6.271 Tara’s Wedding Spread

6.271

3 (Sat) October 2015

Tara’s Wedding Spread

3.0

by Gana (catering company)

at the cabin

-Hoengseong-

with the wife & kids, Mom & Dad, extended maternal-side relatives, and of course Tara and her new hubby (welcome to the family, chump)

The Prodigal Son Returns for His Cousin’s Wedding, Day 2 (see previously 6.270 Babyback Ribs…).

Tara got married today.

For reasons whatever, she’d asked if the wedding could be held at our cabin, and my mother had agreed.

The only people in the universe who were happy about this arrangement were Tara — I’ll never ever ever understood why a person would opt for an outdoor wedding when a perfectly adequate climate-controlled indoor venue were available — and my mother — who had the time of her life complaining about everything.

While I love Tara like a sister, I would’ve said no, had the decision been left to me.

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At some point during the ceremony, one of the organizers asked me if he should take a parasol and shield the bride and groom from the high noon sun — I said no, they deserve to burn, as if in hell, like the rest of us.

Because, for starters, it meant that everyone from our family had to drive 2 hours from Seoul to get there, while the groom’s family was bussed in from Busan, departing at 0730 to arrive by noon.  As if that weren’t enough, the bus was too big for the narrow country lane leading to the cabin, so they had to walk the final kilometer; when we realized what was happening — after a few hardy souls began showing up winded and sweaty and dusty — we quickly deployed a few cars to pick up the older folks straggling behind.

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The backyard initially served as a makeshift kitchen…
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…where everything was prepared from scratch.
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…the waste bins didn’t actually contain any garbage, yet.
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Nobody on the catering crew knew how to light charcoal, so I had to save the day.

And even though event planners were hired to take care of everything, including clean-up, I still had to pick up the pieces in the end — like used toilet paper*.

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Later, the guests were invited to get the food…
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…hot off the grill.
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Two grills going simultaneously, one for shrimp and sausages…
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…the other for steaks, babyback ribs, corn, and mushrooms.

*Most Koreans still believe that flushing toilet paper will result in clogging, so they discard soiled toilet paper in a trash can**, typically right next to the toilet, whether at home or in public.

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The awning over the entry way made for a nicely shaded service area.

**Case in point: on her first trip abroad, to Tsushimi (see generally 2.024 Barbecued Sambal-Soy-Soju Shrimp), soon upon arrival, YH went to a public restroom, and emerged a few minutes later with a handful of soiled toilet paper, and asked what she should do with it, as there’d been no trash can in the stall.

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My mother was so proud, rightfully so, to witness the culmination of her sweat and tears in getting the cabin off the ground.

Which means that the titled owner of the property — who hadn’t been consulted about any of this — was forced to do all of the menial supporting tasks, including shuttle and valet service, lighting charcoals — the only job lower than this at a restaurant is cleaning out the restrooms — and cleaning out the restrooms.

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On a positive note, I did enjoy the rare privilege of observing a mobile catering crew prepare a buffet feast within a few hours, without a set kitchen.  Amazing.  The photos speak for themselves.

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In the end, yes, what a great day.

Congratulations, Tara***!

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As always, special occasions in Korea require the symbolic janchi guksu.

The best part was that I got to see my relatives, especially my cousins, the first time in nearly two years (see most recently 4.349 Grilled Ribeye).

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After the guests had departed, the family stayed behind; Aunt H made tacos for dinner.

***Tara and I graduated from the same high school (SIS), university (CAL), and grad school (USC).

2 thoughts on “6.271 Tara’s Wedding Spread

  1. How did you keep the food miraculously bug-free?
    Every time I’ve been to an event at an outdoor venue, unless it’s raining (which is another problem in itself) the appeal is always diminished due to the ubiquitous presence of flies. 🙁

    Fresh fruit is a particularly horrid attractant.

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