When we arrived at my cousin Paige’s Redwood City home at 3:08pm, we were greeted by a flurry of motion and yapping. As soon as we stepped out the car, Hazel (aka a 3-year-old German Shepherd mix), raced over to jump on us and bark at us. With some scolding from Paige and her soon-to-be husband Kyle, Hazel calmed down a bit and we were able to enter the dwelling unscathed.
Aunt Ling and Uncle Cary were already present and gave us a quick tour of the house. Overall, it looked like a nice place with an extra big backyard.
The first two hours we were there, Paige and Kyle were busy as bees in the kitchen. I chatted with my older relatives for a bit, but most of the Kangs’ attention ended up focused on the dogs. (Aunt Ling’s dog Plato was also there.) We played games, talked to them and stroked them to keep them from barking. Weirdly enough, the toy Hazel loved playing with the most was a deflated soccer ball.
By 5pm, food was ready. The dishes prepared included grilled chicken, macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes & gravy, vegetable salad, chestnuts, sweet yams, cranberry mix, and mushroom filled croissants. Contrary to American tradition, there was no turkey. (Paige defended the choice to use chickens, saying that a turkey would be too much food.)
I was sure to eat very little, but was also sure to try everything. My favorite was probably the mac & cheese, followed by the mushroom croissants. The meal took about an hour to finish. By then, it was rather dark outside, but Hazel and Plato still needed walking. Everyone bundled up and we took the two canines on a short loop around the block.
After we got back, Kyle finished preparing an apple cranberry pie for dessert. While the pie was baking, I joined Paige and Kyle for some board games. We played two rounds of Incan Gold (I won one, Kyle won one) and one round of Citadels (I won).
The pie took longer than expected to bake and was finally served at 8:30pm. Aunt Ling made sure to place small chunks of ice cream next to each slice. The pie wasn’t too sweet, but I liked it better that way. At 9:37pm we said our farewells and departed. I had a spectacular time and am thankful for such great relatives.
