thanksgiving at Sherry's

On the day-after Thanksgiving, we gathered at Sherry's for a Thanksgiving slash house-warming. Despite the excitement it was a pleasant evening with good food, wine and friends.

someone asked about the origins of Thanksgiving and after offering the PC version, I added that what happened to the Native Americans after helping the pilgrims (that's what you get from reading Guns Germs and Steel).
excerpt from Wikipedia (link from answers.com since wiki is now blocked by the GFW):
"U.S. tradition associates the holiday with a meal held in 1621 by the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Some of the details of the American Thanksgiving story are myths that developed in the 1890s and early 1900s as part of the effort to forge a common national identity in the aftermath of the Civil War and in the melting pot of new immigrants."
The extensive spread: apple pie, pumpkin pie, turkey stuffing, braised turkey breast, brocoli, mash potato bread etc. but centrepiece is not the expected and previously ordered turkey
oi? how come turkey transmogrified into roast beef?

Apparently there's was a screwup involving the turkey Sherry ordered from Jenny Lou's. this was after ordering way ahead, checking with the deli the day before and yet they still screw it up. Sherry was on the verge of freaking out (20 people coming and no turkey!), the rest of us tried to shrug it off as being in China. at least the deli admitted their mistake and offered to replace the MIA turkey with a roast beef FOC(which actually turned out quite nice). well, the deli "Chef-to-go" (see below) was apparently swamped with turkey orders.
from China Daily:
"Some Americans had to postpone their dinners to the weekend because Chef-to-go sections at Jenny Lou grocery chains that sell cooked turkey at 900 yuan (US$112.5) each were too busy. "My phone has not stopped ringing. The orders are piled up to Saturday," said Zoe Sun, director of Chef-to-go."
the kids certainly enjoyed themselves. Jovien smeared her face and fingers with chocolate. And someone sat on Ethan's Winny the pooh chair and destroyed it...

Sally's close shave

A slightly distraught Robina called me just now. She told me she had done something to scare herself shitless. I thot she must have inadvertently startled herself or something.

She told me that she was bringing Sally down and pushing the trolley she wheeled up earlier into the lift (Robina came back earlier from Carrefour grocery shopping). She was pushing the cumbersome trolley (just like those they have in hotels) into the lift and dragging Sally inside when the lift doors closed with Sally still outside. Robina was still holding onto Sally's leash and she quickly realised that she must release the leash otherwise Sally will be strangled. Luckily the leash slipped out of the gap in the door. Needless to say Robina was still freaking out and was pressing the lower floor lift buttons frantically. She got out on the 18th floor (we are on 22nd) and went back up to our level. Sally, clueless and unscathed, was still there outside the lift with her leash stuck in the lift door.
I'm OK! I'm just stoning in my bed...
Update: Robina told me later that she'll probably need a therapist for the traumatising incident. Sally will get a roast beef dinner (leftovers from our thanksgiving gathering at Sherry's) to compensate for her scare (even tho she was clueless about it)

semper fi

Robina and I attended the US Marine Corps function. a lot of uniforms this evening including one chap in scottish kilt.
I had to turn up in my "penguin suit". look like waiter...
Robina in kebaya, always able to look unique in the land of cheongsam. Kimonos also look very nice.
Oldest Marine this evening Charlotte (84) and youngest Marine (20) Erin, coincidentally both ladies. Robina complained no cute Marines around to take photo with...