use real butter

My parents have a habit of buying a lot of things when they visit us. They have a habit of buying things in general as an activity. My dad gets excited about visiting the Costco (all three of the nearest ones to Pasadena: Alhambra, Burbank, and Azusa) in So Cal because they are “different” from the ones at home. I’ve had to give away random stuff they leave behind (and they always leave something behind). They treat our house as a repository. Dad wants me to live my life the way he wants me to. I cannot count how many times I’ve caught him lugging a giant TV to the Costco cart only to march him straight back to the TV aisle. While packing the kitchen last night, I found this in the freezer:

You got it. Frozen fish head (and tail). My parents also cook when they are here. They are great cooks! But it’s a little odd to have them leave fish parts in my freezer. I know my father’s intention was to come back and make fish stock with the head and tail for his famous (and delicious) bouillabaisse. Well, he’s not going to visit before we move and I’m not transporting Mr. Red Snapper in our cooler to the new house…

My parents and grandma arrived last night. We took them down to NBC Seafood in Monterey Park for dinner. I wish I had brought the elph with me because there was a good 15 minute discussion between the three of them over what to order. They pored over three sets of menus and interrogated the waiter three times as to how various dishes were prepared. Finally, the waiter came back with two buckets. One had a live red snapper, and the other had a live lobster. My parents gave the snapper a nod and then told him the lobster was too big and to get a smaller one.

Lobsters must be between 1 and 1.5 pounds because anything larger is too old and the meat is no longer tender or sweet.

In my Dad’s speak – Kid, are you listening to me? This is how you order a lobster. You want it to be between one and one and a half pounds. Are you listening to me? If it’s two pounds, it is NG (no good). It will taste like eeeeyech.

This morning I ushered them into the backyard to take some pictures. I wish I had rekindled my interest in photography before Kris died. We did take some studio pictures about 4 years ago for Mom’s birthday, and I’m really glad we took one together. But it’s something I wish I had more of now that I don’t have her. Not that I ever expected to be without her. I can’t be sure if I’m operating out of fear or love or both now.