I was pleasantly surprised when Nicholas extended to me an invitation to his maternal grandfather’s 90th birthday bash last Saturday night…
…at the grand ballroom in a posh hotel in town…
*Photo taken earlier before the function started*
He wasn’t my student but we met in Limbang when I brought my school team there for the Inter-school English Language Debate competition in 2006 and he was there representing his school from Kuching…but we’ve kept in touch on Facebook all this while since he went abroad to study in the UK, Cambridge to be precise, doing medicine on a JPA scholarship and right now, he’s home for his summer vacation till very early October.
So there we were, my missus and I, and of course, Xavier – my ex-student/debater and Nicholas’ friend, was invited too and was there as well.
Nicholas’ grandfather looks great and he even sang at the reception. Nicholas gave a speech in his honour but it was Greek to me and I did not know exactly what he said. LOL!!! Unfortunately, the lighting at the place was rather dim so I could not manage to take any nice photographs and that included the food as well. Thus, I would not be featuring any of the dishes in this post.
Anyway, just for interest’s sake, I would like to share with everybody something that we were all given to bring home – these longevity paos (steamed buns)…
These are made to look like the peach that the God of Longevity carries and are distributed to invited guests at such grand birthday bashes…
I’m not too sure what they have inside as I’ve not eaten them – I reckon they have peanut paste or something like that in them.
Thanks so much, Nicholas, for your kind invitation – it certainly was our pleasure and honour to be part of it all. May God bless your grandpa and your grandma, you and all in your family too.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Wow, grandfather’s Birthday and they invited their teacher and friend too…. must be super rich! The hotel food on nxt post? Looking forward to it!^^
Nope, did not take photos of the food. Too dim for my cheap camera to give it any justice…so in the end, I did not bother taking. The couple have many, many children and many, many grandchildren – a few pages in the invitation…and I guess if one chips in a little, they will have a lot to hold that really grand celebration. Looks like there is some truth after all in the Chinese way of thinking that the more children and grandchildren you have, the more “hor mia” (goodlife)…
Quickly eat those buns!! Then you can live longer!!
Of course!!! Already…and the mee sua (longevity noodles) too! Traditionally believed that eating these will make you live a very long life…especially if the birthday celebrant has lived to a ripe old age! 😉
I love those buns.. each time I go Taiping, I end up buying a packet of 12, what I do is to steam them up and sapu some butter…. BEST!
U really have lots of invitation to such grand dinners! I really don have… very rare I go for such functions.. belanja sendiri adalah! hahaha….
No lah! I also don’t get invited often- just my nephews and nieces getting married – they’ve all reached that age…and some ex-students too – the few who care to invite me. 😦 What? Have to go all the way to Taiping to buy? Here, they’re everywhere. Yes, very nice to re-steam and eat warm with the butter melting in the heat… Yum! Yum! Very nice with braised pork belly too! Drool! 🙂
cool.. the grand birthday really grand.. in the grand ballroom somemore 😛
Yes, so nice to have such grand celebrations.
Oh my God the longevity pau! it looks so succulent so pink so yummy! sigh… the grandfather is a lucky man!
Indeed! From the traditional Chinese point of view, the more children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren you have, the luckier you are!
wow, 90 years old birthday bash!! that’s really something worth celebrating!! oh, i was expecting to see the dishes you had for the dinner, why is there only photos of the longevity buns?? haha~~ 😀
My camera, no good one…can’t take nice photos if the light is too dim. My birthday is in December… Hint! Hint! LOL!!! 😀
Wow…still keeping in touch with him after so many years and it is indeed a pleasure and honor to be invited to his grandpa’s 90th birthday dinner…too bad you cant take pictures of the food or we can all drool over the dishes though we were not invited….LOL! tell us what is inside the pau when you eat them…curious ma…I think it is plain one 🙂
I felt very flattered and honoured indeed – such a nice boy. Well, there’s some sweet golden peanut paste inside, not plain. I think I’ve seen longevity peaches served in restaurants as a dessert – if I remember correctly, they’re made with only egg white…and the ones I saw were really beautiful.
Hmmm…Nick, not your student, just met in Limbang and still keep in touch with you till now…great Arthur.
Wow!…90 years old, go on stage & sing, must be super healthy & strong. The longevity paos looks nice and I guess the fillings would be black tau sar (bean paste). So sayang you didn’t take any photos of the food….SOBSSSS!!!……..
I guess I always leave a BIG and lasting impression. Hehehehehe!!!! Ya, God is merciful! Now all of you will not be tortured by the photos and made to drool over the food. As the English proverb goes, every dog has its day! LOL!!! Nope, not tau sar inside – I guess black is not a favoured colour among the traditional Chinese. Better to have golden peanut paste… 😉
very long time havent attend these type of bday. …hm…rather scary when thinking about it.
I used to love to eat those “Sau Pau”
Huh? I thought you just attended your grandpa’s birthday…maybe not on such a grand scale but in essence, it’s the same. These days, they have event organisers…so no problem – just leave everything to them.
Ohhh… strange, why they dun gv the real peach?
Dunno… Maybe sour – happy birthday, must give sweet things(that’s why there were a few sweets in the plastic bag too), cannot give sour things? LOL!!! 😉
Eh, those buns can be eaten ah? All these while I thought they are just for prayers and decorations and will be chuck out when whatever occasion is done…hehehe…I live under the batu la all these times!! But dulu-dulu I helped an ex bf’s mom to make these as ppl will tempah them from her. Use old tooth-brush to flick the red colouring on the pau. Not bad ah I!!
Wah!!! Pandai2 angkat ex-bf mum hor! Ini macam punya menantu, memang best lah! Muahahahahahaha!!!! Of course, they can be eaten – they’re steamed buns…but I peeled off the skin first – wouldn’t want to eat all that colouring. Dunno what people use to make offerings and pray- not so many of those people here, or not that I know of…
Wow..90th birthday celebration, must be a grand one.
I saw 29, tables more than 30 or 40? tsk tsk tsk
Looking at the longevity paos, hmmmm…i think i will not eat it, it always give me an impression that it taste not good, hard and dry. 😛
Aiyor…old people’s birthday, cannot NOT eat one! And the mee sua too…all must eat and then your life will be just as long! Old Chinese belief! I think there were well over 100 tables – I was at Table No. 47 and I was just about halfway across the huge ballroom…
Now I know why it’s an occupational hazzard being a first class EQ teacher like you. No wonder why you transformed to suituapui as before tell called you ‘ian-tau-ba’ *macho man*. One class of 40 x number of years teaching x students parents birthdays x students weddings x students grandparents anniversary x students parents anniversary x students children full moon x students wedding anniversary x students’ wive’s parents/grandparents birthday & anniversary dinners x PTA dinners x students/teacher reunion dinners x alumni dinners..etc etc. muahahaha.
Aiyor…cannot calculate like that lah! I don’t think the number coming back to say hello much less invite me out to eat or whatever – not even 1%.The other 99% probably hate me to the bone… 😦
Wow, a 90th birthday bash. I wonder when or if i live up to 90 years old, will there be a birthday celebration this grand.
Longevity steamed buns eh? can I have 10 of those to makan? 1 to signify 10 years, I want to live up to 130 years! 🙂
Then you have to get to work quickly and produce as many children and grandchildren as possible… Muahahahaha!!! I think if I live up to 90 and have a birthday celebration, 10 tables also not full. Kesian… 😦
how can you say that??? you’ll need more than 1000 tables XD
Ooooo…so pandai you tripod! Muahahahahaha!!!! 😉
90th birthday!! what a grand celebration 🙂
Indeed, it was. Very grand!
Wah, 90th birthday! Happy birthday Grandma….
Ooi! Grandpa lah… LOL!!! 😀
I wish my own grandparents could live till that age! Hopefully they would! 😀
Need so many kia sun (sons + grandsons) baru can hor mia ah? Aiyor! Nowadays the youngsters 1 or 2 biji anak oledi complain complain like they’re having 10 kids! it always impresses me how the old folks managed to afford such a biggggg family in the olden days!
In the past, the more the merrier – I guess it was a lot easier then with all the stay-at-home mums, the extended families…and life was simpler and bringing up children was less complicated and less challenging.
Grand birthday celebration for grand 90… not my cuppa tea tho. I think I will just have a small intimate dinner if I could wish for anything. You can come too. 😉
So longevity paos… do they work?
By the time you’re 90, I would be up there singing “Hallelujah” with the heavenly choir. Muahahahahaha!!!! Well, I can’t remember but I’m quite sure I had those paos at least once before…but I’ve eaten a lot of longevity noodles, and now I’m near 60. So, what do you think? Does it work? LOL!!! 😀
Long life to you Art! 😉
+Ant+
Amen. 🙂
pink steamed bun…cute! is it strawberry flavored? 🙂
See reply to other comments.
Nice buns….eat those buns and see what is the filling?
See reply to other comments.
wow 90th birthday! that’s is so meaningful… and love the sau pau during the birthdays as opposed to cakes
I think I prefer cakes…or mee sua.