MENTALLY ENJOYING SHANGHAINESE FOOD

Arrived at my usual Tuesday spot late for lunch, about which I feel somewhat guilty, because I do not like rushing restaurant staff. But I got out of there after my porkchops only a few minutes past closing time. When I went past on the bus forty minutes later, after smoking my pipe, their doors were still open. Three hours later I was nearby again, enjoying another smoke while waiting for the bookseller.

At that time, Chinatown had changed completely. More loonies, including a man angrily outbursting while sitting on the curb at the end of an alleyway, someone talking to himself and barking further down, and a gentleman garbed in what seemed to be a suit of armour made entirely of cardboard boxes. Plus some fellow who wished me to know that he had been threatened by a black man with a knife not too far away several months earlier. My guess is that the black gentleman must have had a good reason; I likewise sometimes wish to impress upon goofy Caucasians that they had best push off. So things happen.

One familiar face passed. We greeted each other.
He seemed a bit down and preoccupied.

From the karaoke bar the sounds, audible a block away, did not bode well. Have I ever mentioned that white people should not sing? I feel that Kahn Souphanousinphone's example should tell them something. He is not a man to emulate. Tell you what.

The only white guys who can sing well are drag queens.
For crapsakes, emulate them. And take lessons.

Objecting to horrid singing is both a life-style choice and a personal philosophy. So we gave the karaoke bar a miss, and headed directly to Miss Vivien's, where there was no music, just sportscreens showing men without all of their teeth committing mayhem. When we left I was high as kite on two cups of strong tea, having wired myself with coffee before even leaving the house. And I realized I should have brought two pipes along.
What with being so sparky and alert.

One thing we discussed was Wong Kar-wai's oeuvre. A stellar director of shimmeringly memorable movies. We also talked about habeus corpus. Which our current slew of dunderheaded cabinetti apparently lack all clue about.
Also baseball, basketball, and hocky.
Which I know zip about.


I think one of the other passengers on the bus had suffered a colonic mishap. Or maybe it was intentional. Probably not the transitioned personage seated opposite.
Although that is a possibility. I've heard of such things.



==========================================================================
NOTE: Readers may contact me directly:
LETTER BOX.
All correspondence will be kept in confidence.
==========================================================================