Our meat eating adventure

One thing that is so endearing about East Asian people is their hospitality. A couple of weeks ago Dave met a student in the cafeteria. It was discovered that we had a mutual interest in playing badminton (very popular here, and taken very seriously; not your typical post-picnic game like in the U.S!) So we decided to get together to play...and this kind, kind student asked if he could treat us to dinner beforehand. He called and reserved a court and we made arrangements to meet on campus at 6 pm (tonight). The court was arranged for 9 pm, so Dave and I brought along Uno, thinking, what will we do for 3 hours? Talk and get to know each other of course, but that can be done in the context of playing Uno as well. Little did we know the plans the “night” had in store for us... This dear student took us into a restaurant that served all you can eat meat for one price. You cook the meat right at the table, yourself! This was really generous of him, as it was pretty expensive. So we started out pretty strong...the menu had pictures of all the different kinds of meat and we choose a few, and so did our host. We had a boiling pot to cook some of the meat and almost like a grill for the rest. Two heaping plates of sliced pork, fish balls, an unknown mushroom and beef were brought to the table. East Asian people are so hospitable that if your plate is empty and you’re not eating at that moment, they will load more into your bowl/plate. So breaks aren’t exactly an option, especially to be polite, especially in this situation. Also, remember- this student was so generous and thoughtful to bring us to this restaurant. So we really wanted to eat a lot! We were pretty full... after the first two plates... but Dave wisely led in saying that we would really like some more. This round brought two more heaping plates of meat... this time including chicken wings, chicken, crab, and baby octopus! About halfway through this round we were stuffed. Totally stuffed. But again, Dave wisely and deftly led in the eating! I also drank four bottles of water and we finished off 3 pitchers of juice and 1 of coke. After we (somehow) finished these next two plates, our friend asked if we would like anything else. ‘A little more,’ said my brave husband. We ordered bananas and more chicken and more pork (no more octopus.... though I can say that I ate a little leg and it wasn’t as scary as it looked ;)) Have I mentioned that we were eating for OVER TWO HOURS!? Just eating, eating, eating... to be followed by a game of badminton!? Dave just got back from playing and said they had a blast. We are truly so blessed to live here and the adventures that it brings, and so thankful for these hospitable people!