Wedding feast

I (David) attended my first Asian wedding the other night. My Korean classmate married a Chinese gal, and our class was invited to attend the reception.
It was an evening wedding, and the bride and groom greeted each guest at the entrance of the hotel (they stood there without a break for over an hour!). When I arrived, I gave the groom a 100 kuai bill (the traditionally appropriate amount to give--about 12$ US currency) in a special red wedding envelope our teacher had purchased for us.

Upon entering the banquet hall, we were seated at a table of honor. I sat with a Korean, a Swede, a German, three Americans, and our teacher. The bride and groom joined everyone in the banquet hall and were thoroughly doused with silly string on their way in. Then they and some family members took the stage and gave speeches, followed by the emcee singing a couple of musical numbers and a group of young women performing traditional(??) dances to pop music. :)

Next they made their rounds to all of the guests, toasting at each table. (Because of the large number of tables, the bride was given diluted alcohol so she would be up for the task!)







While the bride and groom were toasting, we enjoyed some tasty cuisine. First, we were served appetizers: nuts, cigarettes, and candy.

Next came a noodle dish, and we were all beginning to wonder if this might be like an American wedding where people sometimes keep the snacks simple. Thirteen large dishes later, we were all stuffed and weren't even thinking about more food!

Our meal had quite a variety of dishes, including squid, fish (the whole fish, of course), pig skin adorned with sweet potatoes, fried bullfrog (I thought I was eating chicken until I spotted a conspicuously froggish leg...), duck, bok choy, and more. I particularly enjoyed the duck soup and the bullfrog, and learned that when you are hungry and you think about all the other people who enjoy these dishes, you are willing to try new things and might even find something you like.