When Things Get Tough, Tough Get Going

So yesterday was supposed to be our big CAJUN CRAWFISH BOIL PARTY.  20 people were showing up.  Yes, words get around about our annual crawfish party and we get more people showing up every year.  Heck, more the merrier... so the table set; potatoes and corns piled up; water simmering.  We were ready!!

Where Are Them? The crawfish is usually delivered by 10:30am but there seemed to be a delay this year.  FedEx shipment tracking showed that the package was scheduled to be delivered by 12 noon.  However, the status still showed as "in transit".  It looked odd but I let it go.

By 11:30am, a little birdie told me that something wasn't going right so I called up FedEx.  After the round and round of talking to the computer, I got a live person.  She first reiterated what I read on the website.  I told her to check real-time.  Lo and Behold, my crawfish was still in Memphis!!

UGH!!!!  WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY CRAWFISH IS STILL IN MEMPHIS?

Urrrr.... memory of that Turducken, our Christmas Eve dinner getting stuck in Memphis due to severe snowstorm few years ago, came rushing back.  Not again!!  Don't tell me so!!!

While dealing with FedEx and emailing the shipper to inform them of the situation, I told James that we need to have PLAN B now.  Our brains spinning fast and we both thought of a SEAFOOD BOIL instead.  We came out with a complete new menu on the spot: live Maine lobsters (for show), frozen lobster tails (to feed), clams and mussels (for variety), prawns and squid (for color).  So he headed out to the New England Lobster Company and I headed out to the Chinese supermarket to get new food.  It was 12:30pm.

After the quick scrambling, we did it!  People start coming at 2pm and were treated to a wonderful seafood boil.  I don't think they even remembered they were supposed to be here for crawfish!

Yes, once again, a twist to make my day interesting.  Like keeping me on my toe, my dear God??

2010 Summer Party

Summer Party @ the Jo Lin Club is an annual tradition. It started almost 10 years ago with the girls getting the families together so they get to know each other. It then became an annual thing. It usually starts with finding a agreeable date early in the year so everyone can mark their calendars, then a month or two of menu planning.

The start of summer is the end of the crawfish season and if all possible, we put on a Cajun crawfish boil. When the kids were younger, they would woo-and-ahh over them. I still remember one year the crawfish got away and we sent the kids all over to catch them. Now the kids want to take them home as pets. OK, so few less crawfish to eat but more memories for the kids. Yes, crawfish does pretty well at home.

One other highlight is our annual wine tasting thanks to Sandra's generosity. Funny how we never got better with our wine notes but we sure get a kick out of wine sampling.

Jason did a good job with the drinks this year. He is getting better at it. Plenty of soft drinks, water and good beer. James drove to Tomales Bay yesterday morning to pick up oysters and was shucking oysters all day. Patty's family is the king of hors-d'oeuvre and it's a elaborate family production. Not only Patty's husband and girls make them, they serve them too. Wow!

Sandy, Julia, Linda and Julie always make sure there is enough food to feed everyone from morning to night. They prepare plenty to replenish hungry tummies in a 12-hour stretch. I usually have to beg them to take the leftovers home. We did good this year though, not much leftover. I guess we are finally getting it.

What has been a little get together among girls is now a family function. Kids grow, wrinkles deepen but friendship stays.

Got Sushi

Chef in the House. Robert, Brian and I put a sushi party together last Saturday, 2/6/10, at my house. It was quite entertaining. Not only we had a real sushi chef (Brian), we even had all the right stuff from plates, bowls, condiments, torch to a sushi bar. Yes, Robert and Brian set up a console table with a granite top that was just right for making sushi.

Dad's friends happened to be visiting and they were invited to stay for dinner. They were pretty impressed with how efficient we were in setting up the kitchen and putting the mini sushi bar together. They realized we really meant business when Brian put on his black head chef jacket and James and I in white. Yes, we were Brian's sous chefs for the night.

Everyone knew how to execute; even Carli played a darn good baby waitress. Mom, Dad and their friends had a great time. Brian was happy that his sushi was greatly appreciated. Everyone else all got to eat and play. The real restaurant part was when a tip jar was passed around.

Over 200 pictures were taken. I trimmed down to 85 and made a photo essay of our evening. Here goes. View full screen at 720p for HD. Thanks a million, Brian!

Fresh Food Feast

Another great party was had on Saturday, 6/21/08. Our party is known for great food and fun. Live crawfish and fresh oysters were on the menu along with crab cakes, ribs, tri-tips, steaks, salmon, clam linguini, garlic bread, cheese platter, chicken salad, fruit salad, freshly baked banana muffins, cookies, and two cakes...

The crawfish was a big hit again. Love how the kids react to seeing bunch of live crawfish from the sack. There were squeals, laughs and giggles. Some lucky fellows went home as pets. According to Sandy who kept one alive for 1 1/2 years, feeder fish was the secret to its long life.

See the plier on the photo? OK, it's not the official tool for opening oysters but I forgot my oyster knife and the plier was the next best thing that allowed me to open the oysters up as fast as I could. The trick was to pinch the thin side of the oyster shells so there was a little opening and then slide the knife in between the shells. The oyster will open beautifully. I know, I know -- the professional oyster shuckers would have laughed their heads off but the end result was the same. Yummy!

Beat It, JJ!

-- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! --

Mr. Jenkins (or Mr. JJ)turned 90 last Thursday (May 2nd) and he is just as perky as ever. He slowed down quite a bit after his hip surgery, but he still plays the violin with passion and vigor.

Mr. JJ was my music teacher back in junior high, then James’ and then Jason’s. We were all members of his orchestra in different school years. I played the piano, James violin and Jason cello. He got the Wu kids three years in a row, so he got to know the family very well. We stayed in touch after we graduated and went on to high school, college and to now.

His family and friends threw a birthday bash for him yesterday. Mr. JJ greeted his guests with his violin and did all the entertaining. To wish him a happy birthday, his old buddies (literally) got up one by one to sing and play for him. It was very touching! Of course, Mr. JJ had to chime along and even added few dance steps to the beat –just like how he did it when he was conducting the orchestra. He still has the moves! Not bad for a guy that is almost a century old.

WHAT A MAN!

Mr. JJ, best wishes and many more...

So We Like to Drink and Eat

Dummies for Wine: Thanks to Sandra's generosity, we always have plenty of new wine tastings at our parties. But, nope, we have never become sophisticated wine drinkers - heck, we don't even know how to describe the tasting properly, just good, yummy, woo, wow, ahh, light, buttery, cool, this is soooo good, and give me more - but we always have loads of fun and that's what counts.

Just Desserts: Julie always signs up for bringing desserts and she always goes all out. She did good again this year (summer party, 8/25/07). THREE fabulous looking desserts to complete the fun. No surprise that the cakes were all gone, not a scrap left. What do you expect with 30 tummies that somehow stayed hungry even after shrimp cocktail, smoke salmon and cheese, french breads, garlic breads, pot stickers, egg rolls, chicken nuggets, fruits, salads, hot dogs, meatballs, 15 pounds of BBQ meat, 1 huge red snapper, 2 dozens of krispy kreme donuts, shaved ice, sodas, beers, coffee......

Thank you Sandra, Julie, Sandy, Julia, Linda, Patty, Robert and families!!! This is the good life.

A Wedding Toast

My 2-second fame: Patrick and Julia got married on 8/11 and my Flickr photo album of their wedding day was featured in Julia's blog (see her 8/15 blog). Wow! Who would have thought my name would appear in an award-winning blog. Thank you, thank you very much!

Check out their wedding story at http://www.modernmuse.blogspot.com.

Out of the 200 guests, I only knew a few. So naturally the photos were taken from an egocentric angle. It was more about ME and my buddies having a good time at the wedding. How about the others? Yes, the bride and the groom had a great time too.

Happy life, Patrick and Julia!

Good Bye Summer

So summer has come and almost gone. Did we really have a summer? Yes, there were few extremely hot days here and there. But overall, this has been a pretty mellow summer in our neck of the woods.

Not willing to let the summer slip by, we had an End of Summer Party for our buddies on 9/7/06. RK cranked up the heat for the pool so the kids were able to enjoy one last dip.

The adults had the usual indulgence of fine food and wine. Many thanks to Sandra's generosity, we always got to taste different wines - what a blast to be able to have 8 bottles of different red and white in one tasting. Of course, the rest of the girls brought enough food to feed the army again.

Fall is only two days away and holidays are just around the corner. We will soon be hearing ho-ho-hos and jingle bells. However, they will also pass by before we have a chance to immerse in the holiday spirits.

Oh well, this is life and we have to go along for the ride.

Crawfish and More

How many crawfish is in 30 pounds? I posed the question at the crawfish party but no one cared -- hey, the more the merrier.

RK and I hosted a crawfish party for his friends last Saturday (6/3). Most of them had not tried it and they were curious as to what it was.

We ordered 30 pounds of crawfish and they were delivered early Saturday. RK's buddies were normally late to parties but this time they all showed up pretty early. Everyone brought something to make the feast complete. Steven and Russell even found Louisiana beer for the occasion. That was very nice!

We did it Cajun style with the seafood boiler. It was an impressive sight when we dumped the crawfish onto the table along with corns and potatoes. This year, I added a little surprise to the bucket. When the crawfish was poured onto the table, out came two dungeness crabs! They really liked that! I called it the delight factor...

Beside the crawfish, we also had other food. Everyone ate, went swimming and ate some more. A good time was had by all.

The crawfish feast is becoming an annual event for us. We really enjoy all the woos and ahhs! It is exciting that food can bring so much joy. So, we will have one more crawfish party for the family before the season ends in early July.