Wedding moments and some thank yous

I can't believe that Jason and I have been married for a month and a half now. I often get asked if anything feels different and to be perfectly honest, everything feels much the same. Jason says that if things change after you get married, you must be doing it wrong!

The bridal party

It doesn't seem like that long ago that Jason got down on one knee by the tree swing on Takapuna Beach and asked me to marry him. I remember it well because a family set off fireworks as soon as I said yes (this, of course, was unplanned.. it just happened to be close to Guy Fawkes Day). Everything after that went by in a blur -we headed off to Europe and China for two months, gathered our friends and family for an engagement party, celebrated a years' worth of birthdays, attended some of our friends' weddings -all while trying to put together one of our own. 

Double Happiness and bright balloons

We were very lucky that our parents and fantastic bridal party were very helpful and supportive through the planning process -my mother in particular, for making sure that Chinese elements were present throughout the day. All the decorations at home were prepared by my mother and aunt who stayed up until 2am to ensure I would be surprised the wedding day! It was absolutely perfect.

Traditional red bedding for the wedding room

The sheets had been changed to red with a bride and groom dressed in traditional wedding clothes. Above the bed was another paper cutting of the double happiness symbol. 

The little details

Finding flowers the day after Valentines Day turned out to be a real chore. Luckily, Jason took that task upon himself and, after contacting countess florists, found the lovely Maya of Tango Flowers who was willing to make up some bouquets and button holes after a busy day. 

The lovely ladies at Jessica Bridal helped me find my perfect dress about 9 months in advance and worried over my fittings and alterations so I didn't have to -poor Jessica and Sophie had to trim all 8 layers of my dress to match my height! 

Double Happy cake and the pumphouse

Our cake was created by the expert team at Sweet Bites Cakes who managed to turn our vague ideas into something beautiful and tasty. We had a blast at the cake tasting and managed (after a lot of indecisiveness) to settle on black forest, lime and coconut and passion fruit for each of the layers. The golden double happiness symbols were my favourite touch.

Sarah and her team at Carringtons Pumphouse did a wonderful job of keeping us on track throughout the day and was pretty much our saviour when things ran a little late. 

Us and our guests

We picked the date of February 15th because we wanted a summer wedding and we were told, by numerous sources, that the best weather for each month falls on a full moon (apparently this only works in New Zealand). It turns out that the advice was very sound -the sky was clear but the day was not too hot and provided the perfect lighting for photos!

Our friends and family

Being able to catch up with our family and friends that we rarely see was a great part of the day. It's unfortunate that we don't get to see each other that often but it was amazing that over 100 loved ones made the effort to attend our wedding, especially those who came from overseas!

We didn't even realise Chris was up a this tree!

Our photographers, Brooke and her brother Chris (from Brooke Baker; photo taker, magic maker) were absolute stars. Their bright and bubbly personalities put everyone at ease and, using their superb ninja skills, they were able to get some truly fantastic shots -from up high in a tree, behind some bushes and even in my closet!

Cutting the cake

The day itself went by like a blur. I remember a bit of crying,not much eating and laughing until my cheeks hurt. I remember suggesting to Jason, when the planning became a little overwhelming, that we should just elope escape the big party. But looking back on it now, I realise that it wouldn't have been the same without the presence of those who have played important part of our lives.

I'd like to say big thank you to everyone who played a part in our magical day. The dancing at the end of the night wouldn't have been as much fun without you guys to crump with.

Thank you to Ryan, Fiona and Cynthia who played the part of ring bearer and flower girls so wonderfully and stood so well during the ceremony.

Thank you to all the vendors who came through for us and made the day completely stress free for us.

Thank you to Brooke and Chris who stayed extra hour because they "were having too much fun" and sending us an awesome package including a jar of m&ms. You know us so well!

Thank you to Moody who provided us with funny jokes throughout the night and made sure the day ran to schedule. I'm pretty sure all the aunties are completely in love with you now.

Thank you to the groomsmen -Dylan, Zach and James -for looking super handsome in their suits and keeping Jason calm.

Thank you to my bridesmaids -Grace who made sure we got a jumping photo (one of my favourites), Jess who did a lot of my worrying for me and Asia who sewed up the bottom of my dress when I scraped it on the concrete. 

Lastly, I want to thank Jason who has proved time and time again just how great a team we are. Every decision we've made during the planning process, and throughout our journey together, has been incredibly easy and made without any dispute. 

I am filled with excitement for our future and the many challenges that we will face together.

You are my best friend.




All photos were taken by Brooke and Chris from Brooke Baker © Brooke Baker; Photo taker, Magic maker 

Bolliwood

It all happened on a cold, dark night. I was sitting in the back seat of the car when my cousin's girlfriend turned around and offered me $120 worth of vouchers to an Indian restaurant. My eyes narrowed.

"What's the catch?"

"No catch, I just don't like Indian food and they will expire while I'm away on holiday" she said.

Feast.

And that, my friends, is the story of how I got the chance to experience an Indian feast at Bolliwood.

Bolliwood

Although I couldn't convince her to come along and try Indian with me (alas, she is more stubborn than I), I managed to talk my parents into trying something new. 

As I've mentioned before, my father isn't what you call a daring foodie. Although he is often heard bragging about all the freaky things he has eaten (rat, snake, donkey etc.), he finds it very hard to branch out and try different cuisines -so much that my mother usually ends up cooking a bowl of noodles when we come home!

Fortunately, this night was different. 

 
We arrived for an early dinner and were sat right in front of a big screen playing Indian music videos. Although the restaurant looked a bit empty, we noticed that most of the tables had been reserved and there was even a party on the mezzanine floor. 

Kingfisher Jug - $23

While glossing over the menu, we ordered a big jug of Kingfisher beer which was light and refreshing. 

Tandoori Chicken - $19.50

I have to admit that, before this dinner, I hadn't tried much Indian food aside from the occasional Butter Chicken and garlic naan from the university food court. And if I was feeling particularly advendurous,  I would have a Chicken Korma or an Aloo Gobi. But, because I was dining with others, I had the opportunity to be more adventurous with the ordering.

We started off with a full Tandoori Chicken which was very juicy and full of flavour. The yoghurt sauce was a great accompaniment.

Honey Cauliflower - $11.50

One of my favourite dishes of the night was the honey cauliflower. The battered morsels had the perfect combination of crunch while being tender on the inside. It's appearance is reminiscent of the Chinese sweet and sour pork (finding similarities make my parents feel more comfortable) but I would choose this over sweet and sour pork any day!

Butter chicken - $18.90, Fish Masala - $20.90, Goat Curry - $19.50, Veggie Manchoorian $16.90 and Garlic Naan - $3.90 each

Because it was my dad's first Indian meal, I felt that he had to try the very famous Butter Chicken with Garlic Naan ("it's like the Peking Duck of Indian cuisine" I said). As for the rest, we took recommendations from our very helpful waitress which turns out to be the best decision I've ever made. 

As I had predicted, the Butter Chicken was delicious. The meat was tender and the tomato gravy flavoursome. The surprises came with the new dishes recommended by the waitress. My favourite of the curries was the Fish Tikka Masala -fish isn't something I had ever associated with curries but I'm definitely going to order more in the future! Contrary to what I had expected, the tender pieces stayed intact and every bite was melt in the mouth.

The last was the Vegetable Manchurian which I am told is an Indian-Chinese dish. This mixture of chopped capsicum, cabbage, carrot and beans, with countless spices stirred through, was an explosion of flavour in every spoonful. 

After this experience, I can confidently say that I will no longer stick to Butter Chicken when I go to an Indian restaurant and will definitely convince my friends to do the same. 


And as for my father? He didn't need a second dinner when we got home. I'm sure that means a great big tick from him!

Bolliwood can be found at 110 Ponsonby Road, Auckland , New Zealand.

 
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Falling leaves return to their roots

As any Chinese person would tell you, family is the most important thing. The second thing they might tell you is that they have a very big family. My dad has a MASSIVE family.

My father has two siblings, each of whom has one child -this is quite easy to count. Then we go into the extended family. My poppa has two brothers -the oldest one has 7 children (who then go on to have about 2 or 3 children each) and the youngest one has 10 children (who also go on to have 2 or 3 children) and when you count the fact that their children have even more children, you give up counting and just say there are a lot of Chinese people everywhere. Keep in mind that I haven't even started on my nana's side of the family.

Anyway, the purpose of this trip to Fuqing(福清) was to visit the extended family and see my poppa's resting place and eat lots of food (because, after all, we are in China). We arrived just before lunch and, already, we could hear the sounds of people being busy in the kitchen. We only had a brief window of opportunity to greet everyone before we were quickly ushered into the kitchen for lunch -they must have been waiting for us for quite a while!

Baby oyster soup, Squid, Tiger Prawns and "Haku"

 We started off with a selection of seafood caught fresh that morning and cooked straight away. None of the flavour was lost and it was really nice to be able to eat seafood from the deep ocean instead of the farmed stuff we'd been getting in restaurants. See those things on the bottom right? I don't know what they're called in English -or even Mandarin! All I know is that they're pronounced "Haku" in Fuqing dialect and are a type of small lobster. My cousin tells me they're called "slip lobsters" but I am unable to find it on Google or Wiki (and that's the extent of research I'm willing to do). These little buggers taste wonderful but are amazingly hard to eat -there are countless amounts of little hooks designed to cut you should you try to get into the shell but you will be rewarded with delicious lobster meat if you succeed. 

Sweet Dumplings

Scrumptious peanutty center

Next we had a bowl of sweet dumplings (who cares that we had dessert at the beginning of the meal?). These are one of my winter favourites. They have a soft and chewy outer layer made of glutinous rice flour and have a sweet, peanut center. Heavenly. I immediately forget that there are other dishes coming and have three bowls..

Deep fried frost fish

Battered Prawns

 What do they put in their batter?? It's delicious! It was light. Very light. Each piece of fish/prawn was surrounded by the most heavenly, lightly salted crunch -my mouth is actually watering as I type this..

The chefs

 After eating what seemed like half my body weight in food, I was full and decided to have a wander around the house -oh, did I mention that it's 10 stories high? Anyway, I stumble upon the cooks (great uncle's wife and his eldest daughter) and beg them not to make any more food. They just laughed and told me to keep eating..

Stirfried Vermicelli

"This is the last one, we promise!" said my aunt as she brought this out. They certainly left the best for last. The vermicelli had soaked up the flavours of the pork, oysters and chinese cabbage and, as you can imagine, was simply delicious!

This, my friends, is apparently a snack. Xien Mien with fried egg, prawns, baby oysters, pork and fried seaweed

 After lunch, we visit my poppa and great-grandpop and a few of dad's other cousins. Then, apparently, it's time for a snack. This is one of Fuqing's specialties -Xien Mien are very very thin white noodles cooked in a chicken broth. Everyone who lives in Fuzhou would have grown up with this. You can have it for breakfast, lunch or/and dinner and are consumed in almost every occasion such as birthdays (no matter what age you are), weddings and when you're about to go traveling. The topping is the best so I give in to peer pressure but leave most of the noodles as I'm sure my stomach has not fully digested lunch yet.

Roasted Watermelon seeds

  So what does one do immediately after having a meal sized snack? Rest? Let it digest? No -we go straight to dinner. I'm not even kidding. We literally left the house and walked to the restaurant. We start off dinner with a few plates of watermelon seeds which are the most moreish little snacks ever! They are marinated in soy based sauce before being dried and baked. It was quite enjoyable listening to the loud click of the shells cracking open while the adults talked.

Prawns and Haku

Stirfried Octopus Tentacles

Close up of Haku- little lobster thing

By now I'm sure you all get that seafood is a big deal here. A meal is not complete without a plate of prawns, fish and (note I said and, not or) oysters -don't you worry, the oysters are coming later. The octopus tentacles were very juicy and had a little bite to it and was covered in a light garlicky sauce while the prawns and Haku tasted like they should (yeah, I'm sick of describing seafood now). I get a little bored and start playing with my food -does anyone remember the freaky aliens from District 9 by the way? If not, click here.

Beef and Veggie Stew

This soup was a very welcomed change to all the seafood I'd been having lately and tasted very clear despite the amount of ingredients in the bowl. The pieces of beef had been coated in cornflour before cooking so the meat wouldn't get too tough and the bits of celery added really added to the taste.

Oyster fritters

I told you oysters were coming. These were, by far, my favourite dish of the day. No one can resist the smell of oyster fritters! They were so fragrant and tasty -we even took some home with us for the next day!

Steamed Crabs

Crab Scented Cellophane Noodles

Razor Clams

 The normal person would be full by now. Apparently my family are just eating machines. It's their specialty. The cellophane noodles taste wonderful and, even though my stomach is on the verge of exploding, I have a bowl and savour the taste of the crab meat. The razor clams were fried with golden needle mushrooms in a ginger and garlic sauce which really complimented its natural flavour.

Rex's dad having a ball with his Gongfu tea set

Dried Persimmons

As if feeling a little guilty for feeding us so much today, we are taken back to my cousin, Rex's, place for some Gongfu tea (工夫茶). I have a less modern set at home if anyone wants to try. The black tea we are served is meant to cleanse the body of fatty oils so it is perfect to have after the massive dinner. We also have some dried persimmons to accompany the tea -I couldn't help it, they taste like angels. I've never seen these sold in New Zealand but, if you ever get the chance, please try these. Dried persimmons are sweet, dense and chewy -much like dates but more juicy.

Supper (aka feast)

During after tea time I notice that Rex's mum is not present but keep quiet just in case she's just retired to bed because dinner has rendered her too full to move. Little do I know, she's actually doing the opposite. It seems that she's not yet full and prepared a massive supper for everyone as a pre-sleeping snack. Supper consisted of fried fish, fried baby oysters, baby oyster soup, congee, xien mien and sweet potato dumplings. Sweet potato dumplings are also a Fuqing specialty -kumara flour mixed with glutinous rice flour to form a soft, sticky shell for a center of pork, prawns, seaweed, cabbage and baby oysters (they really like that combination here!

Delicious savoury center -I can help but eat a few

 I leave them to their supper and conversation at about midnight and drift off as I wonder why no one here is obese..