A Farewell Feast chez Mr. and Mrs. Cui

When one of the students from Room 809 came and asked the foreign teachers out for dinner at his parents' restaurant, we had no idea what we were in for...
I imagined a cozy little family run noodle store. Well, at around 5:00 pm, two cars pulled up to the school entrance and drove our group of 7 plus 2 TA's a few miles away and into what appeared to be a construction zone. Then, the cars stopped. And, to the left was the entrance to a very elegant restaurant. The owner signaled for us to go in. Three waiters were standing at attention and two women were behind a beautiful bar. A huge glass chandelier hanging several flights overhead cast sparkling light over the entryway. Up three floors of marble stairs we went and came into a beautiful dining room. An intricately carved mahogany table filled most of the room and it was set for a feast!



On one wall were two huge murals, one of peacock with feathers fanned out and the other, I don't recall...

Almost immediately, we were given a small glass of hot tea. As everyone arrived, we each took a seat. Drink orders took awhile... beer, wine and juice were offered... First came the beer... then about 5 minutes later, those who wanted wine were given their own little carafe, and the freshly squeezed orange juice arrived about 10 minutes after that. When everyone had a beverage, the host offered a welcome toast. We all stood up as we had seen the locals do in Siming Mountain!



And then the various dishes started to appear.... I am not exaggerating when I say that there must have been at least 20 different dishes that appeared over the next hour. The following list will give you some idea of what was available:
An assortment of chilled mixed beans, tender greens ( translated yesterday's flower stalks), marinated figs, cold, boney chicken slices, snails, shrimp tempura (Yeah!), dried fish of some kind, a delicious parsley-tofu mixture, a cilantro and darker green affair (my favorite), and the piece de resistance... batter fried python!




Yes, indeed, and I give Sally and Greg credit for trying it!







In the center of the table was a huge lazy susan type affair that rotated slowly around. Using chopsticks, guests sample the various dishes as they float by. (I am getting surprisely adept with the chopsticks.)

I should add that before the courses started, we were each given a bowl of wonderful creamed bean soup. And mid-way through the meal another bowl of some flaming pork intestine soup appeared.

The host and hostess were very gracious and generous! We were the only guests in the place, and they spared no expense. Apparently, the wife owns another restaurant and hotel in Yuyao. We'd been told that students who attend the Experimental School come from wealthy families, and this was certainly the case.




At the end of the meal, we were each given a third bowl of soup, this time with what appeared to be some home-made noodles in it, but I couldn't eat another bit. I did find room for a couple of pieces of some sweet, fried dough rolled in sugar however!

After much thanks all around, we walked home to the Business Hotel to pack up and get ready for our last day in the classroom!

Wan an.
Joan

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Location:Brand New 5 Star Restaurant in Yuyao