Happy Mother's Day Weekend

The Ex called this morning to ask me out for Chinese - we try to go out once a week to keep in touch &  we have a favorite little spot that I introduced him to before we got married 30 years ago.  It continues to be a favorite. The food is well prepared & generous, lots of oriental dishes are on the menu as well as the 'North American' version of what Chinese oughta be. I found this place when I was in my 20's  - lucky me - as relief from the Rickshaw in downtown Surrey where my Dad & all his waterfront cronies ate what they called 'Chinese Food' on Saturday nights. My Dad couldn't understand that tomato fried rice, chow mein & chop suey were not Chinese & the Rickshaw didn't serve the kind of food I was used to eating downtown in Chinatown.

What has this to do with Mother's Day, you ask??? Well, the one thing you could count on with my Dad is that he loved parties, loved gifts & hated to shop. Once he found somewhere or something that worked for him, he never varied from it unless forced. I have inherited a little too much of that from him!! Good old Dad. When he was told that Whalley Hardware brought in non-hardware gifts for important holidays, wrapped them & stayed open late for men only on Thursdays, he never shopped anywhere else. All my gifts from age 11 on came from the Hardware!! You could count on him to order up the FOOD for any celebration too! Yup. The Rickshaw would deliver. If he wanted to go out - the Rickshaw had private party space as well as the dining room.

One year, when I was a student living on my own, I decided I'd had enough & I would bring the food for Mother's Day myself. Mom could always count on a gift from the  Hardware from Dad, cards & chocolates from the kids & the Rickshaw's Chinese for dinner. But that year, I brought the food from MY little place. I practically had to hand feed Dad for a while but he got over it when he found the deep fried wontons & sweet & sour dipping sauce. Mom never even got a taste.

So, did my little place change Dad?? Not as far as Chinese food went, I think he really liked the fluorescent sauces & over salted dishes at the Rickshaw. Maybe it was the company over there, too. But one thing I did notice, Dad was eating steak at Jim's Hideaway on Father's Day.