Fine Dining!

Due to an extended list of food allergies that Jason has, we hardly eat out anymore. He’s allergic to the key ingredients in almost ALL chinese food – soy sauce, wheat flour, starch, and MSG! It is very difficult to find restaurants in Shanghai that have dishes without those ingredients unless it was some upscale restaurant with top notch service (which of course comes with a bank-breaking price tag.) Most restaurants, even with special requests to leave out those ingredients, Jason would still come home feeling itchy and blah. Now, we just don’t go out to eat anymore. Only special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, or special treats do we risk the possibility of a sleepless itchy night for the both of us. Heidi and Samuel’s wedding two weeks ago, Jason ate a total of two things ~ the first appetizer dish (chicken) and the last (fruit).

Last Sunday was one of those special occasions that we got to eat out and this time, no sleepless itchy night. Rather, we had too much fine wine to drink and slept dead through the night. What was the occasion? Special treat by the Lin family, one of Susan’s former student. They took us to Laris, one of the restaurant at Three on the Bund. It was by far, the most extravagant and decadent meal we’ve ever had, and that says a whole lot. Not that we splurge on fine dining and luxury all the time or anything… we’ve just been very BLESSED to have friends in high places that bless us with special treats every once in a while ~ spa resort, executive honeymoon suite at Ritz, Grand Hyatt, Westin brunch, etc… We count our blessings.

First was a platter of about 30 fresh oysters imported all the way from France. A peek at the menu priced these imported oysters at 88 RMB EACH! (Probably flew them on first class or something!) According to Jason, they were the best tasting raw oysters he’s ever had and probably the only ones he dared to try. Susan passed on the raw oysters, never been a big fan of oysters. Next came several selections of appetizers with names that are of a different tongue to us. In our vocabulary – raw beef, scallops, shrimps, and fish eggs. They came in tiny bite-size portions. One thin slice of raw beef (it could not possibly be sliced any thinner!) was 138 RMB! The cow must have also flown first class! More courses followed – salad, soup, entree, dessert, fruits, and a different glass of wine (finest from France of course) between each course.

By the end of the night, we were overstuffed like turkey, half drunk, and very merry. Ahh.. the decadent life… (which thankfully happens only once in a blue moon.) One look at the total dining bill would have been a very scary sight for all of us middle-class working people (that’s an entire month’s salary on a meal!), but perhaps affluent people feel blessed themselves when they bless others with their worldly riches.

In any case, this is the season of giving and there are many different ways we can bless others and be blessed ourselves. Tonight, we are hosting a Christmas party for our youth group and their friends. We catered dinner from a western cafe and have prepared presents for all the kids. The food won’t be anywhere close to the dinner at Laris, but in relative proportions, it’ll be their “once in a blue moon” fine dining. They’ll enjoy the meal just as we ourselves enjoyed the fine dining at Laris.