Chung Chiu/ Dong Bei Style!

Last night, my Chinese Chiropractor Dr. Ji invited me over for a Chinese dinner at her house to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Chinese festival which was celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th moon, around the time of the autumn equinox. Many referred to it simply as the "15th of 8th. In the Western calendar, the day of the festival usually occurred sometime between the 2ndweek of September and the 2nd week of October.

I was riding with Miss L, my friend, being followed by another friend. Mr. N and both cars were following our driver to Dr. Ji’s house which was situated in the nurse’s homes in Al Sabah Hospital!
There is a line up of 70s building with colorful Mosaic columns and round stairways and of course, falling apart balconies. The whole streets around the building was dug up like as if creating a mass grave, exposed pipes, sewage halls, man halls in badly lit areas and lots of dirt. We even saw a stray dog! (All within the premises of the hospital)
"Great" I thought out loud to the bedazzled Miss L and Mr. N. The driver fled back to our house as the 3 of us stood there amidst the rubble!
In a fair distance, an image appeared in the shadows and then into the light of debris flying. Dr. Ji to the rescue......
As always, she shook my hand and complimented me by saying “You real beauty”, She always says that whenever she comes over for my physio at home! (I had a busted back and she used to do acupuncture and massage a miracle Dr. who saved from surgery!)
We go up the claustrophobic elevator: Mr. N, barely fitting in, was admiring the curse word carving onto the petroleum colored elevator which rattled and shook to the 1st floor.
We followed Dr. Ji in an open balcony like floor and through doors decorated with Chinese Calligraphy on communist red paper that's frilled and withered by the Kuwaiti harsh and merciless weather.
Inside Dr. Ji's very humble apartment stood 3 Chinese men in White T-Shirts, unified in clothing, posture but not quite the size. Mr. Lee was short and wore black reading specs; Mr. Chef was tall, slim and suffering from a 12 hr Jetlag on his way back to Kuwait from Beijing. Then the chubby guy we’ll call Mr. C.

The 3 of us were 50mins late which was perfect, we had no wait time and were seated immediately around a home made wooden table with uneven planks and on a collage of chairs, plastic, wood and benches. It was a proper seated dinner, we all had plastic plates, plastic round containers the kind they serve chic peas in from the local chic pea guy! Sachets of plastic knife/fork/spoon/Salt/Pepper/Napkin were lying perfectly on the left side of plate. A Styrofoam glass was on the right side. We were served juices, 7up and water and we had a 10 minute introductory to the menu that it is Northern Chinese ("Dong Bei”) Mr. N, Miss L and I waited in anguish to attack this Chinese feast! Dr. Ji made a toast to “Happy Feasting” (Too bad Styrofoam doesn’t ring)
The menu consisted of:

Tofu noodles with carrots, cucumbers in Chili/vinegardressing
Chicken and tofu in onion and garlic broth
Flat/Glass noodles with oyster mushrooms and onions
Lamb shanks in potato and tomato broth
Sautéed Cabbage and Tree ear mushroom
Seaweed in black eyed peas in sesame oil dressing
Deep friend Chan3ad (Local Fish) in garlic
Side of Chinese steamed buns

Yeah, they went out of their way. They all prepared this meal for us, it took them hours to do and every dish was exquisitely interesting and the flavors complimented each other, in spite of the humble setting and presentation, it was a Royal Chinese feast! Or as they say, Dong Bei Cai!
Mr. N engaged in small talk ranging from Hsuan-t'ung to the 8 different Chinese cuisines.
Miss L kept busy by giggling away and nudging me from underneath the plastic table cloth (We were watching Chinese T.V. and an ad for men’s underwear came on, it was hilarious I have to admit)
It was a lovely dinner followed by authentic Chinese tea, more giggles and meanings lost in translation. The Perfect Saturday evening...

Wishing all in this Mid-Autumn festival a prosperous life, full of laughter, full bellies and high speed internet….