Woke up early and managed to meditate. My 4th aunty got up really early and made me breakfast. Her one and only dish that she can cook successfully, “ang zhao mien xien”. The sauce is home made by her mother in law. It’ the best out of all the ones I tried. It’s quite a skill that requires experience and a touch to get it just right in sweetness and with scented aroma. When failed, the whole thing goes sour. Breakfast was way too early for me and I find it stressful to eat at 6am in the morning. I am used to just having tea or water. But I ate the whole thing anyways at 6am in the morning.
I made the effort of calling everyone this time and greet them. Last time I didn’t bother to call everyone right away and some took offense to my lack of forward friendliness. I learned this time to make sure I do the proper local protocol at the local speed which is right away. I also made the effort to get gifts for everyone this time.
Last time I was arriving from India and had a deal on the air ticket but it required me to fly right away and so I didn’t bring any gifts like they said they didn’t need. Well, when I arrived and they responded in a very disappointing way, “oh no gifts” I knew I got it wrong, they were just being polite and I should still insist on shoving them with gifts while they insist on shoving them back to me and say, “such good thing should be given to so and so I don’t need it,” and then finally accepting it after a few persistent push. This was the protocol that took me this many years to figure out. So I filled an entire large suitcase full of gifts and it wasn’t enough. They were the right gift that everyone wanted that’s why. It's funny, here they use sea salt for sea salt bathes, so glad I told them it's for cooking and imported from the Mediterranean Sea. Everyone of them thought it was for baths.
I went to 1st uncle's place and hung out for a little bit before we all went to “shwa-shwa guo” for lunch. It was a new place that just opened and nearby enough that all 20+ of us can walk and not deal with parking etc.... It was fun and really enjoyed relatives together. We pretty much took over this tiny little place and filled the tables and seats. How this work is this, each person has a pot on the table and plates of goodies for your soup from vegetables to noodles etc…. This is like the Japanese “shabu-shabu”. Just think of it as fondu, instead of cheese or chocolate it’s soup. My pot wasn't very interesting or great, but it was enough and that is good enough.
After lunch it was more tea for me while all the aunties took a nap. I am drinking lots of good high mountain teas, spring crop. “Li shan” is consistently having good seasons, I hear “A-li-shan” didn't have as good of season as last. “Shan-lin-xi” had a good year. It's a lighter green tea flavor, smooth, not as potent-kick'n kind. I like both. My 4th uncle in law went out to the tea shop and bought me four bags of high mountain tea right away for me to take back to drink. He was afraid it was too much I told him I drink tea everyday and I drink about a liter worth each day. The high mountain teas are delicious. The price he got was 1,000 yuan for each package. He got this price because he is a regular customer otherwise it would be more for this quality. How they name the tea is according to the name of the mountain or region it’s from.
In the evening we went to Yang Ming Shan for a soak in the hot spring at Yuan Yuan. I reflected on conversations today and wondered if I was delusional. I asked myself,"Is growing old that horrifying? What is a true comforting home for my soul? Am I really off the track as viewed by my relatives of the older generation? I ask myself if I am any better and happy. I do taste the good tea I drink and the sweetness in fruits and vegetables I eat and its good enough. Am I really blind and delusional? Is old age really scary and something to be feared? What is true security? What will really be the answer to misery? A house some say, a marriage some say, children some say. It is hard to be single here, it's inconceivable to lots of people. Shall I slave all day just for a few walls and a zip code to call my own? It is nice to have a physical place for the body to rest. How much does it take to satisfy it all and finally be content? What about nurturing my soul/spirit. Am I over simplifying things? I wouldn't want my children to slave all day for me or to have to take care of me, I wouldn't want to be a burden like that. Why seek and scheme over money and material good, everything that comes my way it is because of the past deeds. If I have been a good kind wise living being in the past then I have good karma coming my way, if I haven't then there will be lots of suffering, I have only me to reflect on and no seeking or scheming is going to change any of it. "
After soaking we had dinner there and all the local vegetables grown in the mountain looked so good. But I was too tired to eat. I stopped and just sat as everyone else ate. They can tell I was tired and jet-lagged so they were understanding and didn't find my behavior offensive.
