July 2007 Archives
For a couple years when I was 9, I thought the funniest thing in the world was that my aunt had once gotten a fortune from a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant that said, “You like Chinese food.” I mean, who knew someone with a sense of humor worked at the cliché factory!
I really, really like Chinese food, but it seems to have fallen out of favor, at least in these parts. It seems like when I was a kid in the 80s everyone got Chinese takeout, then at some point in the 90s there was a shift in white and Jewish middle class culture to Thai food, like it made people feel more cultured and daring, and then it was just the standard thing people liked for takeout or whatever. Curry is great and all, especially with beer, but I still like Chinese food. And it seems like you have to go all the way out to 82nd Avenue to get some orange chicken and brocolli beef and fried shrimp. Does anyone know of a good, cheap Chinese restaurant in inner Southeast where I can get some egg rolls and fried rice? I want to be one of those single people who eats leftover Chinese takeout standing up in the kitchen because I can’t be bothered to cook because I’m too busy being single and fabulous. (Or would that be - Single and fabulous?)
Anyway, I got my fix today because I went to a dinner thrown by Pacific Rim winery (they do a nice job with various types of Rieslings – dry, sort of sweet, really sweet, and candy sweet; I was pretty into the sweet Riesling and the Chenin Blanc) and it was catered by Sungari Pearl. We had sesame beef, salad rolls (not deep-fried, but they had duck in them), shrimp (those were deep-fried), halibut, and fried rice. It was hella good. I like Chinese food. Forgot to take a fortune cookie, though.
I think it's funny that we "enlightened" types like to pride ourselves on not basing our identities around corporate branding or iconic products, but even subcultural, free-thinking communities have our versions of the stuff everybody has or the stuff everybody wants. Powerbook, Reload, Moleskine, Ikea, Chris King. I think it's more a matter of having similar aesthetic preferences and/or quality standards than trying to fit in through consumerism, and I don't think it's a bad thing - I kinda love uniformity, actually - but it's still interesting to notice, and maybe a reason to not judge suburban clone types too harshly. They just have a different uniform.
It's finally summer in Portland. I've been bicycling, working at Imbibe, eating lots of delicious fresh produce, and taking a class on semiotics in French advertising for summer school. I went on a camping trip with my friends to San Juan Island and went kayaking.
The weather in Portland has been amazing, and I've been on my bike as much as possible. Riding in the hills with friends is the best thing ever. I've been on some great rides lately with the Veloshop ladies and AP, who I love riding with but whose schedule usually doesn't permit us to join up. Today we had an exceptionally great ride in Portland's west hills. We ascended Saltzman, a curvy gravel road that winds through the trees of Forest Park, then rode Skyline to 53rd, a cool, totally fun, not too white knuckly descent, and continued down fast, swoopy Cornell.
Usually in the last mile or so of a ride the only thought in my head is grilled protein, plus me and Slizzy watched The Last Picture Show last night and they are always eating cheeseburgers in that movie, so when I got home I molted out of my spandex and went directly to New Seasons for a cheesburger, and it was seriously the best cheeseburger of my entire life. It was grilled and crusty on the edges, and the bun was fresh and toasty, and the cheese was sharp and melty, and I had salty tomatoes on the side, and the whole thing together was not of this world. I spent the entire time I was eating it in awe and adoration of my cheeseburger. I am so happy to be alive, so that I can go on beautiful bike rides and then eat delicious cheeseburgers. Sometimes I don't really need anything else in life than that.
