The best part about the recent rain is that it doused the fuckers that were out at 6am both Sunday and Monday mornings banging their drums. Still not sure if it was one of the idiotic funeral marches, where the richer you are/were the bigger the parade they have for you and the louder it is, or if it was some holy day, whose calendar I've never been able to find. Gong banging, firework lighting and the sad Chinese violin at 6AM on a Sunday should be a crime.
Quick update on the boy's tail...have started to call him Frank, which is short for Frankenass. While they took out the stitches last Saturday, they had to re-stitch a certain area (the one closest to his anus), so have to freaking clean and disinfect it every morning. I may not be religious, but will cite this upon applying for admission to heaven.
On a personal note, have changed my go to adult beverage to vodka. As with most kids, beer was easy to get, but never was a massive lover and to this day, will puke before I get drunk enough to enjoy it. Was ruined on white wine at an early age as my mom used to keep one of those giant jugs of Gallo in the fridge, so it was my first foray into alcohol experimentation with predictable results. Tequila was dead to me after a party at Matt's apartment in college when I woke up sleeping outside only in my underpants with a snow bank as a pillow. Rum was off limits after guzzling too much of it on an empty stomach at some stupid soccer game at Seattle's Memorial Stadium, then having my insides come out in the bathroom at Sorry Charlie's on Queen Anne with my mates ultimately dragging me off of a metal bench (and out of a pool of my own filth). Thanks for doing that fellas by the way. And gin...cannot remember when that aversion actually happened, but was a Ramones fan and Joey's favorite drink was Tanqueray and tonic, so emulated him at one point. That phase came and went at some point that is lost with its accompanying brain cells. As red wine is scientifically proven to be good for you, don't think it counts and will always enjoy a bottle.
As an adult, one realizes their limits and what they like, and a few years ago, got into the sweet brown of whiskey. Learning how to pace is key so you can booze for a few hours and not go blind, and grew to love the Irish stuff...Jameson in particular...as the Irish are professionals. Maybe it is just that I got into that circle or that it is the drink of old dudes, but it seems in recent years that whiskey and scotch had found widespread popularity and cannot enjoy a glass of it without some pompous a-hole telling his tale about how he'll only drink something over so many years of age, that he has a collection of it at home with rare vintages that only he and the Queen of England possess, and that I'm drinking shit. And these guys are almost always hard core neo-cons (and now Trump lovers) that need to say how it is (fill in the blank) people that are ruining the world. Talking about whiskey has become as tedious as someone talking about golf.
Vodka has none of that. Russians, like the Irish, are pro drinkers. I'm sure there are "high end" kinds, but everyone seems happy with whatever Costco is selling, there are no origin stories to sit through, and all one needs is a glass, some ice and if I'm going' fancy, a slice of lemon. I just wanna have a drink, get loose and have a laugh.
A buddy off mine, who is also 50, is going through a mild mid-life crisis. I say mild as it is manifesting itself in some unfortunate wardrobe choices and an obsession with dietary matters. Could be a lot worse and he seems to be self aware of it happening. Got me to thinking if I was going through a similar stage and if/when that will happen. Feel certain that I have told the origin of the Gomez nickname but at a high level, it occurred in college when I wore a poncho and had facial hair and the above mentioned Matt said I looked like Juan Gomez (confusing me with Juan Valdez) the Colombian coffee picker. That I still sprout mangy facial hair and wear poncho like attire, does it mean that I am also going through such a phase or have I never grown up? I tend to think it's the latter and hope that I can trust you, my friends, to call me out on it either way.
Sorry for the extended trip down blurry memory lane...and please note the rare shot of Death in the background
Someone asked me if I knew what Mono was yesterday...seems that it is going around at school. I didn't and hope to never know...I did ask the boy and he said that he heard about it too and that the Mormons have it as they all date each other. Ahhh...young love.
Have CNN in the background today and they are following Obama in Cuba. Great move on his part...even the dopey right winger dudes Betty and I listen to on our commute in the morning aren't hatting on him for doing so (although they would never say it was a good thing he did). Think that I said it in this space months ago, but have to admit I was wrong as I predicted that Rubio would be the GOP nominee. Thought he had the youth and vibrancy to do so at the time and that the GOP would make good on their strategy to pivot towards including Latinos in their platform (instead of wanting to round them up like animals) So dumb, especially since many would likely bite on the more socially conservative aspects of their "message". I also recall thinking back then that Rubio was either a political idiot or shameless panderer when he called out Obama for his Cuban outreach. Sorry to see you go Marquito
This week in TW food news saw two articles pop up about the "cuisine" here. The first being 8 foods that they say one really should try when you visit Taiwan. I won't go into each of them as they aren't bad per se, but they are not good. Flavorless biscuits, sweet sausages wrapped in flavorless rice, chewy oyster omelettes (where the taste of the oyster is completely hidden in oil and becomes flavorless...unless you consider oil a flavor) and deep fried chicken pounded flat (which still tastes exactly like fried chicken only oilier and with less herbs and spices. Uninspired.
The next article was titled 8 weird dishes only Taiwan locals can appreciate, and the tag line couldn't be more true. Wouldn't say that I am proud of it, but have eaten 7 of them.
1) Stinky tofu - While the taste isn't awful, even the locals say that it smells terrible. And you smell it everywhere all the time. Comparing it to the smell of ass would be demeaning to ass.
2) Century egg - You can buy them in the grocery stores or from the nasty bin at 7-11. Traditionally duck eggs that are preserved for several months in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls. Why? And what the hell is quicklime? I think I saw them use that on an episode of NCIS to dissolve a corpse. Not even bars keep jars of pickled eggs on the counter anymore. What happened to cooking them fresh?
3) Pig's blood rice cake - At least they coat it in peanuts. If you dig the taste of blood, I suppose, but I didn't get a lot of it growing up in the Valley except when I crashed on my bike.
4) Duck blood - Quoting the article says it all..."duck blood is congealed into a jelly-like substance and then dropped into mouth numbing hot pot or mixed in with your noodles. It holds its shape and has a silky smooth consistency." At least it is mouth numbing. Their tip is to "get it half spicy and half with a Chinese medicinal herb broth for extra local flavor".
5) Chicken butt barbecue sticks - Fatty with a hint of cartilage. The kiss of death is that they say that it "actually" tastes quite good. That and you are eating chicken anus.
6) Chicken feet - Anyone that has been to Dim sum has probably had these...for those that like spitting twenty little bones on to your plate to get the taste of chicken skin. Chicks look hot when they do that.
7) Chicken comb - This is the one I have not tried but will probably have to as I am a completest. The description is everything you want in a dish...the outside is slightly rubbery, but the inside is a little gooey and chewy. They don't have pets they can feed this too? That was just three chicken parts in a row...butt, feet and comb. I have not seen a single place that sells chicken parm...it tastes so good.
8) Duck tongue - More from the ewwwy gooey rich and chewy aisle. I think you'd have to kill a dozen ducks to make it a meal. And don't skimp on the two "extra" stringy bits protruding from the base of the tongue.
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