyone at their table and a game ensued during the lighting of each stick. Apparently they have to light their host’s cigarette while other family members try to blow out the light. At one point Sean jumped up and helped blow out the lighter, to which everyone in the room cheered and laughed. Finally they reached her father who is just as tall as Sean and they had fun trying to get his lit while her mother kept blowing out the lighter. When it was her mother’s turn, she insisted that Joel not only give her the cigarette, but to place two in her mouth and they each had to light them together. We are not sure what that represented, but it was really funny to watch. No one offered us any cigarettes, so it must only be for the bride’s family.

After another amazing lunch were the food never seemed to stop coming, we broke up and went our separate ways. Joel and Junjun apparently had more ceremonial duties like getting drunk or other stuff that afternoon, so “the sisters” with Sean and I in tow when shopping. It really wasn’t that bad, because we had to get two cabs to take us over to “China Town” and we got separated from the others. We never did get connected again because of poor planning on our part regarding the meeting point. So Sean, Tricia and I did our own thing and then headed back to the hotel after hitting some shops.

Tricia expressed the uncontrollable desire not to have Chinese food for dinner. Sean and I were caught completely off guard by this comment and argued for about 10 seconds, then gave into her craving. On the first day of the organized Shanghai tour, they dumped us off in the western style shopping center and Tricia remembered there were several restaurants in the center. We go to enjoy Chinese style Italian food with our usual Pijio and soft drinks. We are becoming acutely aware that with every meal except breakfast it is S.O.P. to enjoy a local brew and we have taken full advantage of this procedure.