Ch'ing - outs

The Mandarin word for "please" is "ch'ing".  So in missionary speak, or chinglish, a "ch'ing-out" is an invitation by a member to have a meal with them.  In a place like Macau, that can turn into a real adventure, because you never quite know what to expect, except that it will be the best that the member can give you.  Let me tell you about a couple of them that we have experienced recently.

Our first ch'ing out was on May 8 by a sweet, middle-aged Indonesian sister, Sister Wu Lan.  At this point she had been a convert for about 6 months.  She is here pretty much alone in Macau, working where she can to help support a family back home.  A recognized chef with specialties in Indonesian and in Italian cooking, she can usually find part-time work in one of the many casino restaurants here in Macau, but the competition for full-time chefs is really tough.  Here is a picture of the dish she created to win a cooking competition recently.

The Winning Entry

Don't ask what this dish is.  I really don't know.  But if it is anything like the meal she gave us, it is really good.  And this recommendation comes from a reluctant experimenter.  Changing from Ranch to French dressing on my salads is about as adventurous as I usually get.







The first meal was truly a humbling experience.  For the past several months Elaine and I have been working on perfecting (improving anyway) our table manners by sitting up straight at the table and trying to remember to keep our fingers out of our food (and our foot out of our mouths, so to speak). Now picture 16 or so people in a room probably not more than 8' x 12', with perhaps 2 or 3 short stools, a fan in a corner and an impressive array of delicacy dishes.  Although strange to the taste, the food was good.  Think lots of hot curry, rice, mushrooms, chicken parts and light-green vegetables and more hot curry.  I'm proud to say that I tried everything. And lost a good quart of perspiration for my efforts.  Best of all though, it all settled well on my stomach.  Fortunately summer hasn't arrived yet - the temperature in the room couldn't have been much above 90 degrees or so.

The meal was served Indonesian style, with a fork or spoon being provided for those of us who aren't properly cultured.  Seating was basically on the floor, with one leg tucked under you and the other knee bent vertical to serve as a table.  The truly polite guests used their fingers exclusively as the eating utensils.  Newcomers were expected to use the Western utensils provided.  Chopsticks are Chinese inventions, not Indonesian, so they weren't available.  Old stiffies like me, who don't sit well on floors, were graciously given a stool or the option of standing.  Oh, I probably could have gotten down into the proper sitting position OK, but they would have had to evacuate the room and bring in several strong elders (or a crane) to get me back up again after a half hour or so.

The most memorable feature of the whole experience, however, is the sweet spirit of friendship and love in that tiny home. The young missionaries happily entered into the ambiance of the situation.  What a treat it was to see the blue-eyed blond Sister Darcey sitting on that small floor, speaking fluent Chinese, surrounded by dark-haired friends, and eating those exotic foods like a native.  Or our would-be-vegetarian, Elder Nathan Smith, sitting Indonesian style and trying valiantly to clear his plate of an assortment of meat, bone, and vegetable dishes, just using his fingers properly as knife, fork, and spoon.  And crowning the entire experience was the beaming Sister Wu Lan presiding over everything.  I wish I had had the courage to take pictures, but I was still too new and too shy.


Our second member-meal was as different as it is possible to get from the first one, I think  We were asked out by the 1st Branch president, President Teng to have dinner with his family at a buffet.  The Teng's are relatively well-to-do, having a very nice apartment, a car, and even a real piano in their home.  I didn't know quite what to expect, but their oldest son, Fallon, drove us to the Star World Hotel/Casino, and escorted us up to the 14th floor where the "Temptation Lounge" is located.  (This is the older brother of the infamous Nelson of the previous post).  He then left us with his younger brothers and returned home to get the rest of the family.  The Tempation Lounge is properly named, just not for what you would expect when you think of a hotel/casino.  I could comfortably take my mother or grandmother, or even the mission president, to that buffet.  Everything is "G-rated".  Except for the food.  Think "Chuck-a-Rama" in one are, complete with roast beef (water buffalo), pork, potatoes, soups, salads, and everything.  Along another wall is the Chinese cuisine - I'n not even going to try to describe it except to say that it looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful.  In the center was a pastry area with breads, sweet rolls, and more.  I ate until I was stuffed to the point of mild pain.  And then the temptation entered.  I saw the dessert corner - cheese cakes, waffles, ice-cream (including mint-chocolate chip), mango soup, sweets . . .    I confess.  I succumbed.  I came.  I saw.  I was conquered.  I was almost sick.  Sadly, I was still too shy to take pictures.  I will try to go back and get some and add them to a later post.  The food was surpassed only by the graciousness of our hosts.  I found out a bit later that the Tengs have a prospering Sun-Rider franchise here in Macau, complete with a very modern, clean store not too far from the chapel.  They seem to do well with it.  I am sure I will talk more about them in the future.

There have been other invitations which are well-deserving of description.  I hope to get to them soon.