EATING UNFASHIONABLY

Young adults in San Francisco would not be caught dead where the unhip dine. Even by themselves, with no one around who could betray them to their with-it equals. Because omg, one has be with it. Rather than unhip.
And, in consequence, the poor dears miss out on some fine pork chops. They'll never enjoy life, and they'll pay too much for their food in the places that their equals find fashionable.


蕃茄豬扒飯

Two porkchops, with plenty sliced tomato dumped into the pan, then slopped onto a plate with a heap of rice alongside, served steaming.
A roll, pat of butter, and a bowl of good honest soup to start with.
It was delicious.
While I ate a table of middle aged gentlemen argued about San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou. They were loud, they were animated, they were high as kites on coffee and pastries.

Various mommies came in with their little ones for an essential snackie-poo, and left with little bags. Kids under ten, mothers twixt early twenties and mid-thirties, old-timers between forty five and a hundred years old.

An elderly auntied had dumplings in soup with noodles.
The owner lit some joss for Kwan Gung.
A customer bought buns.
Plus dau fu faa.
Eaty!


What do young San Francisco office types do after leaving work?
Perhaps they have cocktails at fashionable holes?
Porkchops, feh, too pedestrian!

I suppose I shouldn't mention the hot cup of milk tea.
That, too, is not a very hip thing.




Man, I don't know about you folks. Twenty to thirty dollars on mojitos and loud music, and not a single porkchop among the lot of you till late at night, if at all. And then only if it's called "côtelette de porc au riz Chinoise avec une sauce tomate raffinée" or "cotoletta di maiale alla tomate sur riso e verdure Asiatiche" and costs forty five dollars a plate.

Heck, plain old chicken curry over is only edible if you call it "straccetti di pollo al curry con riso", perhaps with "salsa di peperoncine estremamente piccante nello stile di Sri Racha distretto" on the side.


Including tip, less than twenty bucks.
And I left happy as a clam.




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