Chinese Luncheon

Every year since I've been with my company (an engineering firm in Monterey Park, California), one of our senior engineers takes the whole office to lunch.  He's Chinese, so it's always a Chinese luncheon.  There is a huge Chinese population in Monterey Park, so we have lots of places to choose from.  These, of course, are places I probably would never think to venture into on my own, where they all speak Chinese and many of the dishes are quite foreign.  So, for me, it's rather like taking a vacation to China without leaving home!

For the past couple of years, we've gone to a dim sum place, this time it was a seafood restaurant.

Ben, Jonathan and Frank

The office crew was packed into two round tables and, as you can see, everything was served from a a lazy susan in the middle.

We started with a simple chicken soup.  It probably doesn't look very tasty in this picture, but it was very good!

Danika and Sabrina perusing the menu we really didn't need

Danika and Sabrina are part of the Corporate marketing team.  I'm the L.A. office marketing team.  Yep, just me.

Frank, Barbara and Ulises

Here's the other corner of our table.  Barbara has been such a good friend.  She and Ulises are married and have two delightful little boys.

Eric's nose (sorry, Eric!), Mike, Albert, Gerardo and Edward

You can see how crowded this restaurant is!  It was a little crazy.  I didn't even manage to get pictures of everyone in our group.  But I did try!

Edward, Giuseppe, Steve and Doug (standing)

This is always such an enjoyable outing every year.  I think it's more fun to me because Doug chooses the dishes that are served and there are always a few surprises - things I've never tried before.  Most of it was delightful. (A couple of things are just not in my Western idea of tasty menu items - but just a couple.) I particularly love the vegetables.  There was an eggplant dish in gravy that was really yummy, and perfectly steamed asparagus, spicy chicken, melt in your mouth scallops, delicately seasoned fish fillets and lots of other delights. 

I have such wonderful coworkers.  I count that as one of my great blessings in life.  It's fun to have a lunch with them like this.  Thanks, Doug!