IMAGINE FOG

So you dreamed about big glowing eyes, until an eructive sound startled you awake. Ribbit! What does that mean? To you? Are you a disciple of the frog deity? Do you have any flies to offer? Will the world end?

If you live in Italy, where every municipality is under a heat alert, are you drenched in sweat at night? Or are you safely embedded in a stream flowing down from the mountains, much cooler than the cities of the plains?

The first time I went to South East Asia I decided that as I obviously didn't need it while I was sleeping, I would turn off the airconditioning at night. Yeah, that was a stupid move. I woke up every two hours sopping wet with perspiration and cold. Five minutes later I'd be bone dry and overheated again. By the third night I kept the aircon on.

Almost none of the beautiful old dwellings in Europe have air-conditioning. That's strictly for effete Americans, like showers. We're depraved and decadent; bearable temperatures and armpits that smell baby fresh prove that.

At present it's about fifty six Fahrenheit (13° or 14° Celsius) outside, very pleasant. The fog should start rolling in soon. From the corner window of the teevee room I can see orange hued fruits on the trees behind the houses at the far end of the block. Too small to be citrus. They're almost certainly loquats (盧橘、金丸、枇杷果 'lou gwat', 'kam wan', 'pei paa gwo') which were originally native to the cooler hill regions of LingNaam (嶺南).


舊金山之霧

When I left for lunch I made sure to wear a sweater. I had tested the outside conditions earlier while smoking my pipe, and knew that without dressing appropriately I would have regrets. Precisely like the tourists I saw wearing shorts and tee-shirts. The elderly Cantonese gentleman I recognized on the bus was similarly dressed, the Caucasian lady librarian who lives nearby also. We're not crazy. We know that once the afternoon wind starts up shorts and tee-shirts lead to profound, soul-shredding regret, and existential despair.

None of the other customers at the extremely busy chachanteng were underdressed either.
I do know if any of them own shorts or tie-dye tee-shirts; the idea of some of the elderly people there poncing about with their gams naked is quite unseemly.
And I would far rather not imagine it.


Garlic and parsley butter fillet of sole baked in aluminum foil (蒜蓉焗龍脷 'suen yong guk lung lei') with rice and broccoli, a hot cup of Hong Kong Milk Tea (港式奶茶 'gong sik naai cha'), and Thai-style hot sauce (泰式辣椒醬 'taai sik laat jiu jeung').
Heaven is filled with fully dressed people.



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