OK, so where did I leave off? You'll have to excuse me as my lasts posts of the evening were fueled by old coffee and nicotine. Yeah, I know smoking is bad for you blah, blah, blah....
Anyways, the first time I visited the Lee House I didn't actually eat anything because my future wife (OK from now on I'm just going to refer to everyone in the present tense as its weird that I keep referring to them in the future tense.) we were on our way out to dinner. Now the second time that I went to visit I was greeted by my father in law with a dish towel over his shoulder and an incredible smell coming from the kitchen. I was offered a warm handshake and a glass of Bourbon. He invited me into the living room and sat down to speak with me for quite some time. I began to think he forgot I was here for his daughter but I sure wasn't about to interrupt a man holding a huge Chinese cleaver. My wife had to remind him that I was here for her. That is the sort of man my father in law is though. The media keeps asking me how many of the people aboard that ship were his friends and they all seem shocked when I say "all of them". All of these men my father in law brought together because they were his extended family. He was obsessed with building friendships and wether you liked it or not, even if meeting you for the first time, by the time you ended your conversation he got you to agree to go fishing with him. This is who Donald Lee is. You could see the excitement in his face when he went over the dinner menu for the evening and I was sure I misheard what he said due to the large variety of items he went over. What can I say, the man loved food. As he finished cooking I tried to get up to serve myself but he immediately told me to sit back down and called my wife over to do it for me. She still serves me my meals to this day (thanks dad!)
Now I'm sure many of you have been to Chinese restaurants where the dishes are served on those huge platters because its family style dining. Apparently my father in law has different ideas. My dinner of Prime Rib, Spaghetti, mashed Potatoes, Garlic bread, Corn on a Cob and one small piece of Broccoli was brought out. Now imagine a dish that's about the size of a small child brought to you as a single serving. (You are always expected to go back for seconds) That is who Donald Lee is. When it came to eating, he believed in first lunch, second lunch, light dinner and then main dinner. I think he might of been a hobbit. (that's an inside joke for Lord of the Rings fans). By the end of the evening I could barely stand. I learned from that night on that if your going to visit Donald lee for dinner, wear elastic pants. Seriously, I'm not joking. So even today when I think about my first dinner with my father in law the words come to mind "Whoa that's a big plate"~
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