I Suck At China Pearl

Tonight, Karen and I had dinner at the China Pearl located in Quincy. Now I suck at China Pearl.

Under normal circumstances, I probably would not dine out at China Pearl because I am not a big fan of Chinese food. It's not to say that the food at China Pearl is bad or anything like that. I just prefer my mother's cooking in comparison to the food served at any Chinese restaurant. (So it's not just China Pearl... it's all Chinese restaurants.)

Anyway, the reason why we were at China Pearl is because we were celebrating my cousin's (Tiffany) daughter's (Madeline) birth. As is customary in Chinese tradition, a baby's first month birthday is a cause for celebration. In the case of my cousin, that celebration was to be held at the China Pearl.

According to my friend About.com, this celebration is known as a Red Egg and Ginger Party. (Yes, eggs dyed red are served.) For anyone curious, red eggs symbolize happiness and the renewal of life.

Eggs and ginger were not the only things that were served. As it was a Chinese celebration, the party involved the usual ten course meal.

The ten course meal involved the following:

1. a meat platter of pork, duck, salami, and jellyfish


2. a seafood dish with shrimp, scallops, and squid


3. a fried seafood ball


4. the staple of shark fin soup


5. chicken with shrimp chips


6. lobster


7. steak and broccoli


8. a mushroom dish


9. a noodle dish


10. fried rice

Needless to say, dinner was very filling. And for anyone curious, no there were no fortune cookies. There were, however, other parting gifts which I will most likely pass onto my parents as I will probably not eat the generous portions of food. Among the parting gifts were the infamous soup that my mother made for Karen after the passing of our son (Braden).

Regardless, it was a good night. It was good to see my cousins and their families. I seldom get to see them, which is a shame because my family is so small as it is. So it was definitely nice.