Old China Dumplings

Old China Dumplings

            Yesterday… we were in New Canaan, Conn. early for an inspection appointment “early”.  Early was nine.  The appointment was at “the mother’s house”.  The inspection was of “old china collected by our grandparents” first and then continued “and by our mother”.  Most of the grandparent’s was packed in old boxes in the attic.  Much of the mother’s was the same.  A final piling of more recent boxing was “What she (the mother) displayed in the house” that “we packed up so it wouldn’t get broken” when one of the siblings moved into the house with her children and the mother was “she moved out”.  Nothing had been taken out of the attic or unpacked.  The gathering of the collector’s grandchildren thought we did that?  Evidently.

            Each taking a box and those boxes from different piles in the attic we carried them down to the living room where we …opened and unwrapped the contents of …SOME… of the boxes in the same manor families unwrap Christmas presents on Christmas morning.  Twenty-five minutes into this …quickly coming to include a show and tell for each treasure unwrapped… for I was turned to for a story about each gift… I put a stop to it.

            “What I am seeing is old china purchased from antiques shows, stores and dealers that although old, attractive and in good condition are NOT the gatherings of intense collectors so are not showing signs of harboring a great (and cash valuable) rarity”.  Period.  That’s not what they wanted to hear.  I suggested they get all this old china unpacked, take a few photographs of it all as a group, email it to me and I would be able to tell them IF “there was a great (CASH VALUABLE) piece”.  They didn’t want to hear that either.  They were sure the next unwrapped would be a golden egg.  “No, please.” I said.  “We are done our inspection and must move on before this becomes a full (and expensive) day” (OF NOTHING). “Certainly; sending the (same) photographs to (a nationally recognized television show that discovers great rarities) is fine”.  “Thank you”.  “Good Bye”.

            We drove into New Canaan, parked, sought lunch, looked at a counter top of greasy pizza for sale “by the slice” and found Ching’s Table.  Seated in the window we ordered:  My wife the Tom Yum soup and Thai chicken salad.  I the mushroom - scallion vegetarian dumplings and the grilled “lemongrass” shrimp salad.

            The dumplings came with the soup.  The photographs shows what happened to those.  The salads were freshiee-fresh delightful and included slivered mango.  My four grilled shrimp required four bites each.  “I wonder if they are going to unpack all that china today?” I said.  “I doubt it.” my wife said.