Constantine & Charlene

CEBU, Philippines - The Chinese have unique wedding traditions and ceremonies, though these have since been diluted by the Western culture. Feng Sui experts are consulted in events like selecting the dates of Ting Hun (engagement) and Kan Chiu (wedding ceremony).

In the words of Confucius: "Marriage is of grave significance both to families and to society as well as being important for the cultivation of virtue." Marriage brings together families with different surnames (same surnames are taboo!) and assures the continuity of the family line of the paternal clan.

A scion of the Tanchan family, one of the known Chinese families in Cebu, got married recently. I first met Dodong and Rufina Tanchan, owners of Multi Farms, while working as a veterinary sales representative of Abbott Laboratories, some 40 years ago.

Old-time residents of Cebu associate the word "Tanchan" with two businesses - tires and piggery. Today, the so-called Millennials are more familiar with "Choobi Choobi," a restaurant owned by the Tanchan family which sources its food supplies from their own organic farm, piggery farm and prawn farms.

Invitations to the wedding of Constantine Tanchan and Charlene Mae Yu were personally sent by Dodong Tanchan. The rites were at the Cebu Gospel Church on November 12. The wedding reception followed at the J Center Convention Hall; the feast was prepared by the Hong Kong and Singaporean chefs of Tao Yuan Seafood Restaurant.

A special appetizer plate, consisting of sliced roast pork, roast chicken, century eggs, stuffed pork leg and pickled jelly fish was served while the guests were waiting for the rest of the celebrants to be seated. Drinks were served and a bottle of wine and whiskey placed at each table. Poor me, I could not take a single drop of alcohol that night - per doctor's advice!

The soup was delicious - Mashed Winter Melon with Shredded Dried Scallops Soup, and then followed the Steamed Suahe with Oriental Dip. Suahe or saltwater shrimps are smaller that prawns but taste more succulent, with the added advantage that many parasites cannot survive salinity.

Fried Pigeon came next with each guest savoring half a pigeon each. No way can you eat this with chopsticks; hands required to extract that luscious meat. In Chinese, serving this luxurious dish is a sign of the high respect of the family for the presence of their invited guests. At Constantine and Charlene's wedding, the guests included friends and business associates from Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong and the major cities of the Philippines.

Then, the Steamed Crabs with Garlic and Two Kinds of Seafood with Vegetables were served. The crabs were huge and more hand dexterity was necessary to dig out the delicious meat hiding in the crevices of the crab. Next, the Steamed Live Lapu-lapu with Soy Sauce was served, symbolizing  prosperity because the word fish is the homonym for riches and abundance in Chinese. The final dish before dessert was the Cha Misua with peanuts, very traditional as a symbol of longevity, health, continuous growth, wealth and stability.

Entertainment was provided by a family friend who is a Chinese Filipino singer, songwriter and businessman - excuse me - in the person of Jose Marie Chan. (FREEMAN)