Weddings are fun
With great food and great company, weddings are always happy occasions. Even so, they require a lot of planning, not only on the side of the hosts but also on the side of the guests. You have to remember to reply to the invitation, buy a gift, find something to wear, and sort out travel plans. You also have to be prepared for a few surprises along the way.
My wife and I were invited to attend a wedding reception in the Boston area for one of my former managers. Since both the bride and groom share Vietnamese decent, we were looking forward to a unique experience. We arrived promptly at 6:00 pm at the restaurant stated in the invitation card. Then we noticed that the place was quiet and the parking lot was nearly empty.
Fortunately, we quickly realized that we had found the right spot. Soon after arriving, we were greeted by the bridal party at the door. After having our picture taken with them, we found a place to sit. Later we were informed that in Vietnamese custom, a 6:00 reception actually means it will be 8:00 (at the earliest) before the dinner actually begins. One must wait patiently for all of the guests to arrive. Sure enough, others began to file into the restaurant, including quite a few from the Amherst area, many who are on staff at our DCs.
I noticed that Vietnamese wedding food is similar to Chinese wedding food. Many dishes evoked symbols of happiness and longevity. There were several seafood items best be described as Chinese-style food with a twist, resulting in well-presented dishes accompanied by uncomplicated, light sauces. Like Chinese culture, the number of courses was also significant. At a Chinese wedding banquet, eight dishes—not including dessert—are usually served for good luck. At the banquet, we had at least eight dishes, but I lost track of the final tally.
The banquet started with a plate of various meats and seafood (called a dragon-phoenix platter, pictured), including ham, barbecue pork, shrimp, and jellyfish. I especially enjoyed the pork, which was lean with a tangy sauce, and the pickled jellyfish, which had a unique taste and texture.
The next dish was a seafood soup. I don’t think it was a shark-fin soup, which is often served at Chinese special events as a sign of wealth. (That was fine with me— I am not a big fan of it now that I am aware of sustainability factors. I also find it rather tasteless.)
Next came lightly battered deep-fried lobsters served in pairs (pairs are a good thing to Asians). Instead of the lobster soaking in ginger sauce, which is common for similar Chinese-style dishes, the thin coating of sauce was very light and tasty. I almost forgot to mention the delicious shrimp dish, which was also lightly battered, fried, and served with candied nut clusters.
Pacific jumbo fresh oysters in the half shell were the next course to be served. The oysters were huge and steamed in a light soy sauce. It was a different taste experience from raw oysters.
We had several other seafood dishes, included scallops, squid and a whole steamed fish wrapped in a giant banana leaf. They were all good and very similar to Chinese dishes that I am familiar with, but I think they were even healthier than Chinese food because of their lightness.
The dessert was a type of sweet red bean soup. This has always been one of my favorite desserts from the time I was a child. There were lotus seeds in the soup, a symbol that was meant, I think, to wish the newlyweds a hundred years of togetherness and a sweet life. It was an appropriate dish, I would say, to end the celebratory meal and to mark the beginning of the happy couple’s new life together.
This is Ken Toong and thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.
Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu
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