Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Birthday Lunch With the Young'uns

Today is my middle child, Sara's, birthday.  I won't say how old she is, but she was born between 1975 and 1977 ;)

Since I had just arrived back in Edmonton from Arizona, Sara and her three local sisters invited me and Mickey to a birthday lunch with them at Mikado's Japanese Restaurant downtown.  It was a lovely place but my heart sank when we walked in the door and saw that this restaurant was one in which we had to take our shoes off and climb into a 'room' where we had to sit on the floor with our feet dangling into the open space beneath the table, Japanese style.  There were a few open regular booths there too but a couple of my daughters were already settled in a room so Mickey and I looked at one another, held our breaths and tried to figure out a graceful way to get on the floor.  None exists!

That's not such an easy thing for 60+ overweight grandmothers with bad knees to do.  We decided to grin and bear it and if nothing else, we would provide the visual entertainment for Sara's birthday lunch!  I am so glad that the little rooms had rice paper walls so we were kept from view of the other restaurant patrons!



Not a very flattering picture but you can see how we're sitting
on the floor with our feet dangling in the 'hole', all the time
wondering how on earth we're going to get out of there without
making a complete spectacle of ourselves.


Me with my daughters, Emily, Sara (the birthday girl),
Jenny and Amy.

It was a lovely get together with the girls - lots of laughs and delicious food.  Never mind that the girls made fun of Mickey and me for asking for forks instead of chopsticks. 

And as for getting off the floor - we discovered that it was quite a bit easier getting up than getting down.  But next time we'll ask for a booth!

Happy birthday Sara.


8 comments:

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

A very happy birthday to your daughter! How wonderful you and your gals could get together like that to celebrate. We have several August birthdays in our family, but I'll be lucky to be able to celebrate with any of them. They are here there and everywhere. 2 live close so I'll probably see them, but doubtful on the rest. I can relate to getting on the floor to be seated. I'd definitely opt for the booth.

MIckey said...

Happy Birthday Sara! Fun experience at a new restaurant and food for me! Loved it! Thanks for having me...

TARYTERRE said...

Your daughters are lovely. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the birthday girl. I have one born in 1976. Sounds like that meal was quite an adventure. If I got down on the floor I'd probably never get back up. LOL And I'd have asked for a fork too. Take care.

Southhamsdarling said...

Happy birthday to the birthday girl. How blessed you are with all your daughters! This post did make me smile, and I can imagine how your hearts sank when you saw the seating arrangements. I have never seen that before I must admit.

Granny Annie said...

Happy unknown-specific birthday to Sara!

God bless her for not knowing you are too old for this kind of seating.

The getting down would not be as difficult for me as the getting up. They would have just had to leave me in that hole as my final resting place:)

Magpie said...

Love how secretive you were with Sara's age! :) What a fun place this looks like. I would be hard pressed getting down and up also. You have a lovely set of daughters.

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday to Sara - I would love to have joined you, as I am rather partial to Japanese food! I think I woud find it easier to get back up - these days I have to kneel to get up agin - long gone are the days of standing straight up from a sitting position on the floor!

Haf Dozen Reasons....... said...

What a fun birthday outing!! Your lovely daughters look like you!
I too have never mastered chopsticks.