Vivian & Phil
Engaged on March 5, 2010

The Proposal Story

	A couple of weeks before the proposal day, I decided that I would make her a sushi dinner with a special menu. A long time ago, I worked as a sushi chef for many (seven) years. I had never made sushi outside of the restaurant, mostly due to logistical reasons: poor access to fresh fish, the painstaking process of preparing the sushi rice, etc. But Vivian loves sushi, and I knew I could make all of her favorites better than any restaurant. Also, I had never prepared ANY kind of meal for her, and I thought she would appreciate the role reversal. I then started to work on the menu and researching local fish distributors. A week prior, I bought all of the non-perishable items that I needed to set up the dinner: rice, sushi vinegar, an over-sized rice paddle, sushi roll mats, seaweed, a motorized fan to help cool the rice, etc. On the day of the proposal, I got everything else: assorted fish, quail eggs, foie gras, black truffles, dessert, and lots of roses. Six hours before I expected her to be home, I started preparing the sushi rice and setting up the sushi bar. Sixty seconds before she walked in, everything was set up, and I was ready to surprise her at the door.
	It was a typical Friday at work, and I couldn't wait to go home and start the weekend. I was looking forward to a relaxing night, but Phil called and told me about all of the errands we needed to run right after work. So I rushed home. And when I got there ... his car wasn't even there! I thought he had tried to sneak in a Brazilian jiu-jitsu session and was running late. I opened the front door, and I was greeted with a pleasant surprise! The room was lit up by endless candles, and the fireplace was crackling. A big bouquet of fresh roses sat on the counter. Our favorite slow songs were playing in the background. And Phil was standing in the middle of the room, in full sushi-man uniform. He smiled, handed me a hot towel, and said, "Welcome to BebeSushi" ("Bebe" is our nickname for each other.) I then noticed that he had converted the kitchen counter area into a sushi bar, and he sat me down on the single barstool at the bar. There was an elegant place setting, topped off with a custom-printed, 8-course prix-fixe menu. (Click the image to the right for a PDF of the menu.)
	When she asked me what the special occasion was, I told her it was for her birthday, because I didn't want her to catch on that I was about to propose. I poured her a glass of her favorite sake, set out a bowl of edamame, and I started to get to work.
	Although many of the menu items were familiar, because they were my favorites, Phil put his own twist on each one, and came up with a unique name. The first item was "Imma Be." This is one of our favorite Black Eyed Peas songs, because my family calls me "Ah-Bee." So Phil makes me sing this song whenever it comes on, because it sounds like "I'm Ah-Bee."
	As a further play on words, this dish was the Ama Ebi (Japanese sweet shrimp). If you say "Ama Ebi" quickly, it sounds like "Imma Be."
	The next item was the "La Folie Roll." We celebrated our 8-month anniversary at La Folie restaurant, and two of the most memorable dishes we ate there were their fresh salmon lollipops and duck foie gras. This roll featured both fresh salmon and duck foie gras. We celebrated our 6-month anniversary in Maui last October. So the next roll was the "October Roll," which was an homage to some of our favorite meals in Maui. The roll included ahi tuna, pineapple slivers, and crushed macadamia nuts. Next was the "Valentine's Roll." We spent our first Valentine's together at Coi restaurant, and I loved the Dungeness crab soup and mushroom porridge. So this roll included both Dungeness crab and black truffle mushrooms.
	Vivian likes her spicy scallops handrolls, but very mild. So the next course was "Extra Mild Spicy Scallops." (Click on thumbnails for larger pics of the food.)
	I thought the next one was the most creative: "You and I." Uni is one of our usuals, and I LOVE fresh uni. But of all the times that we've ordered it, I never thought of the way that it's spelled: U-N-I. What a clever guy!
	"OVO" was the next dish, named after the Cirque du Soleil show that we recently saw together. "Ovo" is Latin for "egg," and the dish was tobiko (fish eggs) topped with uzura (quail eggs).
	I was able to figure out the meanings behind each of the dishes except for the last one: Ultimate Triple Plus "Carrot" Delight. I assumed this was a carrot cake dessert. But "carrot" had quotes around it, and Phil likes his play on words. I thought MAYBE this was a carrot cake with a ring on it?? Was he going to propose to me tonight???
	I then asked her if she could find the hidden message inside the menu.
	Hidden message? I flipped the menu over to see if anything was written on the back. Nope. I then stared more closely at the menu names, and everything was aligned vertically. The first letters of the menu items spelled out: "I L-O-V-E Y-O-U" Awwww!
	I served dessert, a Chocolate Decadence cake and a Strawberry Mouse cake from Draeger's. We moved to the living room, and ate dessert sitting on foot stools. I was going to be on bended knee soon, and it would be awkward to have her high up on a barstool while I was proposing.
	Over dessert, he started talking about our next steps together as a couple. He suggested that we go ring shopping together in the coming weeks. I was starting to fill with joy just at the thought that he wanted to buy a ring! Then he said "... Or you can accept this one for now," while dropping to one knee. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring box with a huge diamond! I was absolutely stunned and speechless when I saw it! Tears slowly started to roll down my cheeks. Phil continued to speak, and I was trying to catch the words coming out of his mouth ... but the ring was so stunning that I couldn't hear a single word that he said.
	I originally thought I was going to man through it without crying. But seeing her reaction broke me down. I started to cry as well, but I knew I had to muscle through the proposal.
	I gathered myself to focus back on Phil and our moment. Happy tears continued to stream down my cheeks. I looked at Phil, and started to hear his words, expressing his feelings and how he sees our future together. But seeing tears roll down his cheeks made me cry even more.
	I knew I was going to become a mumbling, teary mess pretty soon, so I had to say those words before I lost all motor skills. I barely managed to get it out: "Vivian Chu ... Will you marry me?"
	All I could do was nod. But I realized that I needed to say "yes." So I swallowed hard, finally found my voice, and said "YES!" When he put the ring on my finger, I felt like the happiest girl ever. We hugged, while sharing a joyous cry together. He managed to continue whispering into my ear while we were hugging, but all I could do was nod along. I still couldn't really hear what he was saying, because I was crying too hard, but I knew he was saying something nice and good. So I was just nodding to everything. I was so overwhelmed with emotions.
	I told her that everything in my life suddenly made sense when I met her. That every fight with every ex, every previous heart-ache, every struggle I dealt with ... was to make me into a better person, and to fully appreciate her. I then promised that I would always be there for her.
	That night, I saw a different side of Phil Yeh. He looked different to me. I saw him as my fiance and soon-to-be husband. And I couldn't be happier. That night, I couldn't sleep a wink. I was so overwhelmed with joy and the excitement of this new chapter of our lives. But Phil slept like a pig. Probably from all the previous planning and hard work. He just needed a good night of rest now.
	And that's it! That's the proposal story!
	The End!

"... I found the one my heart loves."
Song of Solomon 3:4

www.VivianAndPhil.com

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