Our guest today: Po, the Kung Fu Panda

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It was Helen's idea to start off with a tea ceremony 
"If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are now." 
Master Shifu
Helen and Rebecca arrived with burnt fingers. From the damn fortune cookies that they decided to make from scratch, paper messages on the inside and all. Brave Panda worriers who overcame everything, even fire! 

It was my 8-year old who invited the Kung Fu Panda to our dinner table this time round. So Aidan set us all off to China. It struck me that Po the Panda burnt his fingers too, just before he finally realises that he has mastered inner peace! We all  have a version of burnt fingers, even though none of us have mastered inner peace yet! And it set us off on a night as simple as this one. A night with just us. Friends, traveling through food, finding meaning in the here and now. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

To celebrate this meal, we had some new friends over! Which brought new energy and new meaning to our group. Aidan of course had to invite his best friend from school and his family. Welcome Chris, Serena and Sam! 

Plus, my sister Ilene is living with us for 3 months. Welcome Ilene and cousin Benji, and the dogs Juno and Loki! 

The night flowed like a dance, a simple one, where everyone was tuned into the same music, stepping into the night with a perfect beat. 
Everyone received a red envelope with a special message from the movie
We started off with delicate teapots filled with green tea and a beautiful menagerie of small cups. Helen's idea again! The last rays of the winter sun set on us and we felt caffeinated and ready to buzz.  The children had bubble tea and the dogs watched and begged for popping pearls to come their way too. 

"Today is a gift, that's why it's called the present."
Master Oogway                        
We all moved inside to be next to the fire, and to sing Happy Birthday to Aidan, Mauritz and Hannes who all celebrate birthdays in August. Champagne! Birthday songs! 

Our table, waiting to be laden with food...
Chris and Serena brought us a beautiful starter as a present: open and closed dumplings and sesame wafers all the way from our favourite shop in Cyrildene. 

(How I love our city! There are so many unknown treasures to discover.  Once in this shop, you want everything, from the cleavers and the rice bowls to all the fresh fruit and veg, the yoghurt makers and the biscuits!)
Derrick Avenue, Cyrildene, where most of our ingredients came from
We steamed the starters and they were perfect, event though we didn't know whether the sesame wafers should be eaten with ice cream or dumplings. We decided on dumplings and it was a hit. 

Mauritz on the other hand started making the short rib mains early in the morning. The smells reminded Emily and I of the farm, where this recipe was created before, using an Aga. It brought back such strong memories of friendship, that we couldn't wait to taste it again. And it didn't disappoint! It tasted like heaven. The one you go to when you have enough money to pay for your way to the very very top heaven. 

Shitake mushrooms, daikon, home made stock and a myriad of Chinese spices go into this dish from the gods. 
This dish was a gift indeed and we all stayed in the present and devoured it like the gift it was, with noodles and bok choi that accompanied it to perfection. Seconds were had. Thirds too. 
"The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now." 
Po the Panda
We've never tasted hand made fortune cookies, and wow, were they great! Helen and Rebecca really went all the way to put random lottery numbers that mean nothing, nonsensical wishes and funny anecdotes in them. What fun! 
Helen's lovely sense of humour added extra giggles
I am so thankful that Helen can capture the true essence of a culture through dessert. We ended with more bubble tea, a lush fruit platter with the last few fortune cookies dipped in chocolate...

Fruit salad and our funny fortunes on a plate
I smiled as the night grew darker and this group of friends moved closer to each other. The true Kung Fu Heroes who survive the everyday. The mundane. The fire. People who soldier on through load shedding and a corrupt government and the garbage that pile up in town. People who are textured and layered and make do.  

And even though there were no ghosts from Mexico this time round, 
or Italian heroes 
or Finnish violin players in red dresses
I was thankful that we were all dancing to the same tune this evening. And thankful:

That we can still Travel through Food. 
That we chose Mimosa School for our son and that he has Sam who goes there too.(and a cousin who will be going to the school for 3 months!)
For this group of friends and family 
For the children and what they bring to the table with their own choices... 
And just Missing Zenobia who couldn't be with us. 

Extras: 
Read Aidan, Sam and Benji's school newsletter. It will blow you mind. Promise. Pour wine, it is like nothing you've seen before. 

Mauritz'z short rib recipe that will take you to Chinese heaven can be found here

Watch the trailer to Kung Fu Panda 1  

Visit Derrick Avenue, Cyrildene for your next Chinese party



 



                                                 




 


Comments

  1. ChrisAugust 28, 2022 at 10:18 PM

    It was such a pleasure to spend the evening with you and your family, as well as your friends. We really had such a great time and loved every part of it. I didn't win the lotto with those numbers, by the way 😜

    Can't wait for the next one!

    ReplyDelete
  2. IleneAugust 29, 2022 at 8:56 AM

    A fabulous evening. I’m so happy to finally have had the blessing of an Eating is Believing evening!! ❤️

    ReplyDelete
  3. HeatherSeptember 4, 2022 at 3:49 PM

    Thank you for your words about Mimosa School. We are enriched by your family and we enjoy the marvelous depth and breadth and joy of these narratives.

    ReplyDelete

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