Welcome to the real world

 

Not a certificate of adulthood, but the program of the entertainment for lunch

I interrupt this blog for an important news flash. As of this day my daughter is now a legal adult, having reached another in what I hope will be an ongoing series of positive milestones. To celebrate her 18th, my wife took charge of organizing the festivities, reserving a table for three for lunch at a restaurant called Gong Yan 宫宴, located in Beijing's 北京 Qianmen Street 前门大街:

Being greeted as we step off the elevator:

The restaurant splashes out on a themed banquet that includes performances (very) loosely based on Chinese dynastic histories. What makes the experience a bit more immersive than most shows-with-food is that at Gong Yan the diners can choose to dress up for lunch. Amber looked most fetching in an outfit presumably meant to evoke a female member of the Song dynasty 宋朝 aristocracy:

As you can see, both Shu-E and I remained in modern-day dress. Many young female diners did, however, don the duds:

The food was quite good:

Waxberry sweets:

 

Tofu soup:

Shrimp balls:

Steamed wild yellow croaker:

Braised pork tail (much tastier than it sounds). According to my wife, pig tails in Taiwan are a traditional birthday dish:

A sour soup stew:

Noodle soup with shrimp roe, winter bamboo, bean sprouts, and garlic chives:

Fruit yoghurt:

The program for the lunchtime entertainment:

At the end of the meal our daughter was given a birthday sweet treat to bring home with her:

She was also provided a bowl of shoumian 寿面, "birthday noodles" eaten to celebrate longevity. Sharp-eyed readers (at least those proficient in Chinese characters) might notice that the carrots form 生日快乐 - "Happy Birthday":

I certainly hope Amber enjoyed today's experience. 2024 will be a momentous year for her as she waits to hear which university will accept her application. It's all but certain that she will leave the proverbial nest at the end of this summer, and start to make her way in the world away from the protective cocoon Shu-E and I spent 18 years spinning for her.

It's going to be a difficult time...for me. I cried the day she was born, and I'll probably shed tears the day she leaves for uni. It's an expected stage in life, but not one to which I'm looking forward. And with the lifestyle I've chosen to live for myself and my family, it's most likely the physical gulf between us will be very wide, at least until I reach the mandatory retirement age, following which Shu-E and I look for a place to settle down. 

But that's for later, In the present, we will remain a family of three under one roof for the next half-year at least, so there's a preciousness to the time that remains. 

By the way, it's still chilly here in China's capital: -10°C/14°F when we left the house this morning, -5°C/23°F immediately following lunch when this photo was taken:

I now return you to our regularly scheduled blog posts...