Late that afternoon we arrived in Hefei and were greated by of Leo's immediate family - his father, mother and girlfriend. Later that evening we were invited to a banquent which included all of the extended family - grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews which was held in our own banquet room. We sat to the right of Leo's grandfather which was the place for honoured guests. All dishes were served to the grandfather as head of the family and then to us as guests. Over 15 courses were served with the last dish comprising of 'sea cucumber' or trepang. This a very expensive dish in China and it is a great honour for it to be served and is a prized delicacy.
That must have been a very special time for you and Allan, how did you get through the 15 courses?,don't know about the sea cucumber though.
ReplyDeleteDid you get to Yellow Mountain? I ran up it and back.
ReplyDeleteI recently visited China this year, and your banquet brings back so many mermories! (all good ones of course) All that food that was consumed and the beer.
ReplyDeleteTrepang is interesting. Its been proved that Indonesian fishermen from Sulawesi came to Australia's northern as early as 1720, though some argue voyages begun 300 years earlier to fish for trepang. The trepang they gathered was almost exclusively exported to China.
ReplyDeleteHaving visited China myself this brings back great memories.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing trip, I would love to visit China. I look forward to reading your future posts.
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