Melvin's blog

Nshima & Curry

Melvin's  Blog

Nshima & Curry

ANY PLACE IS A GOOD PLACE FOR A WEDDING

A Singapore couple wanted to protest shark fin soup, a
Chinese delicacy whose popularity has encouraged
shark-hunting. So what did they do? They scuba-dived into a
large shark-infested aquarium, where they were married by a
Catholic priest, prompting several young sharks to jump out
of the water, screaming, "Oh no! We've heard about you
priests!"

Actually, the sharks stayed in the water and watched the
unusual ceremony. The couple flashed "Yes, I do" cards,
exchanged rings, and kissed, before being "guests of honor"
at a special wedding feast organized by the hungry sharks.

No, seriously, the couple -- Lester Kwok and Julia Khoo --
survived their wedding, perhaps because sharks, in general,
have better taste than humans. Just try dropping some tofu
into a pool of sharks and see how quickly they disperse.

"We wanted to do something different," Khoo told the
Associated Press. Different? Why do so many couples want to
be different? What happened to the good old days when
couples got married in one place -- and one place only: The
Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas.

These days, couples get married in every place and every way
imaginable. Some get married on ships, some at baseball
games, and some in West Virginia. A few even exchange rings
while sky-diving, apparently because marriage isn't scary
enough.

Bride: "Oh honey, this is so romantic. We dived out of a
plane, we're falling to earth and we'll soon be newlywed."

Groom: "Newlywed? If you don't shut up and pull the cord,
we'll soon be newly dead."

Some couples get married wherever they first met. This often
works out quite well. Patricia Taylor and Kevin Richer of
Texas, for example, tied the knot in a rather romantic
and beautiful location: the garden center at Wal-Mart.

They had met while shopping at the chain store, so they
thought, quite logically, why not get hitched there, too.
"Attention Wal-Mart shoppers: The garden center will be
closed this Saturday for the Taylor-Richer wedding. However,
our pharmacy, bakery, and automotive center will remain open
for all your wedding needs. We are currently running a
special in the auto center: For only $244.99, you can get
four new tires and a new spouse. Discounts are available,
but only on retreads. Sorry, no returns or exchanges."

Another couple, Randy Kimball and Sharon Stehli, got married
at a 7-Eleven. Kimball previously managed the convenience
store and had hired Stehli as an employee, before deciding
that she deserved to be boss. Their wedding ceremony took
place, of course, at 7:11 a.m. on July 11, and was
celebrated with coffee from a 7-Eleven cup. As for the
wedding night, here's the only detail you need to know: 7
minutes 11 seconds. (That's how long it took to get room
service.)

Some couples seem to have unusual weddings just to gain
attention. While they're exchanging vows, they want their
guests to exchange wows. And the next day, everyone can see
the wedding picture in the newspaper. "Look Mom! We're
getting married and bungee-jumping at the same time. Aren't
you proud?"

I can't help wondering what my daughter, Lekha, will think
of my wedding.

Lekha: "Dad, where did you and Mom get married? At a
baseball game? At an airport? At Wal-Mart?"

Me: "No, sweetheart, we got married in a church."

Lekha: "A church? Oh Dad, that's so boring. Whose idea was
that? You could have at least got married at McDonald's.
And celebrated your happiness with a Happy Meal."


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