Wedding... Lunch?

It was Saturday night when my parents told me we would be going for a wedding lunch yesterday. I was astounded. I have never heard such a thing as a wedding lunch until today. When I asked my mother why a lunch and not a dinner, she told me a few reasons. The most likely would be the wedding couple did not have a big enough budget for a dinner for a dinner would surely cost a bomb.79

When we arrived at our destination, I was astonished at the size of the place. The ballroom had a high ceiling with New Year's decorations everywhere. Only then did I think back and made another guess at the reason for a wedding lunch. Another reason could be that the couple had wanted to have the celebrations before the Chinese New Year. As my parents gave the red packets to the wedding couple, my gaze had wondered around the place. It finally fell onto a few tanks embedded into one of the walls. The contents of the tanks included fish, prawns, crabs and lobsters. Most of these will meet their end today but deep down I feel a little akward, these are living beings too.124



The usher then came to us and ushered us to our seats, around a table two rows away from the stage at the back of the ballroom. My aunts and uncles were already waiting for us at the table. Finally, after a long wait, the MC anounced the arrival of the bride and bridegroom and the music of 'here comes the bride' is heard in the background. The proud couples enter in their tuxedo and wedding dress. Streamers were popped out of their 'shells' and flew all over the place, even onto the hair of people along the isles.101

As the couple take their place, the food is served. first came the cold dishes and appetisers. They were pretty good. Now came the main course, the appetisers sure had worked up my appetite and I wolfed down the bowl of rice and a serving of chicken. When my apetite was really working up, the lunch was cut short. It was so surprising for me that they would only have so short a 'feast' no wonder my mother had said they might not have enough money. The lunch was cut short because my father had to deliver bread to Fengshan Community Club. As we left, I now know something new-that wedding celebrations are not confined to dinners and banquets.120

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