Good Food, Fast Food

One night we were all in the mood for western-style food, so we ventured to a place downtown called...BROOKLYN. I wish I could tell you that this place was ridiculous and cheesy and weird, but it was just plain great. It honestly felt like a restaurant you would stumble across in Park Slope or Williamsburg or Fort Greene or Brooklyn Heights. Both sleek and cozy, it featured lots of maps and retro posters, and quality beer (see Tae, above). The food was great: I got a Caesar salad with chicken, Tae got a hamburger, Chris got a pulled pork sandwich, and Jessica got pizza.

I almost felt guilty about how much I enjoyed the food, but I talked to Mal, who had her share of pizza in Wuhan, and I realized it's a silly thing to feel guilty about (as most things are). There's nothing wrong with some quality comfort food once in a while, especially since I'll be here for a year and the options for that type of food here are limited: mostly McDonalds and KFC. Chinese people seem to love KFC. And the Chinese students love McDonalds, because it's the only place that's open 24 hours for them to study. I may have already mentioned this, but not only do their dormitories lock at 11:00 pm, but their power is shut off. I'd say that's pretty unimaginable for most American college kids: University of Michigan undergrads had the option of hanging out in their co-ed dorms, partying all night, or going to the library, which closed at 5 a.m. and re-opened at 8 a.m.

Speaking of studying and the library, I should go study some more Chinese and prepare for class tomorrow. Or I may watch the 1976 classic thriller The Omen which just finished downloading on my computer. Let's see which wins out!