过大礼 - mainly cakes (preparation 2)

Ah Lau and Mum sat down to talk about the 过大礼 stuff that we need to give each other. And thank God both sides agree (with Ah Lau's mum's consent) that everything can be simplified. No more going big in the heads about those Chinese traditional stuff.

The main thing is that, Mum has upped the number of cakes from 6 to 10 for a nice number. But she has decided not to ask for the traditional Teochew cookies and wedding cakes (I mean come on, She is Teochew but I am Hokkien! But she insisted we follow the Teochew ways because I grew up in her household...)

Anyways, to cut everything short, we are having a mixture of Teochew and Hokkien style 过大礼 items which to my delight, I can have a say in them too. 

So here is the revised list of items that Ah Lau has to give me

- 10 boxes of wedding cake

- 12 oranges

- Jewellery

- 5 types of sweets (I asked for this), like melon slices, dried longans, lotus seeds, red dates and peanuts

- Dragon and Phoenix candles to be substituted with lamps (if we can find them)

- Betrothal red packet (like duh!)

- 2 bottles of red wine for my Dad

- 1 roast pig for my Mum

- 1 老嫲糕 for my Ah Ma

And here is the list from me to him

- Dragon and Phoenix candles to be substituted with lamps (if we can find them)

- 2 bottles of orange juice

- 1 tea cup set

- 1 set of bed linen

- 1 set of pants and a belt

Finally! We can now pop to JB and get them there which is way cheaper than in SG. By the way, we had some sort of confusing thoughts (mostly from my Mum) about the types of wedding cakes. At first, she asked for Teochew style wedding cakes which are these:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtN3GGcfy-YiQnRjN_6juNDQXJQjFRvyT_M_mTwdr0lvFD6tXhgll3UPBhilvOtAlX9vaCx7OAHNa7AUg5vqT1_n6WotGQBfGMEhkCQ9ZpAWiXGnvpMk2utOuu8cPf18l_7CFllU71bDpV/s1600/DSCF0409.jpg

When I showed her the brochure, she was like no no no not these. Then I showed her the Hokkien style which consists mainly of sweets and no cakes, plus 2 cans of pig trotters.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nU7pk2E8dBs/UMYmvlgKhgI/AAAAAAAAQrE/FBoMZ6PD3mk/s1600/20121209_123345.jpg

Finally, she told me what she'd wanted which are the more modern types like these:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2805/10164968365_581602778b_o.jpg

I yelled back a big no no no, because although I am a sucker for cute small cream cakes like these, I am not able ready to give these to my relatives because first of all, they are modern and too sweet. They just do not symbolise anything at all, and lastly, cut cakes when given as gifts are ugly and lack respect (in my opinion).

So we settled on a half traditional, half ang mo type which are these:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3JqwYa2mAeR9MFnIDA_oXRLHYkyWyq-bFxbpCWdhjnX3jwxHUV4U7ouLIIM1qour12EEsq05hftdhDCbkYzItmZ7PJo9CERAyU62BhZ0yKnGyQ66c27A8JUVW-Yk0gBONrQMb0pNfh4/s1600/28032010(001).jpg

I recalled always receiving cakes such as these when I was young and although I don't like eating them because they are mostly dry and I don't fancy dry cakes, I actually like those wafer-like roses and what little green cream as leaves on the cake. I find them very pretty and always try to preserve them for as long as I can.

Lastly, since we are now no longer going towards the Teochew style, the baskets that Ah Lau brings these things in to my parents have to be the Hokkien style ones already (and since I am a Peranakan, we can't deviate away from their Hokkien baskets). 

https://tampines1.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/dsc_00441.jpg

The black and red ones are the Hokkien ones but Peranakan ones have a more rounded top (or so said by my Mum) while the one in straw colour is used by Teochews.

So be honest, this is the most fun part of my preparation of my wedding - not the gown choosing (although I must say, it does make me feel like a princess and important. Ha!), not the photoshoot, not the shoe shopping or sourcing for photographers and wedding bands. It is actually the preparation of the 过大礼haha! 

I know, I am weird. But I really am finally feeling the excitement which kind of died down a little in me in the midst of choosing the dresses, shoes and other things. Can't wait to drive around like mad and give these cakes away!