Here’s a small account of my memory and time with the ever so kind and gentle Bob.

As a brother-in-law, he was faithful in turning up every year for over 25 years with Joan to visit our late parents who he called “mama lah” and eat “froots” 🍇🍉🍌with our Dad.

He came with good cheer and anticipation as he loved his vacation time and look forward to his holidays here in Brisbane.

At first, he was very suspicious of the food we introduced him to…. especially trips to Sun Fay for Chinese food. He was ever only familiar with American burgers🍔, Ice Cream🍦, Fried chicken breast and as such. He would sit there and observe us eat with his Take Away (Take Out he called it) bag from MacDonald’s with his Burger and Apple Pie or would have ate beforehand.

Later, we would catch him with a tub of Ice Cream, the size of a 2 litre bucket 🍦🍦🍦 and ate it in one sitting, hoeing in without any trouble! Uncle Godfrey incredulously could not get his head around so much sugar consumed.

Uncle Bob (Bob) was just so Mid-West American in food and endearingly, in his personality, reserved but friendly and down to earth. He has a nickname though, between Auntie Joan and I, he was called “Dofu” and I always hastened to add, “Silken Dofu” (or in Chinese “Water Dofu”) i.e. even softer because although tall and imposing, he is actually quite a softy and “can’t take discomfort very much”😊.

Months out from trips to Australia, he would have a “bee in his bonnet” about his seat selection! He would spend hours analysing which seat would best suit him on the aircraft Seating Plan with Seat Guru, he would take into account every minutiae to do with his seat, only for the airline to switch aircrafts on him at the last minute!!! Its usually 50% of the time that he got it right when he boarded the plane, you could always tell because the first greeting you would get is either his awesome flight with exactly the right conditions of his seat, the length, the angle, the width, the entertainment system OR he would cuss the flight he had for about 2 days!! This was always the same for every trip he made to Brisbane and later, on occasions to London or France with us.

The yearly and regular ritual we do when Bob and Joan visited was to do a side trips to Asia somewhere, apart from North Korea(😊), Mongolia, Korea, Burma or Philippines, he had been to all Asian countries. The first thing he would do without fail is locate where STARBUCKS is from his hotel where he would be able to get his non-negotiable Mocca for the day!. They were always fun trips where we would catch up as sisters and Bob would tow along happily, and in particular, enjoy the well-appointed comfy resorts or hotels there with a mandatory visit to the countries’ wild life park, zoo or elephant sanctuary 🐘 🦓 🐯 🐨 🐒 🦘. He loved animals and has a special connection and knack with them. To me, he seemed an animal whisperer. That would complete his visit well.

UB got bolder and more adventurous with his food over the years till the last trip to Brisbane and Singapore, he would preference Char Kwei Teow with ‘see hum”, Laksa, mountain of shaved Mango Ice, Dumplings, Satay which is his favourite, Pho, Mint salad enjoying it with Fish Sauce and much more.

In the later years, Bob and Joan would meet me in London and France. In London, he donned a Morning Suit (minus top hat🎩☹) otherwise, he would be taller still!) for Micky and Ellie’s wedding in 2018 and he felt really chuffed looking distinctly and quintessentially English. It was his play dressing up moment😊😊

His last trip overseas was to Lourmarin in Provence, France in 2019 where he and Joan joined our family (the Mantles – Ellie and Micky’s family and the Sondhis, Jamal and Jackie’s family) in a French Villa/Farm for the European Summer holiday. We ate in the courtyard under the vine canopy and Provence sun most evenings and the highlight of this trip for him and ever since, food wise, was Jamal’s intricate, laborious and anally on-point Bolognaise with Spaghetti (Ragout) Sauce from the recipe book, “River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall” which took him 6 hours to execute! If he cooked it again, it would be a divorceable trigger for Jackie 😆it as so painful to watch the process 😲 !

When Bob and Micky got together, they would mimic accents and they would do it so well, no one was spared including how Grandpa (LL Cheng) would talk and walk…..with his Filipino quirkiness in unable to pronounce “d” so, he loved “duck” but would say, “luck” and much more, Vietnamese, Scottish, Cantonese accents in English, they would made us laugh no end. When Micky act up with accents, Bob would supplement with sound effects from his voice. Altogether, it was lovely and happy times.

So Vale (farewell) Bob for now, we will certainly meet again! It has been enriching holidaying with you. And you’re fun, generous and good sport. 

Jenny (Jenny) 🥰xoxo