The Fuss Free BBQ

On Sat, we went ahead with our plan to host a BBQ for the family. I had wanted to call it off after my recent unpleasant encounter, but as usual it went against my nature to harbour ill-feelings or to change what has been planned.

So we spent Friday evening after work grocery-shopping. We had pre-ordered some kuey pie tee from a hawker and BBQ food from a wholesaler, and had asked my bros to picked them up on their way over. Our plan was to have a fuss free BBQ.

The weather was nice as the rain has stopped by mid-day and it was not humid. We laid a small table by the poolside with a disposable table cloth over it. Tealights were placed at strategic location, and we brought along our stereo playing soothing jazz/radio music. We had disposable plates, cups and utensils. The food and drinks were all ready according to plan. We had also bought 2 disposable 'BBQ pit' that consists of special charcoal, wire mesh/grid and aluminium container.

Well, the 'BBQ pit' was a disaster as it took us forever to start the fire which did not last very long and we had to use candle wax to get the fire going. The charcoal burnt out within an hour and we had to make use of the other set of charcoal. We spent a long time BBQing which led bro to suggest that maybe we should just microwave the food! Well, he's also Mr Impatient. And Dad got a little bored after sometime cause we were slow to serve the food, and he was missing his soccer game on tv...

The food was alright, the otah and kuay pie tee were most tasty. We had flan for dessert, specially made by Sam. It was a better 2nd attempt for him, and everyone enjoyed it. It was a long evening but good to be able to spend more time with our nephew whom we rarely get to meet.

We confess, it was a trial BBQ for us so we would know what to expect next time if we were to have another one with 'real' guests. We learnt that it is important to have some cooked food just in case the BBQ fail. And yes, we will definitely buy the conventional charcoal and starter, and not rely on the disposable version. Better still, if someone would bring along their gas grill...