Liao!

Saturday, December 19 - After the morning ceremony, we had some lunch courtesy of the groom’s parents before heading home to relax for the afternoon. We then gathered ourselves for one last dinner reception – much smaller this time than the one in Ipoh, but the meal was just as elaborate. Check below for some more food photos.

As with any wedding celebration though, we needed to offer toast upon toast to the newlyweds, always to the sound of “Yum Sing!” – which Junkii’s uncle told me means “Drink to win!”

Of course, Uncle has another word he likes to use with me when we’re drinking: Liao – which means “finish it” in the Hokkien dialect. Now, the drink of choice is Hennessy cognac – which is a nice drink – but to me, it’s best enjoyed sipped. Not so, according to Uncle. He’s a huge fan of pouring me a drink only to shout “Liao!” and urge me to down it. I’m better at resisting this time than I was on our 2005 trip, but it’s still a challenge.

I guess I should be thankful that they’re so welcoming. Uncle seems to like me and has been quick to remark at how open I am to trying all the different food they plop in front of me. Guess they’ve met some travellers who have been a lot more picky and snooty about food. Well, a food snob is one thing I’m definitely not!