The Wedding
The reception was in West Malling, Kent. Proximity to southern region trains was a consideration when choosing where to stay in London;
We started the day with an English breakfast in a “greasy spoon” near the station.. When I ordered the “chef” looked us over, glanced at the tea mugs, and then looked us over again (we were dressed very formally), You could see him wrestling with a dilemma and after a perceptible pause he decided that the mugs could do with a clean. Actually if we had gone to an equivalent place in HK (a Dai Pai Dong ) I would have expected to be given some hot tea and a bowl to rinse utensils in .. but he didn't know that.
When we arrived in West Malling very early we decided to walk into village. Contrary to expectations (of cold wet April weather) it was sunny and hot We had a quick look around the village before going to the Restaurant and becca was shocked at house prices (although outside London, the New Territories, it was not). In the restaurant there were (real) Chinese prints and in one room, a large painting showing Hong Kong scenes with the Chinese words “Goodbye Hong Kong” - presumably referring to the 1997 “handover”
It was a bit of a shock seeing Edward and his family again.
- Edward has a few grey hairs and like me has put on weight. Maria is an absolute dream and I don’t know what she sees in him; he must have hidden depths
- Dermot looks positively smooth and Latin American ( something between a politico and a drugs baron – he actually teaches at a Mexican university and his son is an absolute delight)
- Philip is no longer an angry young man Well he may be angry, but it didn't show. In fact he was extremely good humored and he reminded me of Shea ( my brother in law?). There were flashes though (the odd mannerism,. a phrase etc) of the lad from 35 years ago which were a bit disconcerting.
- Gregs daughters were there although I don't really know them
- Edwards father: I am ashamed to say that I consciously didn't speak with him . He has had a stroke recently and I would have found it very distressing. I don’t know what he has lost and I didn’t really want to find out. I have in my memory a man with a razor sharp Irish wit sitting by fire cracking jokes. I hope Eddie understands.
We gave Maria a traditional Chinese Dragon and Phoenix bracelet; a traditional Chinese wedding present representing the emperor and empress (ie husband and wife) Same concept as in a Jewish or Greek wedding where couple are given money. Effectively the bride receives a lump of gold which can be cashed as needed. Not so much jewelry as bullion. I don't expect Maria will need to cash the bracelet in but it is a more interesting present than an electric toaster. We also gave Maria’s daughter, Grace a small piece of jade Very traditional to give a Chinese child a small piece of jade - supposed to have a calming effect. - didn't seem to have an immediate effect in this case.
Amongst the guests were people whom I had met in Brighton:
- There was Ali(son) who had been a close friend of Eddie . We struggled to remember one another and she asked me the classic question “did you have long hair?” and which point her husband pointed out that at that time EVERYONE had had long hair.
- There was Chris who lived in the bed-sit opposite to Eddie’s. I was more successful this time because I had a memory of her ooking her signature dish cauliflower cheese in his flat. They used to live above a delicatessen in James Street; The owner (Dave?) had a big aviary inside which you sort of walked through to get upstairs to to the flats.
- There was Rick who not only remembered me but what I studied .I had forgotten but not only had I met him in Brighton but also later in Monkstown Dublin. He was living down the road to me and and I went to visit him once when Eddie came over. I remember this large high ceilinged geogian room with red velvet curtain behind door to keep draft out.
- There was also Hugh. I seemed to remember we drank a lot. Absent was Mo who I think at one time went out with Hugh. She died in an accident. One summer she sighed on for unemployment benefit in Brighton and when she was asked what sort of work experience she had; she told them commercial salmon fishing (she used to go fishing with here father back home in Canada) Needless to say there weren’t many such opportunities in Brighton.
Becca found it very different from a Chinese wedding but most importantly she picked up that some of the other women were wearing black and/or trousers; ie reception was more informal that I had anticipated (I will not live this down)
We both wish the happy couple double good luck
Posted at 4/19/2005 10:59:00 am by David Middleburgh
Permalink
|
Dave Middleburgh
