火锅 and cousins

I forget how much I love family, and family gatherings. Until I do things like I did tonight, going with my host family and extended family to a hot pot restaurant, then back to their place to play board games. It was a wonderful, three-generation gathering, and I got to meet Margaret's parents (it was her dad's birthday) and her brother and sister-in-law, as well as their three adorable daughters! And, on top of all of that, I had hot pot (火锅)for the first *real* time, and it was absolutely delicious.

The hot pot restaurant they took us to was stupendous, and had everything imaginable to eat. It was actually a hot pot/buffet, so in addition to the wall of hot pot ingredients, they also had everything from sushi to hot dogs to chocolate and strawberry fondue; watermelon juice to almond tea to Coca-Cola in glass bottles. But, apart from the drinks (and the fondue) I didn't even touch their other options, as I was too focused on the hot pot itself.

If you've never had hot pot, first of all, you should. Second of all, let me explain: you order a flavored broth (the place we went had everything from "original" to miso to Italian tomato to curry, which I ordered), and then go get a whole bunch of raw foods from the buffet. Back at your table, you discover a full pot of your broth and a heat control beneath it; you basically just drop in your ingredients, let them cook, and dig in!

It's simple, but brilliant.

My uncooked pile of goodies and the broth I later used to cook it

 And amongst the delicious food (they even had beef!!!), I got to meet my host family's family. And they are FANTASTIC. Not that I expected any less from my fabulous host family--they are altogether some of my favorite people ever. :) 

Emily and cousins!

Family!

Margaret's brother's kids, Bunny, Jenny, and Mumu (she doesn't have an English name yet; they invited me to help give her one!) are 13, 9, and almost 2, and, as odd as it sounds, I hadn't realized how much I missed hanging out with kids. Yes, I know, that's pretty much all I do here, but being someone's teacher is an altogether different dynamic than being someone's cousin and, with 21 cousins back at home, I missed that relationship.

No need now! Bunny and Jenny both have excellent English (Bunny's is better, as she's older and so has had more time to study), and they remind me of our family friends Shelby and Kendra, back home--same sisterly dynamic and  (for Jenny, at least) same personalities. Also, she pretty much IS my cousin Lindsey. About halfway through our meal, Jenny began spending more time at our table than her own, and insisted on bringing me to get, first fondue, and then ice cream. I wasn't hungry at that point, but I couldn't possibly say no to her!

Who could?

 Then she began quizzing me on my Chinese, and I began swapping simple sentences with her in English and Chinese "I am from America"/ "我 是 美國來" and "You are in the middle in your family. Me too!" (Emily had to translate on that one, but it made Jenny happy.) Eventually, Bunny joined the conversation and the cousin dynamics deepened.

Outside the restaurant, talking with my new-found cousins

 We headed back to James, Margaret, and Emily's place and Jenny immediately took control of the situation, breaking out the Taiwanese version of Monopoly (whose Chinese name directly translated to 'rich man,' incidentally), and proceeded to make what can be a relatively slow game into a fast-paced one, slapping dice into peoples' hands and moving for them if they were too slow. 

I, meanwhile, tried to follow simultaneously the game and the flow of conversation, in Chinese and English, which was passing over, around, and towards me from all of the adults. Everyone was speaking at once; many times several people were speaking to me at once, and I couldn't even begin to catch everything that was said, even in English, especially as Jenny commandeered my attention every few seconds or so for the game, but it was glorious. My family gatherings always consist of loud, boisterous conversations on all sides, punctuated by kids' queries; I was right at home!

After a while, we had birthday cake for Margaret's dad, who was turning 80, and sang him Happy Birthday in English and Chinese. (I just clapped for the Chinese part, but it was fun nonetheless.) Mumu, who had been alternately "playing" with the Monopoly pieces and grinning at me and others, figured all this attention was for her, and so perched herself in front of grandpa behind the cake--so as to be able to blow out her candles, of course! (Which she later did.)

Adorable.

After cake, Jenny busted out the Uno game and insisted I teach her how to play, then she, Bunny, Emily and I started the game, which Bunny promptly won, leaving an eventual 2nd place to Emily as Jenny and I commiserated with an arm wrestling game. Just like home, hanging out with my little cousins. :)

Meanwhile, Bunny took advantage of her free time to draw some stupendous sketches of the four of us, plus Mumu.

Eventually, it was time to say goodbye, and as I shared an over-enthusiastic hand-shake with Jenny, who had promised to invite me to the *next* family birthday, I hoped I wouldn't have to wait that long. I love family; love my family; love now having two families, one in America and one in Taiwan.

*** 

Side note: After my great evening with my family, Karina and I headed to the Young People's Shopping District to take photobooth pictures. I was able to find the place without a problem (accomplishment 1) and the pictures turned out FANTASTICALLY! (accomplishment 2). Therefore, I give you...

 Side note 2: This evening, Karina, who is staying the night, stepped out of my bed room to encounter a 3" cockroach flailing its legs in the air on our floor, just moments after telling me she is cursed with bringing cockroaches with her wherever she goes. Point proven, as I trapped it in an old tea cup and Rachel saved the day, drowning it in Raid. Seriously, though, Karina is like the Pied Piper of cockroaches...