Happy Halloween!

Trick or treat!

Koko "Vampire" Mon K'ye

At Vine

We tried this new Asian restaurant on Broadway between 115th and 116th Streets. The prices for the lunch specials were extremely reasonable, I thought. Each of the lunch box specials comes with a choice of entrée.

The Columbia Lunchbox

With spicy baby shrimp, salad, California roll, and rice (clockwise)

The Lunch Box with California roll, grilled chicken in spicy sauce, and tempura

Cousin Get-Together in Philadelphia

We had planned this reunion months ago, coordinating between Thailand, Jamaica, and the States. On Friday afternoon, AJ and I took the Megabus from 31st Street and Ninth Avenue in New York to the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. The bus was late getting in because it took us an hour to get through the Lincoln Tunnel. Cathy, Marcy, and Diana picked us up in Philly and we were off again, on our way to see Eddie and Phyllis. We couldn't stay longer than half an hour as we were expected for dinner at Robin's house. Anne Marie was waiting for us when we arrived.

Marcy, Anne Marie, Cathy, Robin, me and Diana, in front

The next day we set off to have a hearty diner breakfast at Effie's Charcoal Chef. However, the gods of travel set up a detour. We had to go around a bad accident on Route 422, so that made us an hour late for Effie's. It was all good because that only made us hungrier. Aunt Myrna, Aunt Colleen's cousin, met us at Effie's. Afterwards, we had a quick tour of Reading. Anne Marie showed us her elementary school, St. Catherine of Sienna, and the building her family once owned. We went to Gethsemane Cemetery to pay our respects at Uncle Jasper's grave. Marcy said a lovely, heartfelt prayer at his gravesite. It's hard to believe it's been nine years already since he passed away.

We stopped at Boscov's, a discount retailer. Anne Marie told us the story of the family's patriarch who started a single store in Reading that he and his descendants eventually built into a chain. But more than than, he gave back to the community as much as the community gave him in support. At Christmas, for example, he closes the doors for one day so that the handicapped can do their Christmas shopping without waiting in long lines. As for me, I got some good deals on kitchen implements, a tablecloth for our dining table in Bangkok, and Christmas gifts for the family.

With Aunt Colleen

We visited Aunt Colleen who lives nearby in a neat apartment complex with her Jamaican nurse-companion, Ruth. Aunt Colleen is frail but her welcome was strong and warm. We had a wonderful hour catching up on the news with her. Anne Marie gave us all necklaces with silver palm tree pendants as a souvenir of our visit. Afterwards, we picked up Sam, who was waiting for us at Aunt Myrna's house. Then it was on to the Hong Thanh, a Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Reading. John, his wife Linda, and their son Daniel were waiting for us there. The meal was excellent. The dessert was most unique. Called "apple crème brulée" on the menu it was like no other crème brulée I had ever had. It was like a baked apple with cream in the center.

Crème brulée?

Meals punctuate every Chen-See reunion. It wouldn't be a get-together without meals that are hearty and filling. Food is always important on occasions like these. In Chinese families, sharing a meal with cousins who come from far away shows we honor and esteem them. Now that our family has scattered all over the map, it would be naive to think that getting together will always be as easy as this. It was nice that everyone made the effort to get together. I wish we could do this again sometime soon! Until then, we will enjoy the memories. Until the next time.

Customize a digital collage

The Kitchen Tool Odyssey

I found out that there are many kitchen supply stores along the Bowery from Houston Street, Soho to Canal Street in Chinatown. With not too many fine days left we walked the walk. I found baking utensils at good prices in these no-frills stores: a 6 cup muffin tin for $7.00, a pancake turner for $4.50, a spatula for $3.50, a bench scraper for $3.00, and a pie server for $2.50. Such good deals! You can see where we went today. Try moving the arrows on this little map I embedded below. It's interactive.

Wall with graffiti on the Bowery©AJ Wang

 Afterwards, AJ had a hankering for Vietnamese sub sandwiches. He said a good one was near Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan. It was only the next stop over on the #6 from Canal Street, so off we went. The shop is on Broadway between Chambers and Warren Streets. As is the custom with these sandwich shops, this little shop had no tables. We bought our sandwiches and went home. The bread was crusty on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Perfect. You were expecting pictures, perhaps? These elusive sub sandwiches never last long enough to be photographed. Sigh.

City Hall©AJ Wang

City Hall Park©AJ Wang

Mangez Avec Moi©AJ Wang

My New Kitchen Tools

Strawberry Fields, Forever

The memorial © corliss-lamont.org

John and me

Today is John Lennon's 70th birthday. Should that be "would have been"? It seems to me that when you are immortal you are still in the present. So it's is. Fans of all ages gathered at Strawberry Fields in Central Park to celebrate his life through the music he made.

the Sign

The memorial this afternoon

I was in the third row behind the musicians and couldn't move any closer. I asked this lady who was in the second row to take this picture. After I did that, three others nearby asked her to do the same. Do you see the green apples? I saw two women placing the apples on the memorial and I was slow to realize what they meant. Of course, Apple Corps, the Beatles' record company.

The crowd

It seemed to be an impromptu jam session. People brought their instruments and shared in the music. It was a beautiful day, skies were sunny and clear, the temperature was in the seventies. And the music was from the sixties. Everyone sang along.

The musicians

Playing along

Solemn boy in a suit with electric guitar

Sgt. Pepper was there

John's look-alike, too