Feeding ten people (@ Hong Kong Chef)

[afuna]

*dies*

I had no idea how expensive it was to foot the bill for dinner for ten people. I now have a greater appreciation of just how hard it is to keep people stuffed but happy.

Including tax, it was almost half of my net monthly salary (this was literally a hundred times more than I normally spend for lunch. Divided by ten, as there were ten of us at the table, it was still ten times as much as I'd normally spend on myself for a single meal). I had to borrow some money from my sister because I had enough money in my wallet for the bill, but not enough for the tax -- bit of a miscalculation there. Better from my sister, than from my mom/dad/grandpa, though! Especially not after they all tried to ask me how much the bill was. Not like I'd tell them, considering how much trouble it took to convince them to let me take them all out in the first place, and especially considering how unsubtly they mentioned before dinner that they could lend me money if I ran over-budget ;p

Okay, so food! A big plate of cold cuts as appetizers; the usual: asado, chicken, jellyfish, century egg, and slices of other meat. Steamed tiger lapu-lapu (tender, slightly sweet). Crab in sotanghon (I love this <3). Fresh steamed shrimp. Something chicken, or chicken something. Hot prawn salad. Spinach something soup (slightly spicy; I have not had it anywhere else). And some rice to make the meal complete.

No pork, as my grandfather doesn't eat it for health reasons. No beef as my mom doesn't eat it for religious reasons.

Crab and steamed lapu-lapu are ridiculously expensive. They are such staples at big family dinners, that I assumed they were in the middle-range; I didn't realize they were among the most expensive on the menu.

I doubt I'll have enough money to do this again for years, but it felt good to have something to spend my first real paycheck on :-)

Comments

[afuna]

I don't (just) eat crab; I savor it.

(There's some chicken! *sends some over* In hindsight, I should only have ordered half a chicken instead of the whole thing, as there was plenty left over.

Names you don't recognize -- I assume "asado"? You wouldn't be able to have any of that even if there were leftovers, as it's pork. I just realized that my post is inaccurate, as we had pork for the cold cuts, but we didn't have any pork *dishes* which my grandfather couldn't eat, which is why I didn't count it as such (That is, my grandpa could still eat the chicken and stuff on the plate, as even though the pork was on the same plate as everything else, it was laid out separately. Does that make any sense?)

[pauamma]

I don't (just) eat crab; I savor it.

*burning hate*

(There's some chicken! *sends some over*

Yumm, chicken. *gobbles*

Names you don't recognize -- I assume "asado"?

That, lapu lapu, and century egg. (That is, I'm not sure whether it's a way to cook eggs, or an egg dish, or something that has no actual connection with eggs.)

[prissi.livejournal.com]

century egg is among the most amazing ways eggs can be prepared, but I do like tea eggs better.

Fu: I think it's so awesome that you're doing something like that for your family. Especially for such a large family. I know how expensive those large family dinners can get. *g*

[pauamma]

*reads* *looks interested* *pokes at a few links* *walks away from balut*

[afuna]

*G*

Balut is not that bad. It tastes pretty much like uh. If you've ever been so hungry that you bit into the end of a chicken bone, it would be something like that.

The appearance does take some getting used to, but it's not weird in terms of taste (I'm somewhat amused that most people who would not think twice about eating an adult duck have such a violent reaction to what is pretty much a duckling -- I mean I understand, but at the same time, I'm amused)

[pauamma]

Based on what I read, it's cooked alive? And at that stage of development, I assume it already has a nervous system able to feel pain. That (painful death) would pretty much make it off-limits to me, even not taking in account the yuck aspect.

[afuna]

Interesting. I've never thought about that aspect. Most of the time, all everyone fixates on is the "yuck aspect" (as you so eloquently put it.)

I can't think of any way it would be possible to kill them while in the egg. And I really don't know just how much pain they can feel at that stage.

[pauamma]

To be completely truthful, I don't know that they do either. But I have to be open to that possibility, and I choose to err on the side of caution.

[afuna]

*nods*

IYDMMA, when you said earlier that it was off-limits, were you referring to religious reasons?

[pauamma]

Yes. (I'm a Muslim, in case it didn't come up before.)

[afuna]

(I knew that, but I wasn't aware of any dietary restrictions other than the one against pork and alcohol :) )

[pauamma]

There are rules against eating meat from an animal that died from wounds, injuries, or a fall, which I kinda generalize into "any slow or painful death". (Plus, technically, it's not bled at the time it's killed either.)

[afuna]

Thank you! This is all very interesting to me.

(PS. If I understand you correctly, any meat you eat has to come from an animal that was be bled when it was killed? )

[pauamma]

Normally, yes, but that's a rule I don't pay much attention to, hence "technically". (I won't eat blood sausage or similar stuff, but that's about all.)

[afuna]

I used to hate century egg because it's so salty! So I stopped eating it, but earlier this year, I tried it again out of curiosity, found I liked it, and have since eaten it when it's available.

I'm not sure I like tea eggs, though. *g*

I think it's so awesome that you're doing something like that for your family.
It is the least I could do *G* I'm so glad that they all enjoyed it!

[prissi.livejournal.com]

:O well, I suppose with century egg you have to get over the glassy weird taste of the jellied egg white. as for tea egg, it's perfectly normal. like eggs boiled in soy sauce o_o; and much less salty. what's there not to like? :x

[afuna]

"Glassy weird taste" sounds about right :-)

I'm not sure what it was about tea eggs. I think... I don't know. There are some herbs they're soaked in which I'm not used to (or am I thinking about something else entirely?)

[atomic-clay.livejournal.com]

If I'm not mistaken, lapu-lapu is the local name for a grouper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grouper). :)

Century eggs (like balut) really taste better than they look. :p

[afuna]

It... has an English name? *G*

[atomic-clay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it does! :)) I don't think it's indigenous to the Philippines, but I didn't read the entire article either. XD

I also remember seeing some lapu-lapu tanks labeled with "Lapu-lapu/ Grouper" in other restaurants. :)

[gameboyguy13.livejournal.com]

Crab is *delicious*. I <3 it so much.