My long-awaited, long planned tenth reunion is two weeks from now. Time flies, doesn't it? Taking stock of the past decade of my life, I can see why Douglas Coupland refers to one's twenties as "muck and shit." They were, mostly, that just for me. I spent a lot of time unlearning bad messages and trying to figure myself out. I don't know if I'll ever have everything figured out. I'm sort of a loose cannon that way. I do know that I need to have my chest lobsterized and that in 2009 I need to return to the worky world, albeit not in any archives sort of way. That is the muck and shit I'm talking about. Stupid, stupid mistake, and one with an outstanding balance of $11,000 at 5.35%.
There is a restaurant in Austin that I absolutely hate but I often find myself there at the behest of others who absolutely love it. I suspect that the reason this place is so popular with my friends is for reasons of sentimentality. It's the sort of UT place where one goes for their first legal Mexican Martini, or their first illegal Mexican Martini. I suppose if you are the type of Longhorn who lionizes irresponsible drinking and doesn't mind bad parking, dangerously high decibel levels, mediocre Tex-Mex cuisine, and a beleaguered staff who clearly aren't making enough in tips, then this was your place during your school years and you love it in spite of its flaws. As someone who scoffs at this particular category of Austin culture, I've never been able to get with it. I also can't drink very much for health reasons. (I'm having dinner there tonight and am considering popping a Xanax beforehand to take the edge off)
Fifteen hundred miles away I have my own version of this. My favorite Asian restaurant, Taipei & Tokyo in Northampton, is probably not all that and a bag of wasabi peas to anyone outside of my college clique. I think its the most delicious Chinese/Japanese place in the country and make a beeline there for steamed veggie dumplings the minute my rental car crosses into Hampshire County. I've had spats with latter-day Smithies like J. Shine over its position as the finest Asian restaurant in Noho. I guess T&T doesn't get too much love from the locals anymore. Even Elinor was confused by my insistence that we have lunch there the last time I was in town. "We really don't go there anymore," she said, meaning her and her husband and all of their friends, of which she has many.
In my mind, T&T is still the best, even though it has its flaws. The waitstaff was kind of weird to me last time I ate there by myself. They kept asking if someone else was coming, which hurt my feelings. They still have the same delivery guy who stopped his car to look at all the Albright House breastage, and seeing him made me so happy! T&T is always quiet and there are no drunk/rowdy dudes in white caps lurching about, punctuating their slurs/drawls with "Dude." I can't wait to eat there in two weeks!!!