As father’s birthday approaching, Betty planned a Sunday lunch for his 80th birthday. It’s not the easiest thing to find present for my dad, whom has everything he needs. 2 days before his birthday lunch, I decided to fly to Taipei to celebrate his birthday with him.
Betty and I kept my trip home a secret. The moment mom and dad saw me, they were puzzled and couldn’t register why I showed up in the living room. Then almost at the same time, mom and dad cheered for my returning home. Mom ran to give me a hug but halfway decided to smack me with pair of socks in her hand. Dad was very surprised and very happy. The house all the sudden came alive. Mom and dad scrambled to make bed for me, even though it was nowhere near bedtime.
Lunch went well, Dad was in high spirits the entire family gathered for his birthday. He talked about his wishes of a strong family bond. Toward the end of the meal, he talked for an hour of his life as a young man in the military. That was pretty awesome. And he kept saying my surprise visit was the best present, he loved it.
Per Dad’s request, we had dinner with Liam at DinTaiFung (鼎泰豐). The dinner ended with the traditional battle for the right to pay for the meal. With decades of practices, Dad claimed victory over Liam. Poor Liam got scolded for not winning the bill.
During my 3-day stay, dad and I bonded around eating and in search of food. We walked to nearby street vendors selling traditional Chinese breakfast. Or swamping travel stories in tiny conveyor belt sushi store.
There were several memorable homemade dishes – dad’s hand-rolled red bean paste wheat buns, mom’s several bamboo dishes, microwave steamed cod (amazingly easy to make and tasty).
Living in the Seattle area, Smelly is a user experience designer by day, a running, cycling, gardening type of girl when she wasn't wearing the designer hat.
