christmas celebrations

For the first time on Christmas Day, my family went to church to attend a morning service and eat lunch. The whole experience was odd because most of my family is unfamiliar with the conventions of church-going. I anticipated that we'd 'commit' various faux pas. For instance, I had no idea what would be appropriate to wear. My only guide (sadly) was the cartoon flowery dresses 'Lisa Simpson' awkwardly wore to church when she was forced to go. I was embarrassed because Lisa Simpson, the archetype of young American females, was my only guide.

Food-wise, every person who attended contributed $11 for lunch for communal platters of typical Christmas food, such as turkey, ham, salads etc etc. The layout of the food, wandering individuals connected by a seemingly common lifestyle/belief and the act of being grateful of the food actually reminded me of a homeless shelter I volunteered for a few years ago.

On Christmas Day, my family had dinner at a family friend's place. It was great to have their company on Christmas Day. The food was eclectic and amazing. It included chicken soup covered in puff pastry, tuna sushi, quiches, salads, seafood, oh and the typical turkey/ham.

On another day, we had dinner with our cousins. The food was healthy and not from your typical Northern-Hemisphere Christmas (turkey/ham etc). Instead, there was sashimi, wonton noodle salad, falafel salad etc. One of my cousins creatively cooked 'Christmas scallops' by using the colours of Christmas (red chilli and green parsley) to flavour the dish. There IS art in everyday life!

And some food-orientated presents...

Home Restaurant

There is no street like it, or is there?

A Sydney suburb for you to guess

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