HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON? HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND?

I went to dinner with B----- on Friday night. I took the train to Harvard Square and we met at Pho Pasteur. "I feel like I need to eat something healthy, I've been eating junk in the hospital cafeteria all day," I say as we sit down to order. It's busy and we are tucked away at a corner table pushed up against the glass windows. On the other side of the window is an iron table and a couple is sitting at the table, waiting to be called by the hostess. We're in, they're out. Poor things, they look hungry. The woman leans against the glass and the back of her sweater bunches up and makes a funny design, almost like ripples of water. It feels odd to be so close to another human being in this way, and yet so utterly separate because a pane of glass is between us.

Our waiter is funny - he's seems alternately intense and out of it, he makes eye contact with a kind of scary gaze and then looks over his shoulder at the bar, half-listening, while we order. B----- orders pad thai, I order tofu and broccoli and a bubble tea, in the only flavor they have left (for the life of me, I can't tell what the waiter says with all the background noise and his odd not-looking at me demeanor). When he brings the bubble tea, it's in an impossibly tall glass, bright purple, and the 'bubbles' are stuck in the straw, which is acid green. It looks ridiculous and tastes utterly synthetic. I don't bother to finish it.

Later, after dinner, I will stop in the COOP and wander around a bit, twisting the edge of the scarf I am wearing around my fingers; the scarf is impossibly light, breezy-thin, and yellow and white, 'shot' with gold thread. I will buy a book by Balzac, Father Goriot. The book is a strange shape, it's a large flat square, like a child's book, and has a white center with a gold border, echoing my scarf. The inside pages have a truly hilarious Table of Contents. It looks just like this:

                     Table of Contents

Father Goriot....................................................................................1

     Honore de Balzac................................................................................1

(And that's it for the table of contents. I mean, what's the point?)

Comments

[Tatyana]

Economical, like M.Goriot

[Tatyana]

Economical, like M.Goriot.

Lucky black-haired women...you can wear white+yellow+gold and don't look washed down.

[brimful]

Per Goriot sent me into quite a funk when I was a youngster in Boston- careful there. :)

In other news, I love this blog entry. You're so good at putting together a scene in words.

[MD]

Tatyana - and yet, with my black hair wearing black can sometimes be dodgy for me, sadly enough.

brimful - no, say it isn't so. I'm just on the earliest parts yet and soaking it in...and thanks ;)

[Tatyana]

True, but it is only ONE color you have to avoid, and not even that: you can always play with texture. Dull and wrinkled raw silk, f.ex., or rough big scale knits will reflect light differently and set the stage for your hair.

[Tatyana]

Speaking of colors: sorry for shameless self-promotion, but I think this will interest you: http://tinkertytonk.blogspot.com/2005/10/hue-insiders-tip-usual-disclaimers.html

[MD]

Tatyana, I love it! I love your shameless promotion and your blogging :)

[Ennis]

I don't like PP. I remember once I was eating with two friends in the area by the entrance. This was around 2PM, and there were lots of empty tables. The staff was very insistent and rousted us, asking us to leave rather than linger. My impression was that they didn't want me (brown, turban, beard) to be in such a visible place. The two white woman I was eating with had a similar impression. Ever since then (several years ago) I have never gone back.

That, and honestly, the food has gone downhill substantially since it opened. I prefer the Malaysian place down the street ...

[Tatyana]

MD, pelase forgive me for my misspelling. I'm glad you liked the [virtual] walk; come to NY, we'll make it in reality.

[MD]

Ennis, that's too bad :(
Tatyana, I'd love too!