Happy New Years, Y'all!
Image via and copyright of www.sanriotown.com
Oh and it's not just "Chinese" New Year, but Lunar New Year. It's just that there are so many Chinese...
29/01/06 19:51:
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Cookie came up with my friend Beto from medschool. He was going to a meeting at a conference, which I'll post about later. She came up because he shut down the office to come up (she works for him now). We sort of spent a mini-in-town-vacation together. He dropped her off at a mall to hang while we were in the meeting. Afterwards, I picked her up and we went into Fort Worth to see the Texas and Pacific Building, where we'll be having the wedding/reception. It is the best example of Art Deco architecture in Ft. Worth and I'm stoked that we got it. There's just something about Art Deco that speaks to me--especially when it's a train station. I don't know what it is but I feel connected to it.
Later that night, we met back up with Beto and another classmate, Bob in Dallas for a tapas dinner. Man, I love tapas but I wish it wasn't so fraggin' expensive. As it is, I only get to eat it like once or twice a year. We then retreated to Bob's place for drinks, a little Trivial Pursuit and lots of good company. Cookie and I finally retired to her hotel room for desert.
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The next day we met up with Beto and Bob again to gorge at the Waffle House. Man, I love WH. After that, Bob went to work and we went to the IKEA store and for donuts. Cookie and Beto wanted Krispy Kreme, but I prefer Dunkin Donuts. They got their 'nuts and I held out. I did take a hat though, which I later wore into the Dunkin Donuts. The crew there got a laugh and I explained that I wasn't a KK employee but that I just liked the hat. I told them that I was all DD, and to load me up with some Munchkins and full sized do'. Blast you, claudelemonde for putting the donut bug in my ear all last week!
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After they left, I went over to my uncle's house for New Years Eve dinner. It was a family fat fest as per usual, with way more food than even a starving Ethiopian village could cope with. It always reminds me of Babette's Feast. I just wish that you all could have shared in it.
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Even later that night superrice and I went up to the temple for some chanting and to watch the Dragon Dancers ring in the new years. It's always interesting to see so many Asians together in one place. You can always tell the FOB's from the Americanized ones--not only are their clothes different but also the ones that grew up in America tend to be at least a head length taller than their Viet counterparts. Let's hear it for nutrition! I realized then, that the temple for all my issues with it, is our (the Viet people's) few remaining bastions for cultural history and interaction. No matter their differences in appearances and attitude, everyone got along because of common origin, because of context and everyone went away enriched for it.
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Okay, I'm getting too corny and sappy for my own good. Time to get something to eat and drink a brew to absolve myself. If you haven't realized it already, my life revolves around eating and drinking. No wonder I'm such a fat slob! ;)