Dinner at Julia's

Party at Julia's House

Southward Hose Storefront

In the house.  Shoes are left at the door.

This year we were invited to the home of Julia Lon for a New Years dinner party.   

She , and her husband Franco, are the owners of Southward Hose & Engineering and has been a good friends since we came to Malaysia.

The party was an open-house which was frequented by neighbors and extended family members from the other end of Malaysia.

Julia did all the cooking because as she said “all the caterers were already taken”.   

The food was great and there was also a family sized Prosperity Salad.  

The Prosperity Toss

Tossing the Prosperity Salad supposedly brings luck and wealth to the tossers.   

Beer, wine, and Whiskey were plentiful which was a nice change from the normal Muslim alcohol-free dietary standards.  

Most Malay-Chinese are Buddhist but there are a few Christians.  Julia is Buddhist.

Now for the Salad Dressing

We were welcomed like family and even though we knew her sons from the store, it was nice have longer chats and meet her parents, cousins, and other friends.  

She was born in this area and grew up here so she had plenty of local friends visit.

Outside dining in the 'Front Yard'

The Chinese work ethic is very driven to succeed and be rich.  The most common thing we were asked by the young kids was what our jobs were, how much does a yacht cost, and how are we able to sail and travel like we do.

For us, it is always nice when someone welcomes travelers who are far from home to participate in a small part of their lives and culture.  We have had this experience from Panama to Fiji to Australia and it really makes you feel like part of the community.

We hope to be able pay it forward to other travelers that we meet in our future.

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