Remembering Doc

Some of Doc's Favorites (photo from my iPhone*)

When people die, the surviving relatives and friends usually gather around food and drink to remember the one who left us.  This is what my family did when my cousin "Doc" died.  Doc liked Chinese food, similar Chinese food that I like, the food our mothers and grandmothers made for us.  There was one restaurant in Houston that was his favorite Chinese restaurant.  The Hong Kong has some food that is similar to our family favorites, so The Hong Kong is also one of my favorite restaurants in Houston too.

Doc's wife, believe me, is one of the most kind and gentle women on this Earth.  Even with all the sadness, Doc's wife arranged for a dinner for close friends and relatives on the evening of the funeral.  The dinner was at The Hong Kong and it was a multi-course dinner of Doc's favorites.  On the menu was low and slow poached chicken like a confit but in broth, Peking duck in steamed bun, peking duck and clear bean thread noodle soup, Hong Kong style roasted pork, crispy seafood noodles, gai lan Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce, fermented black bean pork ribs, whole steamed fish in cilantro and soy sauce, and salted egg yolk and scallion Dungeness crab with rice.  My other cousin also got braised duck feet in soy sauce 5-spice and small red beans.  I have never had duck feet, but my other cousin's mom (who also passed away a few years ago) would make duck feet like this for my cousin whenever he wanted them.  The flavor and texture is so homey for him, and this was a day when he needed comfort food to remember our cousin Doc.  At this dinner, with a seat empty for Doc, we did have a great time sharing stories, talking about our family's Chinese food traditions, and talking about each of Doc's favorite dishes we were so lucky to be able taste.

As I sit here again, I am reminded about what a friend said to me a few years ago:  You will never regret visiting too much.  At that time, I felt like I  lacked time off from work, and felt a bit cash poor and it takes time and money to travel.  I had been meaning to go to Houston and other family centers for more than a year, but the time and money situations never seemed right.  I cannot change the past.  I can only live now and plan the future.  I hope to feel cash rich, and take time to visit loved ones and close friends this year and years to come.

* Photo from iPhone:  So, I want to mention this photo collage is from my iPhone.  I took photos with my iPhone and then I used a free app Collage to crop the photos and put them into a collage page.  While I was on the plane, I was reviewing my photos of family and food, and I edited this picture while thinking of Doc.  Thinking of family, friends and food, with the help of my photos and Collage was a really nice way to spend my fly time.