We were invited to Jamie and Nera's last night for their Christmas Party which involves the local filipino community. As usual, it followed the filipino tradition of Noche Buena which means an early start and the main feast to be enjoyed at midnight. There is always a whole roast pig and whatever other delicacies the family can afford. Nera had invited people to arrive from 3 o'clock but Marilyn and I dropped in about 4.30.
The feast was well under way and we joined the line to get our share. Apart from the pig which had been severely hacked about by the time we arrived, there were huge prawns, crayfish, different salads and so on. Nera had made a beef brisket which I decided was my favourite. Of course, there might have been forty people there so lots of food was needed.
Luckily they have quite a big house and lots of places to sit, but some us had to spill out into the gazebo in the back yard to get a break from the constant noise. Filipino parties are not normally quiet affairs.
Jamie had organised some games. One was a lucky dip where you had to choose a prize from a left-hand container or one from the right, while blindfolded. The prizes were Mars bars wrapped around with a banknote! Marilyn and I got $30 between us. One lucky person, I hear, won $50. Another game involved calling out a number between 0 and 100 and about 40 of them won prizes. I cheated a little and won a box of Ferrero Roche but that was just a minor prize. Apparently it's an honour to have your house chosen to be the venue for the party but it's certainly an expensive honour.
Today, we're going out for lunch with friends from Deloraine. They came to us last year when Marilyn served fairly traditional Christmas fare but Steen is Danish so has told us he is cooking salmon steaks. Sounds good to me!
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