Pizza Hut saves Family Night

I never dreamed that the little red hut would be such a sight for sore eyes. It all goes back to our first night in our hometown. Things had been rushed and even chaotic for days if not weeks, so in our parental wisdom we thought Rachel might need a taste of consistent among a world of different. "We need a family night!"

Family night is a tradition that we hold close to our hearts and most importantly a tradition that our daughter loves. There are three non-negotiable ingredients to family night which can then be added to any number of outrageously fun activities. The first ingredient is, of course . . . family (insert "well duh" here). Mommy, Daddy and Rachel were all present - good to go on the family part. The second and third ingredients are only slightly less important than the first. One, popcorn and two, pizza. So our very first night in our new Chinese home I (daddy) was sent on a quest. I hopped on the bus to Wal-Mart in search of the necessary popcorn and pizza.

Two and a half hours later I returned to an excited little girl and an exhausted mommy. "I've got . . . popcorn!" Rachel laughed hysterically with anticipation. "And . . . McDonalds." I thought the thrill of a Happy Meal would cover the fact that I couldn't find pizza anywhere. Ummm . . . that didn't work. Rachel's face curled up with a broken, "I thought you loved me" look and the wailing began. Evidently, though she is not yet three years old, she is deeply traditional and family night has no room for substitute ingredients.

So three weeks later we get up the nerve to declare another family night. With a little more understanding of the city, some good direction and some help from an English major who told me what stop to get off at, I made it to the promised land. Pizza Hut!

I was invited to sit down to which I replied, "dow gow" (my attempt at Chinese for no, this is to go). The hostess looked confused and I quickly remembered I meant to say dow bow, not dow gow. I accidentally told her I wanted to pray instead of take it to go. I corrected myself and it made more sense. An hour later I arrived home to a much happier daughter, a beautiful wife and the best family night in a long time.